London Mayor Bans Subway Ads He Says Promote 'Unhealthy' Female Body Image

LONDON (AP) — London's Muslim Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced a ban on advertising that promotes unhealthy body image on the city's Tube subway network.

Starting next month, Transport for London will not allow ads that cause pressure to conform to "unrealistic or unhealthy body shape."

Protein World ad displayed in an underground station in London. Starting July 2016, Transport for London will not allow ads that cause pressure to conform to "unrealistic or unhealthy body shape." (Catherine Wylie/Pa, File via AP)

Khan says that as the father of two teenage girls, he is "extremely concerned about this kind of advertising which can demean people, particularly women, and make them ashamed of their bodies. It is high time it came to an end."

Concerns were raised last year when an advertisement featuring a model in a bikini asked, "Are you beach body ready?"

Graeme Craig of TFL says advertising on the network is unlike other places, because "our customers cannot simply switch off or turn a page if an advertisement offends or upsets them."