Filippa Hamilton's image had been digitally altered to make her look thinner

NEW YORK (AP) — A former Ralph Lauren model photographed for an advertisement image that was digitally altered and roundly criticized says she was fired because she was "too large."

Filippa Hamilton told NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday that she was hurt when Polo Ralph Lauren let her go in April by saying she did not "meet the obligations under her contract." The terms are confidential.

The company says the model's digitally altered image was displayed by mistake last week in Japan. The photo depicts a freakishly skinny and out-of-proportion Hamilton.

Hamilton says she's going public because she doesn't want young women to think it's normal to look emaciated. She says she's 5 feet 10, weighs 120 pounds and wears a size 4.