Skinny Models Wearing Thin In Fashion Shocker

[Onyx]

Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:43 AM ET

By Andrew Hay

MADRID (Reuters) - The world's first ban on overly thin models at a top-level fashion show in Madrid has caused outrage among modeling agencies and raised the prospect of restrictions at other venues.

Madrid's fashion week has turned away underweight models after protests that girls and young women were trying to copy their rail-thin looks and developing eating disorders. Organizers say they want to project an image of beauty and health, rather than a waif-like, or heroin chic look.

But Cathy Gould, of New York's Elite modeling agency, said the fashion industry was being used as a scapegoat for illnesses like anorexia and bulimia. "I think its outrageous, I understand they want to set this tone of healthy beautiful women, but what about discrimination against the model and what about the freedom of the designer," said Gould, Elite's North America director, adding that the move could harm careers of naturally "gazelle-like" models.

Madrid's regional government, which sponsors the show and imposed restrictions, said it did not blame designers and models for anorexia. It said the fashion industry had a responsibility to portray healthy body images. "Fashion is a mirror and many teenagers imitate what they see on the catwalk," said regional official Concha Guerra.

The mayor of Milan, Italy, Letizia Moratti, told an Italian newspaper this week she would seek a similar ban for her city's show unless it could find a solution to "sick" looking models.

QUALITY, NOT SIZE

The Madrid show is using the body mass index or BMI -- based on weight and height -- to measure models. It has turned away 30 percent of women who took part in the previous event. Medics will be on hand at the September 18-22 show to check models.

"The restrictions could be quite a shock to the fashion world at the beginning, but I'm sure it's important as far as health is concerned," said Leonor Perez Pita, director of Madrid's show, also known as the Pasarela Cibeles. A spokeswoman for the Association of Fashion Designers of Spain, which represents those at Madrid fashion week, said the group supported restrictions and its concern was the quality of collections, not the size of models.

Eating disorder activists said many Spanish model agencies and designers oppose the ban and they had doubts whether the new rules would be followed. "If they don't go along with it the next step is to seek legislation, just like with tobacco," said Carmen Gonzalez of Spain's Association in Defense of Attention for Anorexia and Bulimia, which has campaigned for restrictions since the 1990s.

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;js...toryID=13463848

[saechalyn]

Discrimination against the model? That’s a riot. Models are “discriminated against” for being too big, so why not too small?

[kellygrrrrrl]

bout time.....

[Brenda Starrr]

I have a coworker who is "modeling" herself after these rail thin girls. If she keeps it up, she'll die by 30.

[torn asunder]

discrimination is discrimination, no matter the reasons...

[Homicidalheathen]

Ditto that.

bout time.....

[Shade Everdark]

Good for Madrid.

As for discrimination and blame for eating disorders...well, I can't say there isn't ANY validity there. It's about time they got a taste of it.

[Fierce Critter]

I might shock by saying I agree 100% with TornAsunder here.

I can find beauty in the uber-thin, just as much as I have said others should in the "fat".

But that doesn't make me want to be one or the other. I just want to be me.

I do think that impressionable people can take the sort of thing fashion throws at us to heart and feel compelled to "measure up to society". I have felt the sting of being considered "the ugly one" when compared with a woman who was, facially, very unattractive, yet was very obviously underweight.

That's very, very sad.

But I do think that it's up to the individual to police their own behavior, their own self-esteem. Yes, the media really caters to and publicizes a very narrow definition of "beauty". And it can be tempting to be at the opposite end of that definition, and want to see the "ideal" ostracized and "burned at the stake".

But in reality, it's just another way of saying, "if you are this, this or this, you are unbeautiful. You are "less than". You are worthy of discrimination."

What I'd rather see is not a ban, but an embracing. Walk those heroin-chic guys and gals down the runway in clothes that flatter them. But include some size 12's and some size 24's as well, and REALLY impress me with your design prowess. Put me in awsome, gorgeous clothes that accentuate my assets, and do the same for numbers all over the size chart.

That will REALLY sell me.

[torn asunder]

I might shock by saying I agree 100% with TornAsunder here.

What I'd rather see is not a ban, but an embracing. Walk those heroin-chic guys and gals down the runway in clothes that flatter them. But include some size 12's and some size 24's as well, and REALLY impress me with your design prowess. Put me in awsome, gorgeous clothes that accentuate my assets, and do the same for numbers all over the size chart.

beautiful!

[BrassFusion]

They should set an average dress size of 6. For every model they want to showcase below that dress size, they should be forced to show one at least as many sizes larger than 6 that the woman is below 6. So for however many size 0's they'd want in the show, they'd need that many size 12's. =D

Like that'll ever happen. But still- they have no right to bitch about models being discriminated against in this case.

The funny thing that'll happen now is that every model will have the same size body, as close to the minimum BMI as possible without being under.

[TygerLili]

Who's to say what is too thin or too fat. Everyone has different standards and preferences.

Why shouldn't we just have models in all sizes, and heights, and depict humanity the way it really is.

[BrassFusion]

Who's to say what is too thin or too fat. Everyone has different standards and preferences.

Why shouldn't we just have models in all sizes, and heights, and depict humanity the way it really is.

I'm sure if you're paying for the fashion show, you'll be able to hire anyone you like and dress them in garbage bags.

Sex = money and for the past few decades, heroin chic has = sex.