More on the skinny models ban
Posted on 19 September 2006
After the Spanish banned too skinny models from the Pasarela Cibeles fashion show, the fashion and modeling world is experiencing a great pressure to insure models walking down the runways have some meat on their bones.
Fashion shows in Milan and London are getting phone calls from majors, health officials and the like, Reuters reports:
"The mayor of Milan, Letizia Moratti, has said she will seek a similar ban for Milan Fashion Week — starting in a week's time — unless it can find a solution to "sick" looking models.
Fearing they could be targeted next, Milan model agency boss Riccardo Gay said "With those kind of rules, we'd have to turn away 80 percent of models. Naomi Campbell wouldn't be able to walk down the catwalk."
This skinny model ban is reaching it's peak in public debates, and the always sharp Ms. Karen Kay writes for Daily Mail about the other perspective of this question. In her great and in-depth article she talks to fashion designers, runway organizers and editors, telling us how many of them feel about this issue.
Some designers complain that modeling agencies force them to make small clothes, some state they would never use a model who is looking ill, and some even compare the girls wearing their clothes to – hangers:
"For me as a designer, I would never knowingly use a model who was anorexic, but the simple fact is that we employ these girls as moving coat-hangers. "We're not looking for sex appeal or to hold a mirror up to the woman on the street, we're trying to shift clothes to the store buyers, and I personally think that a slender figure is the best way to show them off."
Others compare runway pieces to concept cars, which no one drives. There's also an interesting remark at the end of the article saying that the whole ban-thing is just to move even more spotlight, camera flash and pens to the fashion shows.
To make it short, many of fashion professionals think that anorexia and other eating disorders cannot be blamed on the fashion industry.
Am I the only one who sees how much glossy magazines, famous skinny actresses and fashion industry are affecting young girls? I'm not saying our teens are brainless, but they surely are easily influenced.
And don't get me wrong, I'm for women all shapes and sizes, from 0 to whatever, but prefer them to be as healthy as they possibly can be, while vomiting, fasting and hating their bodies surely isn't the way to go.
Please share your thought on the subject, I'll be pleased to hear all your pros and cons.
10 responses to More on the skinny models ban
This was a great article. I agree that there should be some limits to allowing sickly models on the runways. The greasy heroin look was definitely a tragedy during the 90′s and I am glad that officials are working to put a stop to it. Young girls should not be made to feel inadequate because they are not a size 0. Look at what the pressure has done to Hollywood, many actor’s and actresses are beginning to look sickly and they are being pressured by designers, who want them to wear their clothes, but not look “full” in the them.
BTW Ivy, did you get the e-mail I sent you?
Thanks for the great post. I will definitely be checking back and will be adding you to my favorites list.XOXO
Hi Cindy, thanks for your comment. I too do not see a point of making clothes look wonderful on no boob-no hip girls.
if the fashion industry won’t care for it’s employee it should be boycotted and prosuecuted. in serveral industries health standards are required maybe they should start enforcing those. because lets face it if someone drops dead on a runway you better believe someone will get sued
Thanks for sharing that Jenna. But I would rather see fashion industry stop using unhealthy models because it’s wrong than not to get sued. But I think there’s just too much money involved, and they hav eto hurt where it matters – on their income, to get wiser.
Yes, I agree, runway models should look more real life, and designers should show their clothes on beautiful women of all shapes and sizes. In an ideal world…this would be normal and we wouldn’t have to worry about our kids getting anorexia in persue of a catwalk body.
This should be a wakeup call. There are tons of young girls who want to dress and look like celebrities and models. Just surf the Internet forums on these topics and you’ll see why. If the fashion industry, models and celebrities were to make “having a little meat on your bones” stylish, I can guarantee you that there would be a decrease in anorexia and bulimia. I think its horrible how those industries encourage the women who work in them to be skeletally thin. It’s just as unhealthy to be too thin as it is to be too heavy. Wake up America!
They are not looking for sex appeal, they are not looking to hold a mirror for average women, what are they looking for? They must know a buyer would first identify himself with the model before even thinking to wear those “concept cars”.
It’s not the fashion industry to blame for the increasing cases of bulimia and anorexia. It’s the people that play a role in the education of these girls. If nobody explains them why it isn’t indicated to have a model from the fashion-industry, they can’t know about it.
Thin skinny models and thin skinny hollywood/pop stars, are a terrible role model for’real’ women and young girls. I don’t ever want to look that skinny, I hope the ban is world wide, not just in the fashion world, but in hollywood too, and the pop world.
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