WAY too thin
Okay, I know fashion & beauty have been the subject of my last few posts, but I promise things will get back to normal soon. ;)
I can't believe that people find models this thin attractive. Yuck. Is it any wonder that so many girls and women have eating disorders, when this is the ideal of beauty, according to the world of fashion?!
Recently, Madrid refused to let models with a body mass index of less than 18 participate in the city's fashion shows, saying it wants to project "an image of beauty and health" (FYI, the World Health Organization recommends a BMI of between 18.5 and 25).
Apparently this is the first time extremely thin models have been excluded from fashion shows.
I think it's wonderful to see the fashion industry beginning to cut down on the amount of unhealthy body images they promote (not that the models in the Madrid show were full-figured by any means, but hey, it's a start). About 30% of models were turned away from the Madrid show - a scary thought considering how many women try to achieve the weight of models.
But wait, there's more...
Now the fashion capital of Milan has its feathers ruffled by the fear that the same type of restrictions might be placed on its fashion shows. Modeling agencies in other parts of the world are also outraged by Madrid's fashion show weight restrictions.
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." (Reuters)
Discrimination and the freedom of the designer?! Come on. Too short/too heavy models have been largely kept off the runways for years. No one is saying that models have to be huge, just a healthy weight. A restriction that makes sense given that these models' photos are seen in magazines and TV around the world.
I hope more cities and fashion shows will implement healthy weight standards.
Kudos, Madrid!
Technorati tags: fashion, models, skinny models, Madrid, Milan, anorexia, bulimia, body image, Madrid models
Posted in: body image, fashion and beauty, health on September 15, 2006
