2008 Woodie Awards
Cited as unhealthy influence on girls' self image, 'bone-thin' models banned in Spain
Nicole Johnson
Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Fashion-the epitome of beauty in today's culture and society. The fashion industry has set expectations for the ideal look of a woman for more than a hundred years, from the curvaceous bodies of Marilyn Monroe's era to the heroine chic look that is personified in Kate Moss. Spread through the media, fashion has been the driving force setting what society sees as beautiful. You cannot open a magazine, or turn on the television without seeing fashion's ideal of a beautiful woman; yet, how often do you see that woman walking down the street?
If you took a look at the runways in the fashion capitals of the world you would see the rail-thin, waif-like models that have set beauty standards for years. But change is in the air in Madrid, Spain. In early September the world's first ban on models whose BMI (Body Mass Index) was below the low end of a healthy standard (18) was instituted for fashion shows. One of Spain's largest fashion shows, the Pasarela Cibeles, did not allow five of their sixty-eight models to parade down the runway after they failed the BMI evaluation. These models were over five feet seven inches tall and less than 121.5 pounds.
Restrictions were set by the show's organizers after protest arose last year surrounding the 'bone-thin' models on the runway. A wave of controversy in the fashion world has followed Spain's institution of the weight evaluation with solid arguments on both sides of the issue. On one hand, this is a first large step towards social activism in the fashion world. "The fashion industry's promotion of beauty as meaning stick thin is damaging to young girls' self image and to their health," said Britain's cabinet minister Tessa Jowell. Opposition to the BMI requirements is typified in this statement from Cathy Gould, of New York's Elite modeling agency, "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." Generally the fashion industry believes its being used as a scapegoat for illnesses like anorexia and bulimia.
If you took a look at the runways in the fashion capitals of the world you would see the rail-thin, waif-like models that have set beauty standards for years. But change is in the air in Madrid, Spain. In early September the world's first ban on models whose BMI (Body Mass Index) was below the low end of a healthy standard (18) was instituted for fashion shows. One of Spain's largest fashion shows, the Pasarela Cibeles, did not allow five of their sixty-eight models to parade down the runway after they failed the BMI evaluation. These models were over five feet seven inches tall and less than 121.5 pounds.
Restrictions were set by the show's organizers after protest arose last year surrounding the 'bone-thin' models on the runway. A wave of controversy in the fashion world has followed Spain's institution of the weight evaluation with solid arguments on both sides of the issue. On one hand, this is a first large step towards social activism in the fashion world. "The fashion industry's promotion of beauty as meaning stick thin is damaging to young girls' self image and to their health," said Britain's cabinet minister Tessa Jowell. Opposition to the BMI requirements is typified in this statement from Cathy Gould, of New York's Elite modeling agency, "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." Generally the fashion industry believes its being used as a scapegoat for illnesses like anorexia and bulimia.
Be the first to comment on this story