In her address at
the launch party in South Kensington, in the Natural History Museum (ironically),
to open London Fashion Week in 2006, supermodel Erin O’Connor said that “all
opinions are welcome” on the idea of banning skinny models from the catwalk. “I
think it’s a debate that will happen in good time,” she added. Spain and Italy imposed
such a ban in 2006, with the former imposing restrictions prior to Madrid
Fashion Week that meant “any model with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of less than 18
could be banned from taking part in the show,” Widiane Moussa reports for The London Paper (2006). “Doctors use
the index, which is a ratio of height to weight, to calculate the healthy size
for an individual.” Although organisers in London resisted demands that they
should follow suit, as Israel went on to do in 2012, “Tessa Jowell, the Culture
Secretary, entered into the debate at the weekend saying, “I applaud this
welcome decision taken by Madrid to ban super-thin models. I urge the
organisers of London Fashion Week to do the same.”
According to an article in the Evening Standard, “Designers, including Paul Smith, Allegra Hicks, Alicia Moussaief and high street chains Zara and Biba have all backed the call.” (21 September 2006).
According to an article in the Evening Standard, “Designers, including Paul Smith, Allegra Hicks, Alicia Moussaief and high street chains Zara and Biba have all backed the call.” (21 September 2006).
An article on the
BBC’s website explains: “UN health experts recommend a BMI of between
18.5 and about 25, and some models may fall well below the minimum...The
Spanish Association of Fashion Designers has decided to ban models who have a
BMI of less than 18. Unhealthily skinny models at last year's fashion shows led
to protests from doctors and women's rights groups...Madrid's local government
says it wants to set a more positive, healthy image of beauty for teenagers to
follow. ‘Fashion is a mirror and many teenagers imitate what they see on the
catwalk,’ said regional official Concha Guerra. Spain's Anorexia and Bulimia
Association says if designers refuse to follow these voluntary restrictions the
government should legislate to ban thin models. However, some sections of the
fashion world have expressed outrage at the idea of weight restrictions. Cathy
Gould, of New York's Elite modelling agency, said the fashion industry was
being used as a scapegoat for weight-related illnesses. ‘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?’ she asked,
adding that the careers of naturally "gazelle-like" models could be
damaged.”
(Madrid bans waifs
from catwalks, 13 September 2006, www.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5341202.stm).
Steve Bloomfield, from the Eating Disorders
Association, pointed out that, “It should not be aspirational to look ill.”
If the UN and Israel are involved, however, you can bet your
life something is up and that this is likely to be an attack on art and culture
in the Western world. Although it is the corrupt World Health organisation that
classes anything below 18.5 as underweight so this is where the UN gets its ‘figure’
from (pardon the pun!).
France passes bill banning 'excessively thin' models
18 December 2015
French MPs have adopted a bill aimed at banning the use of fashion models deemed to be "excessively thin."
Employers who break the law could face up to six months in jail and a €75,000 fine (£54,000, $81,000).
A previous version of the bill had suggested a minimum Body Mass Index (BMI) for models, prompting protests from modelling agencies in France.
But the final draft approved on Thursday allows doctors to decide whether a model is too thin by taking into account their weight, age, and body shape.
It also says that digitally altered images making a model's silhouette "narrower or wider" should be labelled "touched up."
France is not the first country to legislate on underweight models - Italy, Spain and Israel have all done so.
Anorexia affects between 30,000 to 40,000 people in France, 90% of whom are women.
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