It seems that Madrid’s ban on skinny models has started a small avalanche across the fashion industry.UK cultural secretary Tessa Jowell is also calling for ultra-thin models to be banned from London Fashion Week.
“Young women need role models that look like real women, not stick insects on a catwalk.” (src – BBC)
Israel has now entered the fray with retail companies refusing to employ ‘overly-thin’ models for advertisements.
Adi Barkan, a leading fashion photographer, said he had secured commitments from firms that account for 60 percent of advertising volume in Israel to turn away models whose body mass index — the ratio of height to weight — is less than 18. (via Reuters)
Israel has the 4th highest rate of anorexia in the world.
I think it’s important here not to get this out of context (despite the shameless attention-grabbing title of this post!). According to the photographer quoted above, the average BMI among Israeli models is 14. I’m sure most would agree that is very low.
The agreement in Israel is not about state intervention but appears to be a voluntary act from the private sector. Quite frankly, as a father of two daughters (and with a familial history of eating disorders), I welcome any move to “normalize” media portrayal of women.
Sarah White, writing for CalorieLab puts a great slant on the whole debate.
Yes, we should tell our heavier girls that they are fine just the way they are, but we should also let our skinny girls know that they are fine, too. It’s hard enough being small, with people teasing you about being anorexic all the time, without having the whole culture telling you you’re an unhealthy freak for being so tiny.
People do come in all sizes and weights – but the modelling industry is all about looks – and fulfilling a certain arbitrary standard – from within the industry itself.
Who knows, there could actually be a collective sigh of relief among models. As commenter and former model Kbomb puts it “I quit after a couple years. I couldn’t subject myself to the constant scrutiny of my body.”
Im pretty sure all girls wish they were thinner no matter what
I am 54 kgs and 174cm tall. Lots of people say I’m “too thin” and rarely I also get the anorexic joke by my friends. Its not a nice thing to hear, because I know myself, and I know that I am not anorexic. I’m actually aware that I’m a really UNhealthy person- I love maccas fries so I eat a LOT of them, I basically eat a lot of junk food which is not a good thing. I know myself that if I was to eat healthier and start exercising I would for sure lose weight and have MORE people call me anorexic etc. Everyone says exercising and eating healthy makes you feel really good inside, and I really want to try it..but I’m sure not one person will believe me that I’ve lost weight because I’ve been more healthy
Its not a nice feeling!
My BMI is 14.4 and I eat over 6,500 calories per day (I’m an athlete who runs competitively). Gaining weight for me is next to impossible. I celebrate if I gain 2-5 lbs in a year. When I’m sick with the Flu I will drop 5-10 lbs in a week and cry about losing those lbs.
BTW – I take as much offense to being called “skinny” as you do to being called fat.
I agree that super skinny models have an influence on girls. I once went on an extreme diet in order to be a size 0 or 2 like what most fashion models are. I got down to a bmi of 18.5, which was still considered healthy. Although, I only weighed 108 lbs and later was diagnosed with an eating disorder. I don’t think that requiring models to be at a bmi of 18 is a big deal because they would still be very skinny.
You know there is not much for women to feel relieved or men to worry about.Plus size models are still size 10-18.That means we are still going to have skinny models.Just those who are dangerously thin and look like pile of bones will be replaced.The models still will be very good height /weight ratio.
Men like skinny but not skeletons.That is why successful adult movie stars do not look like skeletons.
Regarding ordinary women,your men are still going to drool over models.Fashion industry will still select gorgeous looking women only.May be not stick skinny.There is always the possibility with the new weight rules we get models with good upper and rear numbers.
i am still in colague and the wii fit says im overweight but to all my friends i look perfect i am not really tall and im not skinny i weigh about 13.5 stone and i have been told i am perfect by everyone.
models should be large aswell as superskinny i would love to be a model but all the crash diets and weaknesses… no thanks im a mars bar girl and there is noting wrong with that i am perfectly in proportion and i look fine im just larger.
THAT IZ COMPLETELY STUPID.NATURALLY THIN CHICK SHOULD JUZT TRY & GET A HEALTHLY IMAGE I MEAN BIGGER ONES TO BUT SWEET IT’Z REALLY,BIGGER PEOPLE ARE NORMAL PEOPLE.EVERY “NORMAL”PERSON CAN RELATE BECAUSE IT’S COMMON.PEOPLE CAN LOOK UP TO THE BIGGER MODELS,& KNOW IT’S OKAY TO BE THAT WAY BECAUSE IN REALITY,YOUNG GIRLS WHO ARE “AVERAGE”(NOT NASTY STICKS WITH 1% OF SKIN)CAN HAVE HOPE
lol, no offense, but in my entire life, i have never seen any obese model before. Obesity is not a trend within our world, it is a disorder, but it is certainly not promoted like the stick, gauntly thin image that walks on our runways. Do not get me wrong, i myself am part of the modelling world, having walked on several runways for gucci, marc jacobs and Dolce and gabana and i can assure you, any model that is “naturally thin” already has a BMI over 18, and those who don’t can be safely accused of not being naturally thin ( having said that, it’s very rare that i have come across any model that does not suffer from bulemia) I myself have a BMI of 18, but have subjected myself to unhealthy eating habits before. Now i exercise daily, without over doing it, and get a healthy intake of all the nutrients my body needs. Not living in this manner is unhealthy, and the Spanish government is the wiser to make suhc rules. I can hear a sigh of relief for many models. And in response to the accusation that because some models are suffering from eating disorders, all have to be punished; there is a VERY small minority of models who do not suffer from some type of eating disorder, and as i said before, i have never come across one, who’s BMI is not over 18.
So pretty much, naturally thin girls should lose their jobs because some models are anorexic/bullimic? Oh yes, it’s the naturally thin girls’ fault that people develop eating disorders.
If they have to ban thin models, they have to ban the bigger ones too, because obeseity it ALSO a problem in America.
I think that fat girls should protest fashion shows that promote skinny women. For every hour of protest, they could burn 300 calories. And If they raise their arms and shout slogans, they could loose an additional 100 calories. Important to remember – cut the feed bag from your face!
I think skinny models are best. I dont see how anyone would want to watch a runway show where fat and unhealthy women walk down a runway in lingerie. That’s just gross. A BMI of 14 is very low, but like half the comments already on this page, the BMI system is completely unreliable and flawed. I think runway models are the true examples of “self discipline”. They are required to be extremely thin because it is their job. Thats what they are paid for and thats how they make their living. I see nothing wrong with being extremely thin. I would rather be thin and unhealthy than fat and unhealthy.
I am currently recovering from years of bulimia caused by chronic dieting. All because i “bought into” the lie that being thin equates acceptance in society. I dieted when I was thin, at a size 8 because I wasn’t a size 2 and that started me on the road of 18 years worth of yo-yo dieting, binging and purging, and the shame and self-loathing that came with it. I began the Intuitive Eating lifestyle a month ago, and have NEVER felt so free. I feel like a life-long slave released from bondage. And I blame my ED on the media-hype and the fact that society says we should be thin. These changes on the runway have my vote! Runway models who have their ribs sticking out and sunk in eyes are NOT a good roll model, nor do they accurately depict how “real” women look, not even “naturally thin” people look like that. Yeah for Israel! Every time I hear that girl on that diet commercial laugh and say, “I’m a size 2!” (is it medi-fast?) THAT makes me want to purge. I wish some one would shut her up.
Don’t start criticising skinny girl because i am naturally thin and i am so sick of people comming up to me and making jokes such as i look anorexic i have become very self concious due to this you dont understand how much it hurts and what really annoys me is that you think it is okay to criticise skinny bodies but if someone gets called fat its slack?
yes there are people out there suffering fom eating disorders but it doesnt mean they should completely ban skinny girls from being models, but there are many different body shapes you have to realise and im a pear shape although i am tall and thin i carry my weight on my hips and noone will notice because i am so bony and thin on top and i hav a bmi of 16. bmi cannot determine whether your healthy or not so dont hold this against the models although 14 is way to low.
and eating disorders are not caused by models you dont just watch them and suddenly go hey im gonna throw up.
think about it.
call me crazy, but knowing modles are getting paid thousands to do very simple mindless things and then get to keep expensive designer dresses, kinda makes me think yeah they better be skinney and they better be hungry- hmm that sounded twisted but it is how i feel
Thats sad that the models in Israel face these pressures. But I can tell you from experience to take a walk down the beach in Tel Aviv. Big boobs, big bums and a lot of puppy fat makes for beautiful exotic looking girls!!
Ok so here is my ‘next post’
As a young man of 20 I wanted to join the military. I was considered underweight by their standards and so I was in the delayed entry program. I was maybe 7 or 9 pounds UNDERWEIGHT to qualify. So in order to enter boot camp I had to meet the weight requirements. Now as a boy I was VERY skinny and I mean VERY skinny! But I could go to an all you can eat buffet and pretty much eat more than anyone else. Is this called annorexic? no way! So for once in my life I had to go on ‘a diet’ to just get into the US Navy. My grandmother bless her soul made everything I could imagine to eat. I had to eat and eat and eat until the point where I was sick at my stomach just to gain a few ounces. Yes I did finally make it into the navy but omg it was the worst experience I had ever had in my life at that point. Before that very awful experience of forcing myself to overeat I would have been considered anorexic/unhealthy. This was just simply not true at all! and I think the military should consider not just height/weight requirements but include metabolism. Although now I am maybe normal weight or maybe just above that I am still healthy because I eat what I need and no more/less.
Please people do not judge a girl by her weight alone…but look into her eyes and her heart and see her for whom she truly is. Let the REALLY SKINNY girls have a chance…and do no less for ANY of the others whom you might consider average or overweight or obese or fat or very fat! They are all wonderful in my opinion. they are people and they are unique and they should all be loved…wait…they are ALL LOVED by at least someone out there in the world.
Just imagine how the totally skinny women pictured here would feel with all the negative things said about them. Be her…feel her thoughts…please do now down her or make her feel bad…use encouragment for her. Give her love and understanding and maybe, just maybe ask her how SHE feels? it’s ok to be you people…to all of you…and thanks for reading my thoughts.
I have a cousin who is by current medical standards obese. She is/was over 350 pounds.
She had a boyfriend who told me that the bigger a lady is the better. Now should women overeat to the point of obesity to satisfy these men who would love to see them on the runway as models? So what standards shall we make about how much someone weighs to be qualified as a model? Only ‘average’? is that what it takes for someone to be employable for this work? You are too skinny (no matter how pretty you are)….you are too fat (no matter how pretty you are). What’s the reaction to this idea I wonder. I like to look at skinny women…someone else enjoys fat women…someone else enjoys average women…who is right here?
What if the lovers of both very very skinny women unite with the lovers of very very fat women and try to ban average women?
Who is right? And who decides who is unhealthy or not based upon their weight/size? Hey folks there are a lot of different types of people out here in the world with many different body types. I’m all for helping those who have eating disorders of all types…but to BAN anyone is just simple ridiculous.
This is what I want to see…Let all models be as they are NATURALLY! Thin…ok…large…ok.
Equal opportunity is waht I say.
And to the modeling agencies out there…please do not tell a lady “hey you need to loose some weight.” or “hey…you need to eat and eat to gain some weight” and if you do as we say you will be accepted.
I have one experience…probably the worst of my life….next post
This whole thing about skinny women is ridiculous I think with the exception of women eating too little to the point of being unhealthy. Within the last month I have traveled to Venezuala and when I was there it seemed to me like 75% or more of the ladies there were what would consider here VERY thin. It was not because they did not eat much. In fact the opposite was true. I was around quite a few ladys there who could eat and eat…and at the same time they were so skinny I probably could pick them up with 2 or 3 fingers. Seems impossible maybe for those of us who live here in USA but not the case. I have said before that some women are just simply naturaly thin no matter what they eat. The infactuation with thin women is not unnatural…just as the infactuation with obese women is not unnatural. We all have our tastes and these tastes are a part of us that can not be switched off. I am one who adores naturally thin women (not the ones who starve themselves…who would want someone to make themself ill to be attractive? but those who are very thin due to their own natural metabolism) In fact…an over weight lady who starves herself into anorexia is not attractive…she’s still overweight (no wait…not naturally thin) in my opinion. So I say to all…be healthy…and if you are thin because you are thin…GREAT! if you are overweight (by whatever standards) and you feel good…GREAT!
All I want to say is that it takes all people of all types to make a world. And I don’t believe that if you like thin or thick ladys there is nothing wrong with you. more….
No one should be encourage of what he or she has intned to do with his or her life.
No matter what “do it yourself calculator” says just know that you are pretty and be confident that you have what it takes to be a model so keep on hoping that you will one day become top model in your country.If a person has the confidence and boldness of becoming a model,she be encourage so Lily what i want to tell you is that never give up on what you have for a long time,Okay.Take care of yourself.
I am on the opposite side of the spectrum. If the modeling industry wants models to be deathly thin, then let them have deathly thin models. Anorexia is a disease, not a trend. Trends are set by media whereas disease is more uncontrolable. I highly doubt that telling girls they are too thin, is really going to make a difference. They are still going to see themselves as being overweight unless medical treatment is saught out. So prohibitting a girl from working for being three pounds away from hospitalization is decrimination…anyway you look at it. Until the industry decides they want to help girls with eating disorders in a more productive way than telling them they’re thin, the ban is bull. And because one or two models died of complications with anorexia, does not mean all models will die with complications from anorexia. As much as people hate it, there are girls who are naturally rail thin.
-JRuss. (model)
For those women who are naturally thin, get down on your knees and count your blessings. As long as you’re healthy, don’t let anyone criticize you for it. I have said (jokingly) that they ought to take the genetically thin into a lab, locate their “thin” gene and see if it can be replicated. By the same token, come to think of it, for those of us born with the “fat” gene (and IT DOES EXIST), maybe science could do the same with us, and eliminate the fat gene. Bottom line is, just don’t criticize people for the way they look to their face. It’s mean, and no different from calling them ugly.
A BMI is an estimated generalized ideal, real fat tests are much more detailed and accurate. I have stopped takin any notice of the images given out as being ideal by the fashion industry as I am a healthy size 8 and curvacious. I have always been told that I am too thin, I eat constantly which has altered my size recently. I read an article about how unattainable beauty shown by the media as being the norm is proven to cause depression. I’m hot and its time that average sized people stopped calling me skinny and super skinny people stopped calling me fat!
I think the whole media hype over overly skinny models is being blown out of proportion. I agree that having a BMI of 14 is maybe too skinny but its debatable whether the current way of measuring peoples healthy weight is accurate. I have a BMI of 15.3 and apparently that makes me anorexic but I have always eaten a healthy amount of food. As bad as it is that the fashion industry is having such a damaging effect on women, I feel its important not to go to over the top, because skinny girls have always been open to ridicule as have fat girls I dont think we should be giving people any more of an excuse to victimise them because some people are naturally very skinny and these people should not be made to feel like they are unhealthy in any way.
I definitely agree with “On the road to my PhD.” The fashion industry hires models to promote the clothing, and if the models are overweight, then the attention is drawn the the person wearing the clothes instead of the clothes themselves.
Also, guys of all ages (by instict and consciously) prefer women who have an ass and curves. Biologically, men look for women who look fertile and who can bear children. If you’re a skeleton, guys won’t like that.
Abby, by saying that women don’t read, and only read fashion magazines, and that men read books (and not Men’s Health, GQ, and Esquire), you are saying women are shallow and uneducated and men aren’t. That is very mysogynistic. Do you hate being female, and think men are inherently better than women?
WHY would ANYONE use models as the frames of reference for what one is supposed to look like? How about, instead of having “realistic” looking models, women stop gawking at magazines all the time like idiots, and realize that the whole obsession with what they look like END? Jesus, it’s not about whether models are skinny or fat, it’s about women being told, AND BELIEVING, that their appearance should be their only concern. Instead of obsessing about what models should or shouldn’t look like, start reading BOOKS instead of brainless fashion magazines and do something substantial. Men don’t do this, women!! Get your shit together, and have a debate about something worthwhile. Women like you give us all a bad name.
would it not be a better idea to rather than ban certain BMI’s to accept all. plus these bans put many girls out of jobs. The girls that had been models are now unable to do so. Also not all magazines celebrate being skinny, look at victoria secret they celebrate big boobs and curves. Also in most teen magazines they dont celebrate being skinny as saying its unhealthy. i just dont understand why they must exclude any body type.
Maggie, but the reality is, people with your body type/BMI are still celebrated in magazines, movies, and everywhere else, even if in a few fashion weeks they are not allowed to work. So while you may feel it is telling you you are “unacceptable”, think about how people whose BMI is larger than acceptable feel. They are told they are unacceptable every single day. Think of this ban as not something that says you are unacceptable, but something that says you are the ultimate goal, and that people are willing to risk their lives for a shot of looking like you. That is why they had to be banned.
I understand the goal of this ban but i think it is unfair to say what is a healthy BMI. I am 18 5’8” and have a BMI of 14.4 so you consider this to be unhealthy but i am sure i eat more than most of the other people on this forum. It is simply my genetics that make me so thin. I am in perfect health and have never even come close to have an eating disorder. This ban makes me feel like i am unacceptable that i am not beautiful but that i am sickly. There shouldnt be a ban on any body type.
I would be fine with banning “plus-sized” models if size “zero” models were also banned. Models should be healthy in appearance, have muscle tone, not show bones that shouldn’t be showing (especially through clothes).
I also don’t believe that models need to come in every shape and size. The reason why they are supposed to come in a standard size is because the runway clothes are supposed to fit every model so it is easy to prepare for a show— not have to worry about taking lots of time trying things on and fitting everything. But I support it moving the standard size back to the 1980s standard size 6 and the height back to 5’7″ not 5’11″.
Haha, amen, Jan. The anger and fighting associated with your typical model is certainly a coping mechanism. It really is funny, there’s a definite pattern to it.