Should models who are clinically underweight be banned from catwalks?

Question

The Madrid fashion week has banned all underweight models from appearing there because it is said to encourage an unhealthly ideal and eating disorder in young women...
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/12092006/325/spain-ban-skinny-models-shocks-fashion-world.html


What do you think?

Answer 1

Yes. I am tired of being force-fed (pardon the metaphor) this extremely thin image of beauty, especially when most adult women in the world do not look like that naturally. This is all about merchandising and capitalism and creating a product. I am also convinced that by marketing a super-slender image, the clothing companies and designers can justify cutting mainly smaller sizes, which costs them less. There is nothing wrong with being healthily slim and athletic, but the Kate Moss emaciated heroin chic look is impossible to achieve unless your metabolism is abnormally fast, or you either (1) take drugs all the time, or (2) throw up everything you eat, or (3) don't eat at all, or (4) have an operation. That's as bad as Chinese foot binding.

I'll bet you that women all over the world are heaving sighs of relief. I say, hooray for Madrid, and thank you to them for getting these stick-thin models off our backs.

If this works, though, it won't be long before the fashion industry finds some other way of demoralizing us. It is an interesting marketing psychology -- introduce the idea that something is wrong with you, the consumer, in terms of your attractiveness, and then introduce the second idea that the only way you can rectify that is by buying their products.

Answer 2

Wow has this become a hot topic on Answers :-)

I've said it once, and I"ll keep on saying it, I love this idea.

It is promoting a healthier body for models, a healthier role model for young girls, and a more realistic beauty ideal. These women are th standard for beauty. They are unhealthy and underweight, so why should the rest of the world try to look like that? We don't need to go to the extreme of having nothing but plus sized models, but we should at least have women that don't look like they came fresh out of a underprivilaged country.

I don't see a difference in banning underweight models and the other public healthy and safety issues that are out there today. While we have already set a precedent for overweight health issues to be taken seriously, we have been ignoring the issues that come from being underweight. It's about time the world woke up and take a good look at the women who are sick and/or dying from malnutrition and other things associated with the eating disorders and diet pills that these women use to stay that thin.

There is a difference between skinny and underweight. The minimum BMI set by Spain is the lowest number that is still considered a healthy weight, and the girls that fall under that number will be given a physical. Maybe if some of these women are proven to be unhealthy, designers will wake up and realize that the cost of making their clothing look good is too high. They might just go back to using a more "normal" model look, like Cindy Crawford, Christie Brinkley, and some of the others that use to be popular. They were thin, healthy, and had what I think is a better look than the ultra-thin models, like Nicole Richie, Kate Moss, and even Spain's top model Esther Canadas. Some of those women that fall under the ban look like nothing more than skin and bones.

Answer 3

It's a tricky question this one, as not all models are underweight because they undereat ,some are naturally skinny like that!I think therefore, it is not the model who is at fault but the fashion industry ,as they choose the girls they want to model their clothes etc Personally I think clothes look better on a more womanly figure and that some of these models, far from being attractive, can be quite hideous with bones sticking out everywhere and walking round three inches taller than the average man!! So I would say that , if it was clear to the industry that a model was obvioulsy starving herself in order to have the type of body they require for the catwalk then they should assume some moral responsibilty, not only for portraying unrealistic and unhealthy goals to the public but also to their employee! The difficult thing i suppose, is knowing who is naturally skinny and who isn't eating!!! It is harder for tall girls to put on weight than short girls as they need to consume more calories than average to maintain their frame so tall girls will always be skinnier (on average ) than short ones.To summarise, I think the industry needs to change its ideas and make catwalk modelling open to more varied sizes and heights and shapes of women, as these tall skinny creatures we all aspire to, are definitely a minority group,whilst the people who actually buy the clothes are mostly normal,averaged sized ,averaged height, healthy women.

Answer 4

I think it's unfair to ban all underweight models outright, as it states in the article there are some naturally "gazelle like" models, and they have a right to continue working...everyones body type is different, some peoples metabolism and thyroid function is a lot faster than others and therefor they drop weight and end up super skinny (and due to this, find the perfect job...yep clothes hangers...) through no fault of their own...
It brings us back to this whole thing about skinny models/actresses/singers etc in magazines, and how youngsters imitate them, some of these people are just naturally skinny, take keira knightly for example, so skinny, but she's a healthy, stunning young woman, what are they going to do ban her films just because she's a size 4/6?
They should be kicking up a stink about "stars" being over weight, drinking and smoking as well then, because these aren't exactly healthy lifestyle choices...are they?
ttfn ;o)

Answer 5

Definitely. And it isn't only young girls who get eating disorders. Boys nowadays are every bit as likely to suffer from them.
Where did this stupid 'skinny' culture come from? It cannot be from 'beauty' because nothing is more gross than someone whose head looks twice the size because their body is too thin.
I wonder is it an 'admiration of control' thing? These skinny people are perceived to be in 'control' of their eating habits and since control is power and power is a turn on..........would that be a part of it? That's for the adults but unfortunately it is affecting the children now.
Whatever the reason, it should be discouraged by everyone in the fashion business. This diet thing is a huge moneymaking exercise so it's being perpetuated for greed with no consideration for the children it's killing. Lots of normal weight kids are miserably unhappy because they cannot achieve this unnatural thinness.
Well done, Madrid. London, Paris, Milan, please take note.

Answer 6

Tough to answer, actually. The mindset in the modeling world is so ingrained in being 'thin' it will be hard to change.

I do believe models should be healthy, though, so I would hope that the banning of underweight models catches on.

So yes, I agree models should not be allowed on the catwalks if they are underweight more than maybe 5-10 lbs.

Answer 7

Well, this how they get around the truth. Actually, those women may get blowed off by the wind and Madrid not want to take the blame. I must agree, the bad thing about Democracy is everyone can hold society responsible for their stupidity. Heck a good example is some stupid woman in America burned her tongue on some Coffee, in my opinion she needed mental help if she not know coffee is hot. But, now she still running around in society, dang she may kill someone, she a mental case! Another interesting thing most of these women not realize, well actually all women around the world, is; I like a woman with a little "meat" on her body, makes the Pu8Say soft and cuddly. But, as women realize the wants of the Snag they start to come back to reality, another thing the Governments not want women to know.
DANG!!!!! My girlfriend just hit me in the head for this answer :-( now is that right???? Waaaaaa! I think I will sue, take my payment in loving! :-p

Answer 8

I think it's wonderful news. At last some one is doing something. Young girls every where think that you have to look like models to be attractive. Did you know that girls as young as 10 in the USA are going on diet!!! It's about time underweight models ate more than a grape a day.

Answer 9

Yes, definitely. You don't see massively obese women on a catwalk so why should it be any different for those who are seriously skinny? Being too thin is just as bad for your health as it is to be overweight and it looks just as horrendous to be honest. Even if some of them are naturally thin, they still shouldn't be allowed to become models because of what the very word 'model' implies and how deeply it influences people.

"Should it be banned?" It shouldn't even have happened.

Answer 10

Yes i'm not saying have fatties but how about 10-12Uk This may stop young kids starving them selves but won't stop size 16-18 thinking they look good in what looks good on a 10. I'm a size 18 but know my boundries with looking in the mirror before i exit out the door!!