With all of the recent controversy in the fashion industry concerning the banning of underweight models, Brazilian celebrity Gisele Bundchen speaks out about anorexia and eating disorders.
This past year has seen Spain, Italy and London create a minimum BMI requirement for models, as well as an age minimum of 16 years. The United States has followed suit, somewhat reluctantly, by producing a set of guidelines that encourages designers to report girls who are suffering from an eating disorder.
But Gisele Bundchen has had it with the debate and the blame put on the fashion industry and models for the rise in the rates of anorexia and bulimia.
"I never suffered from this problem [an eating disorder] because I had a very strong family base. Parents are responsible, not the fashion industry," she was quoted as telling O Globo magazine.
The recent deaths of her fellow Brazilian model, Ana Carolina Reston, as well as Uruguayan model Luisel Ramos, were cited due to complications from anorexia. But Gisele defends the industry that pays her as nothing more than a career reality.
"Everybody knows that the norm in fashion is thin," she stated, "But excuse me, there are people born with the right genes for this profession."
And so the debate continues. How much of an impact do you think super skinny models have on the rise of eating disorders?
For all the coverage on the ban of underweight models, click here.
Lori Henry - A travel writer, Lori flits between exploring the world with incessant curiosity and huddling over her laptop writing.
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