Recently, cities all over the world have looked into the problem of underweight fashion models. Two young women died from complications of anorexia and some cities have even gone so far as to ban models under a certain BMI (Body Mass Index) in fear of promoting eating disorders.
Eating disorder organizations have been pushing for more fashion councils to follow suit, not allowing girls who are too skinny to walk the runway. Critics of the move say that banning models under a certain weight is discrimination.
Those in between believe that the issue of extremely thin fashion models comes down to health: if a girl is sick with an eating disorder, she is, not only harming herself, but those who look up to her and try to emulate her.
This week, London has just revealed that they will not ban underweight models but will stop girls under 16 years old from working. The British Fashion Council, in charge of London’s Fashion Week, was created in order to police the policies surrounding the event, a large part of which is the model’s health.
Says Dee Doocey, the culture, fashion and tourism spokeswoman on London's city council, "I accept that BMI bans may not be the panacea, but it would be a principled start and send a strong signal to the industry that practices that put young women's health at risk will not be tolerated" (International Herald Tribune, 2007).
A recent study has indicated that 40% of young fashion models have developed an eating disorder. The most surprising part of the research was that, although quite a few suffered from anorexia, it was those who suffered from bulimia and other “hidden” eating disorders that were in the majority.
On the other hand, another recent study found the opposite to be true. Undergraduate Jennifer McWhirther of the University of Waterloo, is a model herself. Her study, called “Model and Undergraduate Self-Esteem,” (MUSE) was part of her honors thesis.
McWhirther wraps up her argument with the notion that the models with eating disorders make up a small part of the industry’s population. She concludes that they are actually satisfied with their bodies and have high self esteem.
She states, "Models are often perceived as malnourished and abusive toward their bodies. According to my results, however, those in the modelling industry are not any more likely to develop eating disorders than those who are not" (University of Waterloo, 2007).
Interestingly, both studies were conducted by completely competent researchers and came up with widely different results. One thing is certain: even if the models themselves are, for the most part, healthy, those who try to imitate them clearly aren’t.
Lori Henry - A travel writer, Lori flits between exploring the world with incessant curiosity and huddling over her laptop writing.
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