How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Fashion World Draws the Line
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060912/en_nm/life_spain_models_dc
A top-level fashion show in Madrid has banned too-thin models on the grounds that young women might be influenced by their “rail-thin” appearance to lose an unhealthy amount of weight and possibly to develop an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Such restrictions have been sought by Spain’s Association in Defense of Attention for Anorexia and Bulimia for several years, so those folks are undoubtedly happy; and a spokesperson for the Association of Fashion Designers of Spain said the group supported restrictions.
However, other fashionistas are not pleased, and at least one modeling agency has called the ban “outrageous” and discriminatory against naturally “gazelle-like” models.
I know that there are beautiful women who were born to sashay down fashion world runways wearing haute couture, and who eat like horses yet never gain an ounce; and, of course, I am sorry for these “gazelle-like” creatures. (Hah!) But I don’t think that banning them from modeling – that is, declining to hire them -- is discriminatory, any more than I think refusing to hire men who are six feet tall and weigh 180 pounds as jockeys is discriminatory. (Actually, I don’t want to get into horseracing since that raises a whole bunch of other ethical questions, but you get the point.) And I know that there are other influences on young women besides the fashion industry that may lead them to develop eating disorders. But I do think that if models were more “Real Women Have Curves” and less “heroin chic,” they would set a better standard for suggestible young women. I’m a big fan of Eileen Fisher clothing ads – not of the clothes, necessarily, but of the ads -- because these ads depict real women -- often identified as women who work outside the fashion industry, such as brain surgeons and rocket scientists -- of all sizes, ages, and colors. Eileen Fisher celebrates diversity and provides great role models!
posted by Susan Rogers
A top-level fashion show in Madrid has banned too-thin models on the grounds that young women might be influenced by their “rail-thin” appearance to lose an unhealthy amount of weight and possibly to develop an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Such restrictions have been sought by Spain’s Association in Defense of Attention for Anorexia and Bulimia for several years, so those folks are undoubtedly happy; and a spokesperson for the Association of Fashion Designers of Spain said the group supported restrictions.
However, other fashionistas are not pleased, and at least one modeling agency has called the ban “outrageous” and discriminatory against naturally “gazelle-like” models.
I know that there are beautiful women who were born to sashay down fashion world runways wearing haute couture, and who eat like horses yet never gain an ounce; and, of course, I am sorry for these “gazelle-like” creatures. (Hah!) But I don’t think that banning them from modeling – that is, declining to hire them -- is discriminatory, any more than I think refusing to hire men who are six feet tall and weigh 180 pounds as jockeys is discriminatory. (Actually, I don’t want to get into horseracing since that raises a whole bunch of other ethical questions, but you get the point.) And I know that there are other influences on young women besides the fashion industry that may lead them to develop eating disorders. But I do think that if models were more “Real Women Have Curves” and less “heroin chic,” they would set a better standard for suggestible young women. I’m a big fan of Eileen Fisher clothing ads – not of the clothes, necessarily, but of the ads -- because these ads depict real women -- often identified as women who work outside the fashion industry, such as brain surgeons and rocket scientists -- of all sizes, ages, and colors. Eileen Fisher celebrates diversity and provides great role models!
posted by Susan Rogers
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home