London ditches initiative to ban 'size zero' models
Filed under: Fashion, News, Designers & Brands, Runway Report
Despite the fact that men prefer size 10, the idea that skinny models = tons of women with body image issues has been a hot topic for crusading do-gooders for decades. But with all the outrage over the supposedly sickly-looking models, nobody's ever been able to put a stop to the anorexic reign of size zeros. Even now, the UK's best chance at banning "unhealthy" models in the looks like it's wilting away.
The British government has been eyeing new regulations that would require catwalk models to pay for a £500 ($933) health exam and certificate before they could do any work on the runway. While we think that seems kinda steep, it actually gathered a lot of support. Now, without similar bans in major fashion cities like New York or Milan, London is worried about all kinds of negative fallout -- especially at London Fashion Week.
Other, less-severe measures are being put in place to protect the health of British models, like promoting a drug and alcohol free backstage environment. Why alcohol-free?
[via Jezebel]
Amber 8-14-2008 @ 12:32PM
It's a "fact" that "men prefer size 10"? Really? I'd be surprised if most men were able to look at women and somehow instinctively know what their dress size is. I also think it's very dangerous - not to mention insulting - to assume that a woman's dress size tells you whether or not she has an eating disorder. Not everyone who is "size 0" is automatically "anorexic": I wish the focus could move to health, rather than obsessing over a largely meaningless number.
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Jenifer Germer 8-14-2008 @ 6:32PM
I wish that EVERYONE in the world would realize that rail thin does not look good. Everyone looks better with some meat on their bones and some curves. I don't know where, how, or when the Fashion world got warped into thinking that bone thin legs and negative A cup breasts looked good. That is what is wrong with so many young girls today with eating disorders. They think that if they don't look like a ruler, that they are fat!!!!!
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