Madrid Bans Underweight Models from Catwalk

[eyeofthestorm]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/09/13/spain.models/index.html

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2349467,00.html

This month marks the first time a part of the modern fashion industry has taken responsibility into their own hands to promote healthy looking women in media.

Basically the organizers of Madrid Fashion Week decided they wanted to create an image of health and beauty rather than emaciation and heroine-chic, in admittance of the media's effect on young girls and women developing eating disorders. As a result, they had a specialist on hand to calculate all of the participating models' Body Mass Indexes and only girls with indexes of 18 or higher were allowed to take part in the fashion show (healthy index range is generally considered to be between 18.5-25.5). Approximately 30% of the girls were turned away, including Spain's most popular model, Esther Cañadas. Naturally this movement has had both positive and negative reviews, and the CNN article in the link above describes both briefly.

As usual, post your thoughts, comments, arguments, etc. I will post mine after there are a few replies.

[HeruMorna]

Its no secret that young girls look up to the wafer-thin look potrayed by these models and resort to starving themselves and throwing up their meals in order to fit into the mould of "pretty" propogated by these models. Although I dont care enough about this subject, I do support it.

Esther Canadas is ugly btw.

[Zaku]

Yeah, in America right now, if you go look at high school girls there are more anorexic girls than overweight. Not only is this terribly unhealthy (I'd personally rather be fat) But it's commonly accepted opinion that girls that skinny simply aren't hot.

So, yeah, I applaud Madrid for stepping up and looking to solve this issue.

[eyeofthestorm]

I found it impressive that finally the first steps are being taken to revolutionize the ridiculous gazelle-like skinny fashion model icon image that the modern industry has created... the media definition of beauty throughout history is so varied and ever-changing that it was bound to happen, but it's just refreshing to see that the change is starting now.

Marilyn Monroe is a good example of how much the definition of beauty has changed since the 50's and 60's. Her look is nothing like that of today's models and celebrities. Her features were softer and she was very curvy and voluptuous. Fifty years ago she was one of the most beautiful women in the media, today she would be considered plus-size and has even been called 'fat' by some modern models. If that drastic a change can happen in 50 years then maybe this is the start of another trend where "healthy = beauty" instead of "skinny =beauty."

And I completely agree with Zaku on this one. There's nothing attractive about not eating and being sickly skinny. It's good to see that this Madrid fashion week and other places in the media, such as Doves Campaign for Real Beauty, finally GET IT.

[Zaku]

Fat? You gotta be kidding me. Now that I look up some photos, I gotta say MM was one sexy lady! In fact her figure is much closer to what women should strive for if they really want to be attractive.

Fat. Ha!

[eyeofthestorm]

I couldn't agree more, Zaku. I recently watched 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' and 'Some Like It Hot' again for the first time in a couple years and even as another girl looking at her, I can appreciate that she is absolutely gorgeous.

The most notorious 'fat' quote was made by Elizabeth Hurley:

[Columbus Dispatch, 2000]
Actress/Estee Lauder spokesmodel Elizabeth Hurley was recently named "Babe of the Century'' in some poll. This apparently caused her to lose her senses, because she went on to gratuitously dump on Marilyn Monroe — who's hardly in a position to defend herself. Hurley says that the screen legend was overweight, peaking at a dress size of 16. "I've always thought Marilyn Monroe looked fabulous, but I'd kill myself if I was that fat,'' Hurley told Allure magazine in an amazingly tactless moment . . . "I went to see her clothes in the exhibition, and I wanted to take a tape measure and measure what her hips were. (laughter) She was very big."

I don't care who you are, Mariliyn Monroe is infinitely more beautiful than Elizabeth Hurley. Who the hell voted in that poll anyway?

[lothlorien]

Society still believes that MM was a beauty.  Will they believe that about E Hurley in 50 years?  She will be forgotten by then, I'm sure.


I'm glad they got rid of the coat hangers.  I think it sets a precedent for shows around the world.  Maybe this is the beginning of a turnaround.  I think those coat hanger for girls look gross.

[Scroll]

I finally seen some pictures of some of the models and it sickens me to think that our children will see that is how they must look and get sick or die trying to get that way. Not everyone is the same build.

I am not fat but I do look at myself in the mirror sideways and I see a bit of a bulge (sp) in my midsection and that makes me think I am fat. I have tried countless diets, exercises, and pills with no use. But I still try to get the bulge (sp) out. Probably wont stop either even though I know I'm not fat and after having two kids I think I'm not really a bad looker at 5 foot 1 and 135 pounds.