Fashion: Thin models spur weight debate
New York Fashion Week came and went last month with little talk on the issue, other than a few fashion-show regulars noting they were seeing even more ribs and vertebrae than usual.
Meanwhile, Madrid banned ultra-thin models from appearing in its Fashion Week. The British culture secretary urged London to do the same, but organizers rejected her plea.
It was announced that in Milan, Italy, models will soon have to present a health certificate to appear on the runway.
- Catwalkers — now mostly an anonymous group of models — are the primary target.
“The place you tend to see very thin is the runway, and models on the runway tend to reflect trends in fashion design,” says Katie Ford, CEO of Ford Models. After a parade of “womanly” models in the 1980s, “The counter-fashion trend in the ’90s was grunge. That was a look that appealed to very young people; it was almost the opposite of womanly. The models were androgynous, very thin — heroin chic, which ended pretty quickly because people rebelled against it — but on the runway, some of that stayed on.”
- While the debate over runway models has created lots of headlines, runway modeling is only a small chunk of the business. Catalogs, advertising and magazine editorial pages spend far more money on models — and they also are seen by a much bigger audience.
Those models are still slimmer than most American women, but they are more likely to be fit.
“That very thin look isn’t for us,” says Rachel Di Carlo, spokeswoman for American Eagle Outfitters. She says with teens and young women as the brand’s target customer, the company is interested in models who look healthy and energetic.
- There is movement to broaden the definition of “beautiful.” Dove famously started to use “regular” women as models two years ago, and now is set to be honored by the Cosmetic Executive Women, a beauty industry group, for its Campaign for Real Beauty.
“Self-esteem is closely linked to body image,” says Philippe Harousseau, vice president of Dove’s North American skin care unit. “This was about raising self-esteem, especially with younger girls. It’s extremely damaging for younger girls who suffer from body-issue self-esteem issues. It can keep them from realizing their full potential in life.”
