Espana Catwalk Scarecrow Ban

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Spain bans skinny models

September 13, 2006

The world's first ban on overly thin models at a

top-level fashion show in Madrid has caused outrage

among modelling agencies and raised the prospect of

restrictions at other venues.

 

Madrid's fashion week has turned away underweight

models after protests that girls and young women were

trying to copy their rail-thin looks and developing

eating disorders.

 

Organisers say they want to project an image of beauty

and health, rather than a waif-like, or heroin chic

look.

 

But Cathy Gould, of New York's Elite modelling agency,

said the fashion industry was being used as a

scapegoat for illnesses like anorexia and bulimia.

 

" I think its outrageous, I understand they want to set

this tone of healthy beautiful women, but what about

discrimination against the model and what about the

freedom of the designer, " said Gould, Elite's North

America director, adding that the move could harm

careers of naturally " gazelle-like " models.

 

Madrid's regional government, which sponsors the show

and imposed restrictions, said it did not blame

designers and models for anorexia. It said the fashion

industry had a responsibility to portray healthy body

images.

 

" Fashion is a mirror and many teenagers imitate what

they see on the catwalk, " said regional official

Concha Guerra.

 

The mayor of Milan, Italy, Letizia Moratti, told an

Italian newspaper this week she would seek a similar

ban for her city's show unless it could find a

solution to " sick " looking models.

 

The Madrid show is using the body mass index or BMI --

based on weight and height -- to measure models. It

has turned away 30 per cent of women who took part in

the previous event. Medics will be on hand at the

September 18-22 show to check models.

 

" The restrictions could be quite a shock to the

fashion world at the beginning, but I'm sure it's

important as far as health is concerned, " said Leonor

Perez Pita, director of Madrid's show, also known as

the Pasarela Cibeles.

 

A spokeswoman for the Association of Fashion Designers

of Spain, which represents those at Madrid fashion

week, said the group supported restrictions and its

concern was the quality of collections, not the size

of models.

 

Eating disorder activists said many Spanish model

agencies and designers oppose the ban and they had

doubts whether the new rules would be followed.

 

" If they don't go along with it the next step is to

seek legislation, just like with tobacco, " said Carmen

Gonzalez of Spain's Association in Defence of

Attention for Anorexia and Bulimia, which has

campaigned for restrictions since the 1990s.

 

Reuters