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Dr. Kim Mulvihill Reporting A new outlook on body image is taking shape within the fashion world. The Council of Fashion Designers of America issued guidelines today aimed at creating a healthier atmosphere for models.
But some wonder if the recommendations will be enough to change the perception that ‘skinny is in', at any cost.
The fashion industry says it wants models that are thin, but not bulimic or anorexic or chain smokers. But the guidelines avoid setting weight minimums for models, as Spanish officials did at Madrid's Fashion Week last year. The CFDA's executive director says weight is only one measure of someone with an eating disorder.
Following in Europe's footsteps, America's top designers issued health guidelines for fashion models marching the catwalks. In a statement, the Council of Fashion Designers of America said it would begin a campaign of awareness about eating disorders.
Among the recommendations:
- Educating the industry on the early signs of eating disorders including workshops for models and their families.
- Requiring models with eating disorders to seek professional help.
- Not allowing those receiving treatment for an eating disorder to model without a professional's approval.
- And supplying healthy meals, nutrition and fitness education backstage and on shoots.
Joy Bauer, CFDA Panel Nutritionist: "Our initiatives are positive. They're about awareness and education, not policing."
But some experts say without age or weight restrictions, the guidelines fall short in an industry that promotes the image of skinny models.
Dr. Cynthia Bulik, Professor of Eating Disorders, UNC: "Our concerns with the fashion designers' guidelines is that they just don't take the problem with eating disorders seriously enough."
In November, Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston died from complications of anorexia. Spain was first to impose weight and body mass index restrictions.
It is estimated 30 percent of models were banned from Madrid's September fashion shows. Italy followed. Here in the US, it is estimated that anorexia nervosa affects one percent of women, bulimia between three and five percent.
Dr. Cynthia Bulik, Professor of Eating Disorders, UNC: "Eating disorders do not discriminate."
Dr. Evelyn Attia says the guidelines are a start to creating a dialogue on how to treat both the physical and emotional aspects of eating disorders.
Dr. Evelyn Attia, Columbia Medical Center: "It's important that we pay attention to minimum weight criteria, but also a range of medical measures that signify health."
CFDA Model Recommendations
- No one under 16 on fashion catwalk
- No one under 18 should be made to work at a fitting or fashion show past midnight
Health experts say the modeling industry is part of the problem, but unfortunately many celebrities are also contributing to the perception that thin is in.
