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Skinny models banned from top fashion show
Last updated at 13:37pm on 09.09.06
Esther Canadas is said to have a BMI of 14. Click enlarge for a bigger picture
Real women will breathe a sigh of relief: waif-like models are being pushed off the catwalk. Spain's top fashion show is banning skinny women from taking part to promote a healthier image of the event.
However, it is unlikely to catch on. The organisers of London Fashion Week said they would not be introducing a similar rule.
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Organizers of Madrid Fashion week used a mathematical formula to calculate the models' body mass index - a measure of their weight in relation to their height. They found 30 percent of the women had a BMI under 18 and were too underweight to take part in the shows.
Esther Canadas, Spain's most well-known model does not qualify because she is said to have a BMI of only 14.
The decision was made as part of a voluntary agreement with the Madrid regional government. The Association of Fashion Designers of Spain. said in a statement it wanted models to project "an image of beauty and health" and shun a gaunt, emaciated look.
Ryan Brown, a director for the Elite modeling agency in New York City said it was "very unprecedented."
He welcomed the decision and said the fashion industry will certainly take note, although the rejection of thinness would have more impact if it had happened in a bigger fashion venue like Paris or Milan.
Reader views (19)
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
It would be less miserable to keep the BMI under check in modelling. The skinny frames have left the business under-tuned for a while now.
- Nko, Docklands, London
I see the women-haters like Tim and Robert are already on here, the types that can't relate to women unless they look like victims. A very few women are naturally stick-thin due to high metabolisms etc. The majority of women CANNOT achieve that look without starving themselves and putting their health at risk. I should know, I used to have a bmi of around 14, and ended up in hospital after suffering seizures. Seven years on I still take medication every day even though I'm now at a healthy 21.5.
- Dedication?, UK
Big N' Foodtown,
BMI is not a percentage. It's a scaled measurement of a person's body comparing height and weight. Perhaps you are meaning to say that your body fat percentage is 11% in which case I simply say congratulations, that is great.
I am 6'4 and 205 pounds. I am in great shape and my BMI is 24.8, borderline on the overweight category. To have Ms. Canadas' BMI, I would need to weigh 115 pounds. She may in fact just be super-thin but in terms of the image people want to project to little girls, this is not it. I wouldn't want my 3-year old daughter striving to look like her.
- Tim, Ellicott City, MD
14°c
