Esther Canadas is said to have a BMI of 14. Click enlarge for a bigger picture

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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

"She was 5' 7" and weighed 125 pounds." (Robert, Portland, OR, USA)

Corresponding to a nice healthy BMI of 20. She'd have to drop 36 pounds
to be in Ms. Canadas league...

- Adam, USA

Esther Canadas is disgustingly thin; too right that Spain should ban models that are the worst representations of women ever. When I look at models that thin I wonder why they would want to effectively sacrifice their health to be part of 'fashion' that clothes in high street shops are based on that any normal woman can never hope to aspire to wear because they were designed for women who are effectively stick poles.

- Corrigan, Essex, England

Esther Canadas probably has serious health issues due to being underweight. She has nothing protecting her heart or reproductive system and absolutely no muscle tone. She is heading for infertility and osteoperosis. Being too skinny is just as unhealthy has being too fat. That isn't rationalisation, that is science.

If your personal preferences lead you to find women with the bodies of 13 year old boys attractive that is your business. The average woman is not obese or overweight. That is why she is average.

- Even-Star, London

Unfortunately, fat women everywhere will use this as an excuse to put on more weight and delight the shareholders of Catherine's Plus Sizes. There's no excuse for any woman under 50 to be overweight. Esther Canadas looks great, regardless of any bogus "BMI" rubbish. Any woman who complains about Canadas' looks is just jealous and trying to rationalize being overweight by making a phony health tie-in. It's being overweight that's unhealthy.

One of my favorite girlfriends was a British born model living in San Francisco. She was 5' 7" and weighed 125 pounds. Lean and mean, absolutely fantastic partner. Wouldn't have it any other way.

- Robert, Portland, OR, USA

Finally, the fashion world has realized that the rest of the world doesn't think that ribs are sexy! This was a great move.

- Jessica, Aberdeen, MD, USA

If I want to see real women, I'll go to a bus stop.

- Ayeroxor, Florida, US

Every fat woman is going to use this as an excuse to stay unhealthy.

- Guy, Portland, OR

I think it's ridiculous.
The runway has always been a place for thin men and women.
It's a choice they make. If you don't want to see it, then don't watch it.
High fasion and High BMI's do NOT mix.

- Cecilee, Seattle, WA

BMI is fairly irrelavant to health. With BMI a lot of very low fat weight lifters are considered 'obese'. What matters much more is both the percent of body fat in your mass, as well as the distribution of this fat.

Use an actually useful measure instead of BMI and this move would have my congratulations.

- David, Fremont, California, USA

I was just talking about this sort of thing. Nobody except the fashion world likes these freaky ambulatory skeletons. Give me a girl who doesn't stab me with her shoulders, ribs, pelvis, tailbone, cheekbones, etc.

- The Followers, Milliways

"Finally, someone realizes that 99.9% of the women in the world can't and won't look like the models they have walking the catwalk."

Can't? More like they lack the dedication in diet and exercise in order to become what some women are. Eat up!

- Tim, USA

I disagree, models are REAL women. They aren't fake and just because they work hard at their image because it's what they make their living on doesn't mean people should be ratting on them constantly.

- Ricky, Minneapolis, USA

This is ridiculous. I work out everyday and have acheived a BMI of 11%. Ms Canada above appears to be perfectly healthy AND in shape. I'm tired of the of McDonald's eating obese fat people complaining about skinny models. If you choose to over eat so be it, but those of us in shape don't moan about your burden on the Healthcare system.

- Big 'N, Foodtown, USA

Having a BMI of under 18.5 increases one's risk of early death, as well as osteoporosis.

- Joann, Portland, Oregon, USA

Finally, someone realizes that 99.9% of the women in the world can't and won't look like the models they have walking the catwalk. I'm not saying we need to put unhealthy women up there, but at least put someone up there that doesn't show every bone in their body. Congrats to Spain for stepping up and making the move that the rest of the world should follow.

- Megan, USA

I congratulate Spain on this move. It's about time we started seeing real women instead of sticks with heads. Hopefully this trend will continue.

- Zarquon, AP, California, USA

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