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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 (20)
im 5"4 and i weigh 105. my bmi is 18. so for those of you who are saying that this gives overweight women an excuse to stay unhealthy- i dont think thats true, but i do think that i definately feel pressure to be thinner all the time. its like its never enough, you always have to be skinnier and skinnier to a point that you believe you're fat and that if your ribs arent showing, you have no right to eat. now, you may say thats just me but im 15 and probably about 90% of my friends feel theyre too fat, and that 90% happen to be the ones that are thin. so yes, this does affect the "younger generation" very much.
- mimi, springfield, massachusettes, 19/10/2010 04:36
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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, 14/09/2006 04:43
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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, 11/09/2006 15:46
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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, 11/09/2006 15:01
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"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, 11/09/2006 13:38
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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, 11/09/2006 13:20
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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, 11/09/2006 10:17
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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, 11/09/2006 09:22
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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, 11/09/2006 07:13
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If I want to see real women, I'll go to a bus stop.
- Ayeroxor, Florida, US, 11/09/2006 02:41
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Every fat woman is going to use this as an excuse to stay unhealthy.
- Guy, Portland, OR, 11/09/2006 00:23
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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, 10/09/2006 22:49
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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, 10/09/2006 22:33
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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, 10/09/2006 20:26
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"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, 10/09/2006 20:04
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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, 10/09/2006 19:06
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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, 10/09/2006 18:57
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Having a BMI of under 18.5 increases one's risk of early death, as well as osteoporosis.
- Joann, Portland, Oregon, USA, 10/09/2006 16:38
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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, 10/09/2006 13:41
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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, 10/09/2006 05:00
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