The Skinny On Skinny Models

The New York Post ran an item called "Only in America" making fun of a WWD story which said that it might actually be illegal to ban skinny models from the runway -- even if they have anorexia -- because of the Americans with Disabilities act. It wasn't a big or particularly interesting item, but I'll take it as a good excuse for me to weigh in an issue that kicked off before I became a blogger.

I have to say I have always been suspicious of those trying to legislate the health of models. I suspect the move comes more from a desire for publicity (whoever heard of Madrid fashion week before they banned skinny models?) than a concern over the welfare of girls. While anorexia is a terrible disease, so is childhood obesity and it affects a much bigger percentage of the population, particularly in the US. But let us assume these politicians really have children's interests at heart. Why the focus on the runway? Runway images, even in this day of instant video relay and Style.com, make up a tiny portion of the fashion images a young girl might see. Much more potentially damaging, it seems to me, would be the billboards and the fashion magazine advertisements and fashion shoots featuring skinny models in "real life" settings. If the politicians wanted to protect girls from images of skinny models, they would ban them from magazines, the way they have done with cigarettes. Can you imagine the ruckus that would cause?

The industry they should look at regulating is that of the modeling agencies. Whenever I have had dealings with them, I've been regularly shocked at how exploitive they can be. I've seen girls of 17 and 18 who have never left the US before show up for fashion shoots in Rome (requiring a change of planes in Paris) with absolutely no money in their pockets. None. Not a cent. The model in question wasn't even sure where she was going. All she knew was that a driver would be there to meet her. And what if he hadn't been?

If you've ever seen a runway model up close, it's pretty clear that most are not that skinny because they're starving themselves. Sure, they watch what they eat, but who wouldn't if their career depended on it? These girls are built on bird-like frames and are pretty rare specimens, particularly when combined with a pretty face. Which is why they earn the big bucks. But when they are advised to lose weight it is more often from their agent than from the fashion house. And if they are damaging themselves in order to work I think it is the agents who should be held responsible. After all, they're the ones making money directly on the back of those skinny legs. And they're the ones who have regular, daily contact with the models. Not the fashion houses. They're best able to know when a girl is on drugs, or starving herself, or in over her head with an exploitive boyfriend. They're the ones who should be held accountable.