Runway models: what's the skinny?

When you think of designer clothes and runway shows, one of the first things that usually comes to mind are the super-skinny fashion models who walk the catwalk. It has become a given that models should have no curves and even look borderline anorexic (according to the Associated Press, one young model even said that she was told by people within the industry that “the look this year is anorexia. We don’t want you to be anorexic but that’s what we want you to look like.”). Much has been made of this issue already, but lately it hasn’t been discussed as much, perhaps because the fashion industry claims to be making improvements.

            A September 2008 article published on the Huffington Post’s website had many within the fashion world claiming that a visible effort had been made to bring a healthier look to the runway. The models selected no longer wore size 0, but were up to size 2 or 4 instead. Models had to be at least 14 years old and some notably tiny girls who had walked the catwalk in the past were not selected. Still, the pictures from the shows (and the commentary of the HuffPost blogger who had posted the article) suggested that not much progress had been made – many models still had twiggy arms, knobby knees, and a complete lack of chest.  

            My view on the size of fashion models is complicated and somewhat personal. While I certainly do not condone starving yourself or throwing up to achieve a certain body type, I also wonder if some of these girls might not be able to help their small size. Up until pretty recently (i.e. the end of high school), I used to be tiny like some of the models pictured – and when I say tiny, it is not to flatter myself; I mean I was what would be considered by many to be unattractively thin. This was not something that I could help; my growth pattern was simply a lot different from the way other people developed. People used to tell me that I was “too skinny” or ask me if I had an eating disorder. I resented the implication that I was unattractive or sickly-looking when I had no control over how much I weighed.  

            My point is simply that perhaps some of the models in question are naturally tiny people, and cannot help the way they look. If someone grows up noticeably thin, it is more likely that they might become interested in a career in fashion. However, I realize that the fashion industry sets the standards for women across the country, and for most normal people, the bodies seen displaying clothes on the runway are simply unnatural and unattainable. Instead of punishing super-thin models for being too small, perhaps designers should select a greater variety of body types to show off their clothes, or refuse to hire models until they are physically mature (part of the problem seems to be that a lot of the girls on the runway are still very young and haven’t yet grown into their adult bodies – just because you are 14 doesn’t necessarily mean that you have hit puberty and seems to me to be a pretty arbitrary age requirement). In any case, I think that the idea of requiring models to be examined by a doctor to ensure that they are healthy before being hired is a great idea. After all, the most important thing to consider is not someone’s size but their health!