by Nicole Nolan

Created on: February 07, 2009

A year ago I would have been arguing on the other side of this debate. I myself, when healthiest, tend to be underweight with a BMI of 17.5-18, and my BMI never goes above 18.5, no matter how much I eat. I know many girls who are also very tall and very thin, and definitely underweight, yet they will never gain much more without being 'overweight' for their body. For me it is almost natural to maintain a BMI of somewhere around 18 if I am keeping active and eating well and am doing strength training of some form. If I am not paying attention to my muscles, I am on the lower end.

My change in opinion comes with the drastic change in models who have been modelling since my interest in high fashion took root. I offer the examples of Coco Rocha and Sasha Pivovarova as two models who, just a couple years ago, were the skinny ones. Now, they are two of the larger models. I will offer some observations which have helped to convince me that there is a problem. The examples that I am giving, I find both compelling and sad, as there are young women who have lost alot of their incredible beauty in their obviously gaunt states. I avoid any of the more obscure models who have died, and instead I am focusing on some of the most recognisable faces in the fashion world.

Coco Rocha has mentioned in interviews that she was told to look anorexic, because it was the look this year, and admits abuse of diuretics in order to achieve the impossibly thin body that runways now desire.

Going through style.com's runway pictures, I find myself struck by the almost skeleton like looks of many of the models, some of which were so beautiful and alive looking a few seasons ago. The fashion industry once idealized thin and slender, but now, the idea of controversy seems to have taken over, and the girls are fading away.

Canadian model Daria Werbowy was banned from Milan fashion week about 2 years ago. If you look at her on the Paris or New York runways, she looks like one of the healthier models. Many other models have lost runway popularity for not being as frail as some of the newcomers. Raquel Zimmerman, Doutzen Kroes, Caroline Trentini, and Hilary Rhoda have practically disappeared on runways, appearing instead in Victoria's Secret campaigns, or denim ads. All four were on the May 2007 cover of American Vogue, and part of their feature on the new top ten models. The other models include Lily Donaldson, Chanel Iman, Coco Rocha, Sasha Pivovarova, Jessica Stam, and Agyness Deyn. All six of these girls still have definite careers, though only three seem to be healthy still. Coco and Sasha, as I mentioned earlier, and Agyness Deyn who's career was sparked more by her uniqueness and still thrives on her celebrity. Lily Donaldson and Chanel Iman are both clearly below their body's healthy weight, and Jessica Stam manages to switch between Victoria's Secret cleavage in December (off season for runway) and a frail and gaunt look during fashion weeks.

The promotion of a sickly image has a great deal of effects on society. If these images become the norm, a girl will not realize when she is unnaturally thin looking, and the image will be less shocking to those friends who might try to provide help. The main effect is on self esteem and psychological issues, but I think it all should come down to human rights and women's rights. These models are for the most part very young girls from poorer countries who will do anything to keep their job. They are being exploited in a version of child labour with a veneer of glamour, and they can afford to eat, but cannot for their job.

I hope that the industry will come to reality soon, and promote instead, bodies like Lara Stone, who is the sole subject of this month's Vogue Paris.

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