Friday, July 27, 2007

We are girls; not adults.

Teen models. For years the battle to keep them off the catwalk hasn't been successful. But now, London's Fashion Week said that it will not let girls under 16 onto the catwalk. However, they didn't say that 'underweight' models would be banned. Back on July 11 a panel of experts for the Model Health Inquiry set out to investigate health problems in 17 and 18 year old models. "There was also strongly expressed concern that it is profoundly inappropriate that girls under 16 under the age of consent should be portrayed as adult women. The risk of sexualising these children was high and designers could risk charges of sexual exploitation," said Baroness Kingsmill a member of the Model Health Inquiry. The Inquiry board is now calling for more research to be conducted on eating disorder in the young models. They also want a Union to be formed to protect underage models. The British Fashion Council said that it will accept the Inquiry's recommendations in September (the month London Fashion Week is held ) when they are published. While this is definitely good news, will it be enough? Girls have been exploited for so long; trying to fit into an adult profession. A few studies might not have the power to totally prevent young girls from getting on the catwalk, but maybe this little event will snowball into more secure laws protecting these girls.


You can read the full article here.

Click here if you want to learn more about eating disorder misconceptions.

Here are some tidbits I found about models:



Peace, friends.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The media is constantly criticizing "fat" girls who aren't "fat" at all. Or even naturally skinny girls as "too skinny". We girls need to stay strong and realize that all bodies are different, just like every girl is different.

Anonymous said...

Society as a whole dictates how we live, even if we are not consciously aware of it. Because of this, we as young women are constantly barraged by the idea that models are beautiful, and models are skinny, therefore being thin = being beautiful. This twisted logic is repulsive, in our supposed 'advanced' civilization. I fight against this stereotype as often as I can, and I'm glad to see others out there who are fighting just as hard!

Anonymous said...

Some people think that skinny is the only look that is beautiful. Well really, it isn't. Different people come in different sizes and shapes and everyone is beautiful.