EDITORIAL – Madrid drops skinny models

The fashion industry took some positive steps this week when ultra-thin models were banned… The fashion industry took some positive steps this week when ultra-thin models were banned from walking the runways in Madrid’s Fashion Week.

The organizers of the event, under pressure from Madrid’s regional government, barred any model with a body mass index (BMI) of 18 or lower from participating in the “Pasarela Cibeles” show, which began Monday.

The sudden announcement gave models some room for fluctuation. According to the World Health Organization, a person is considered “underweight” with a BMI of 18.5 or lower, a higher standard than that imposed in Madrid.

The new regulations, which, according to Time Magazine, prevented approximately 30 percent of the 50 returning models from participating, set off a storm of mixed reactions in the fashion world.

” Our intention is to promote good body image by using models whose bodies match reality and reflect healthy eating habits,” said Concha Guerra, vice-councilwoman for the economy in Madrid’s regional government.

While some designers celebrated the restrictions, others were not quite as excited.

Didier Grumbach, president of the French Couture Federation, argued to the AFP that “it’s for the designer to decide what type of model he needs… that cannot be regulated,” adding that “if Jean Paul Gaultier wants to take fat people for his catwalk shows, we are not going to stop him.”

We disagree with Grumbach.

Although couture is still considered an art by many, designers are taking their “art” too far. Yes, choosing models for a line is to some extent a decision of taste and “look,” analogous to picking out colors, but the ridiculous degree to which the fashion industry has pushed the standard for models is not acceptable.

The fashion world has always been and remains an immensely influential industry. Runway shows and fashion magazines are setting impossible standards for young girls, teaching them that skeletal equals beautiful. This trend has become all too noticeable in American society, where the number of eating disorders among American women is continually growing. The fashion industry creates the global standard of beauty, and by taking a step back and encouraging the use of healthy looking models, perhaps in the future we will have a new, healthier standard of beauty.

The Madrid restrictions have had a positive impact globally, encouraging Britain’s cultural minister and Milan’s mayor to call for similar rules in their respective fashion weeks, but it may not be enough. Ultimately, the decision to move toward healthier models needs to come from within. Although particular fashion shows may set BMI restrictions, individual fashion designers may still lobby against these regulations and continue to hire overly thin models. Fashion designers need to realize that beauty is not limited to a size zero.