Too Young? Too Skinny?
Posted: 7/13/07
The debate over a model’s age and weight is resurfacing with a vengeance. This week, 15 models were kicked off a Raffaella Curiel fashion show in Rome for being too thin, the Model Health Inquiry in Britain recommended a ban on girls under the age of 16 and the Australian Fashion Council is heading in the same direction.
If Britian’s Model Health Inquiry’s recommendations are implemented, there will be a ban on young women under the age of 16 from participating in events like London Fashion Week. They stopped short of implementing weight controls, but did call for agencies to conduct regular medical checks and are still investigating whether or not to implement a minimum BMI requirement of 18.5, much like the one in use at Madrid Fashion Week.
What do you think? Do you think there should be an age restriction on models? Do you think the global fashion industry should require weigh-ins and certificates of health before a model can work? Should those rules be self-regulating or should they be passed and implemented laws?