I truly don't believe skinny models should be banned. The discrimination against naturally thin models aside, models are supposed to be slender. Not everyone can be a model, thats the point. They are supposed to be an unattainable standard.

That is just part of the art form that is modeling. Think about run-way fashion in general. Models aren't supposed to represent people, but rather be a medium to showcase the fashion.

Models have always been thin, since the days of Twiggy and before. I can't help but think we were our looking down at models as the nation's waist size is growing.

Is it truly the models we are worried about, or our own inadequacy?

I don't see why super skinny models need to be used when designers didn't have a problem making larger sample sizes in the 90s. I just don't understand how super skinny became attractive and was decided that that type of body let clothes hang well. A hanger looks better than most of these models!

However I will say this: If you are one to want the ban to be forced because you want the youth of America to have healthier role models, then you may need to teach the children around you about values. In my eyes, children should be looking up to relatives or friends, not celebrities.

I think some regulation needs to put in place for the sake of the models, not for the "impact" skinny models have on women in society. Regulating the weight and age of models would be akin to regulations numerous other industries have for the health and safety of its workers. If the industry has a signifcant problem with life-endangering activities and standards, it should be changed. Perhaps this would penalize some individuals who are "naturally" thin, but those women are far and few between, and some standard for determining exceptions could be made.

Crazy I also agree with you however, in the 90s most models were of a healthy BMI and weight. There was a wave of fit, healthy models and it all of a sudden went away. Why?

There is a difference between slender (which I consider myself) and sickly skinny (most models today). Also, when you are not supposed to weigh 100 lbs. and be 6 ft. tall and you are making yourself weight that little then it is a problem.

I think that is what the CFDA is/was going for. Women died in the name of fashion (no pun intended) because they had to keep at a weight that is unhealthy.

I was watching the LAMB show on tv, and the thin models literally distracted me from the clothes. She had so much leg showing in her collection, and the bony thighs of the models was disgusting. I think the fashion industry went toward thinner, plainer models because they felt the supermodels of the 90's were outshining the clothes. I say that walking wire hangers are distracting too!

For what it's worth, here's my take on this whole thing. I'll preface this by saying I heard on NPR this morning that London Fashion Week is putting a ban on models under 16 - can't remember if they said they were going to ban "super skinny" as well.

I must agree with jkat - there needs to be some kind of regulation - espeically with regard to age. Unless those 16 year old models are showing clothes for their age group they should NOT be modeling clothes for adults. I probably sound like and old foggy here, but really it's more about protection of young girls from predators. Putting the image of a young girl (under 16) in sexy adult clothing only feeds a predator's belief that all young girls are really adult sexual beings that want to be "treated" as such. Ok, off that high horse for a while...

Secondly, the models we see today and even in the past (excluding that great time in the 90's when models actually resembled real people)just continues to lend to this notion that we as women are not good enough. I will never be that size and I'm ok with that. I love who I am - do I want to be a few lbs lighter? Sure I do, but I want that for my health, not to fit into the latest from CK. Embracing our individual body types is something the Fashion industry should turn to. I know this will never happen, but if they could start recruiting models who were of various sizes and put them on the runway, now that would be something!! There are MILLIONS of beautiful women out there who would never be considered models b/c they aren't a certain height or weight.

That's my dream for Fashion in the future! Happy Friday all.

I'm fine with thin models, but these girls look like starving orphans. How is that sexy?

Thin models are good, but consistently using models who are severely underweight is not. Models should be a healthy BMI because the current beauty 'ideal' is just way too skinny and this is so harmful to our perception of body image!! I mean just look at how much more prevalent eating disorders have become!!!

"But this season, no one seems to even remember it was an issue since most consumers never rejected designers who still used ultra-thin models . . ."

Private profit (money) talks and unfortunately physical and mental health takes a backseat.

i don't mind slender models but if you are walking the lines of looking like a corpse than NO!

i guess super skinny should be, the ones that weight less than 117-120lbs. i love shows of la perla or blumarine where the models are healthy and sexy. they look amazing.

I believe that there are women out there who are naturally thin.
The problem is that some women draw from unhealthy means to be thin and it just doesn't look natural. It's unfortunate that we live in a society where women cannot look like women, may they be slender, curvy, or athletic. We come in all shapes and sizes, and while so much attention is focused on our bodies, our weight and our measurements, that it's easy to forget about our health.

But the modelling world is about the designers and the clothes, and creating a piece of art as much as a product to sell. It's tricky, but I believe designers should make the models' overall well-being one of their priorities. They're the ones showing off the pieces after all!

in an industry dominated by gay men and cranky old women, the lesson being taught here is that women must reduce themselves to literally nothing (aka size 0) in order to be "allowed" to wear these clothes.

curves are not allowed, excess flesh is not allowed--you must be deemed worthy enough to wear these clothes, and only the obscenely thin (and rich) need apply.

the models are not people, they are walking clothes hangers, designed to be unsmiling and unseen so that the clothes are the focal point.

why do you think there aren't any so-called supermodels anymore? because the young girls they use now are expendable and bland, fading into the same sunken chests and cheekbones in an endless parade of gaunt slavic post-soviet starvation.

and for the models that are naturally that skinny, bully for them. but odds are they are the exception and not the rule.

i love fashion, but there are times when i really and truly hate everything it stands for in our society today.

There is a difference between skinny and unhealthy. I'm against unhealthy models getting exploited and being allowed to influence other girls who might have otherwise been healthy.

Other than that, I'm with Crazy Minky. The runway models are basically canvases (hangers really) they're supposed to just show off the clothes. For people who say it's not natural - I can say with a certain amount of confidence that for girls over six feet tall it's very easy to be that skinny, and you don't have to weigh less than 100 to do it.

In other areas of modelling models are not expected to be as tall or thin (especially since the advent of photoshop). Look at commercial print models and glamour models. But of course people will complain about that too: "the girls in sports illustrated make girls want to get implants!"

I don't think it's a matter of thin or thick.. it's a matter of what is beautiful- my question is: how have we arrived at a place where the malnourished look is considered healthy?

i'm sorry i mean, considered beautiful not considered healthy

i don't think that truly skinny models should be banned. i think the clothes look beautiful on them.

that being said, i think the fashion industry should make a more concerted effort to bring awareness to eating disorders and make sure that those models who are having difficulties get the help they need.

and crazy, you make an excellent point. i think skinny models (and celebrities for that matter) are an easy target. people seem to disparage others in order to make themselves feel better. we're a nation with a growing percentage of overweight and obese people and i think that's why the fashion industry has been targeted.

and as far as eating disorders go, i don't necessarily think there's been a rise in eating disorders per se because of the thin celebrities. i think the increase in the rate of eating disorder diagnosis is because people are recognizing the symptoms more readily and getting treatment. and because eating disorders have been given a face (a la mary kate olsen).

I think they should be banned if it can be proven that they have an eating disorder and are not just naturally thin. I will be starting my fashion design major and if I do get the oppertunity to show a collection one day anorexia or bulimia is not something I would want to promote.

This whole argument is inane. I believe it was Gemma Ward (correct me if I'm wrong), who said:
"Half the world is starving to death, and the other half is obese, so why are we so concerned about models and their weight?"

I am fine with Thin models but models that designers are picking now a days all have bones protruding out their backs and ribs showing and it is disgusting! I hate it.

There are some people out there that are naturally very thin. I had a roommate in college that did some fashion modeling...she was 6'4" and weighed 140. She looked like a rail, but she ate normally and everything. She just had a lot of space to spread all that weight out. But there are SO many girls out there that want to get into modeling that aren't naturally that thin. So they starve themselves and force their bodies into a weight that they shouldn't be at...which isn't healthy. I think it's got to be on an individual basis...each girl is going to be different. I am the same height as my friend, but she naturally weighs around 105ish and is a size 6 while I have to get up to around 130 lbs to be a size 6. I weigh 100 lbs and am a size 0. I can't model because I'm not tall enough though. One thing I would like to see on the catwalk: shorter models. I would love to see how some of those clothes look on real-height women.

I think that putting a ban on "skinny" models is really trying to place the blame for our society's weight obession (who's gotten skinny and who's gotten fat - not who's looking healthy) on fashion. Fashion - the high fashion in runway shows - has never been the most main-stream form of our culture. Blaming super skinny models (and the designers who use them) on making young girls develop eating disorders is really just blaming the most convenient source.

That said, I think that the industy as a whole does need to become more supportive of models who have eating disorders, as well as substance abuse problems. But then, some of that is jsut part of the culture of modeling. Models have always been thin. Personally, I don't think they look good at all. But that's fashion, isn't it?

I think the real issue is our preoccupation with our weight. As a nation, the US is getting fatter and fatter. And criticizing the super-thin is a way to relocate the issue.

I think that there should be a set weight that the models can't go under. To many girls look at them and feel terrible about themselves. I know that I have struggled with weight for a long time and looking those girls doesn't exactly make me feel better. Also, why are there always super skinny girl models but never super skinny male models? The guys always look fit and healthy but the girls look like their on the brink of death!!!! I doesn't make any sense to me.

i'd be interested to hear what fitsugar thinks!

you know the fashion world have their own standards as to what "skinny" is for them, which is definately not the same as ours.

My understanding is they were proposing only to ban models who's BMI was so low it was considered a health risk. We should not reward people who are doing damage to themselves.

I don't think they should be banned, some girls are naturally that thin, my sister for example is 5'8 and weighs about 105, and she's trying to gain weight. I don't think body size should be as much of a factor as health, and the fact is some girls may be very skinny, or low bmi and still be very athletic and healthy.

I think its very unhealthy for everyone to assume anyone who is skinny must have an ED, because for girls who are naturally skinny this gives them a very poor body image, they need strong role models as well as everyone else. I think designers should choose a wider range of body types as opposed to saying oh you're too skinny, oh you're too fat...

I think it's ridiculous for them to be banning models based on their weight. MODELS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THIN. I know, that sounds terrible, but models are meant to be human, walking clothing racks. For makeup ads and such, the girls aren't as thin, but for runway, they need to be. You shouldn't be looking at the girl, you should be looking at the clothes, and if the girl is drop dead gorgeous, with all sorts of curves, the clothes aren't going to be what's on display. The last time I checked, most young girls don't look to runway models as role models. The girls in the fashion shows generally aren't in magazines/on tv/etc, unless there are little girls going to these shows, which I doubt they are, it really is a non issue. If people have an issue with young girls looking up to too thin models, etc, go after print models, leave the runway girls alone. Can you tell I've lived with fashion students? haha

Models have generally been skinny since the past.
there have been thicker models like cindy crawford for example.
but i think the fashion world has always embraced the
thin model look. as long as you have a strong sense of self
and good self esteem, you can enjoy fashion without it
bothering you or making you feel bad.

Maybe I should care more, but I just can't seem to muster up the effort to bother about whether the models are super skinny or not. I mean, I think some of them are gross looking, but that's about the extent of it, and there are a lot of naturally very thin models who don't need to resort to unhealthy behavior.

Get over it. They are skinny, you aren't. Dont worry about how other people look. Worry about yourself. You'd think that because of this model thing people would be getting skinnier, right? NO! We are getting fatter, more disgusting. I'm 90 lbs, 5'2 and I'm healthy. I go to multiple doctors and all say that I'm perfectly healthy (except for a heart murmur..). If its genetics and all the girls' families are thin, or even if they arent but these girls just have fast metabolisms it isn't their fault... so why are they getting fired over it? What if someone told you that you were too fat to work at McDonalds? Act like adults.

Ok- everybody makes good points. Sure, young girls like me want to be skinny because of the way society promotes thin people.Thin=Hot these days. Maybe people worry about us youngsters and thinks they should do something to change it. But newsflash YOU CANT CHANGE THE WAY IT IS. This is just how it is now. Celebs are thin, our friends are thin, our boyfriends like thin girls and models are thin. We are in a time where thin is attractive. Maybe it's unhealthy, but it's life.

Ok- everybody makes good points. Sure, young girls like me want to be skinny because of the way society promotes thin people.Thin=Hot these days. Maybe people worry about us youngsters and thinks they should do something to change it. But newsflash YOU CANT CHANGE THE WAY IT IS. This is just how it is now. Celebs are thin, our friends are thin, our boyfriends like thin girls and models are thin. We are in a time where thin is attractive. Maybe it's unhealthy, but it's life.

I don't beleive that people are naturally thin or naturally overweight. i beleive that enviroments around all of us lead to a thicker or thiner apetite. i think models should go by the weight charts in all of our doctor's offices telling us what healthy and whats not. It's not hard to put some weight on or take a little of with the right attitude and the right support.

Anorexia, Bulumia, these are some of the health issues that come with think super skinny models. we all have different genese which allow us to be different. As in different weight, height. there is such a thing as being naturaly skinny but at the moment i wouldnt call the models on the catwalks naturaly skinny! models with a bmi under 18 should be BANNED! its not fair on society and childer who grow up to believe thin is in and is right! BAN skinny models!