>Bones Without Meat Should Be Thrown Out

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It seems that the fashion industry is finally going to do something about the image it has been guilty of upholding for so long.

The guidelines were issued Friday, three weeks before designers start showcasing their fall collections during New York Fashion Week, which starts Feb. 2. The guidelines, which are suggestions and not binding, include:

• Keep models under 16 off the runway and don’t allow models under 18 to work at fittings or photo shoots past midnight.

• Educate those in the industry to identify the early warning signs of eating disorders.

• Require models identified as having an eating disorder to receive professional help and only allow those models to continue with approval from that professional.

• Develop workshops on the causes and effects of eating disorders, and raise awareness of the effects of smoking and tobacco-related disease.

• During fashion shows, provide healthy meals and snacks, while prohibiting smoking and alcohol.

What’s missing — aside from a means of enforcement — is any mention of the Body Mass Index. In September, Madrid Fashion Week banned models with a body mass index of less than 18. The standard accepted by the World Health Organization is that anyone with an index under 18.5 is underweight.

Italian government officials also got involved in the too-skinny model debate, apparently prompted in part by Spain’s move and by the death of Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston, who reportedly weighed 88 pounds when she died. In a December deal with the Italian fashion industry, designers agreed not to hire models younger than 16 and to require all models to submit medical proof that they don’t suffer from eating disorders.

Sounds like a step in the right direction. Who knows, before long being “booty-licious” might become the standard and designers will make clothes that the common woman can wear.

Fashion Designers Issue Model Guidelines