Rachel McKenna: Skinny Models, A Bad Influence?

Yet again, we see the return of skinny models parading up and down the catwalk at London Fashion Week, causing controversy once more.

With these stick thin models being used for catwalk shows, there’s no wonder more and more young people aspiring to look these models are developing eating problems. Statistics from the Priory Group show that 1.6 million people in the UK suffer from an eating disorder, with women between the ages of 12 and 25 being most affected.

Susan Ringwood, the Chief Executive from Beat, an eating disorder charity said: “The media is a powerful influence and we know how vulnerable some people at risk of eating disorders can be to its visual images in particular.”

There is no doubt that glossy magazines place a huge emphasis on the ‘perfect body,’ with pages full of tall and extremely thin women. This is clearly an unrealistic representation of women, considering that the average woman’s dress size in the

is a 16. The way that the media ‘glamorises’ thinness is unhealthy and distorts a person’s sense of self-image.

However, some may argue that the fashion industry is changing its ways, with some designers using plus size models. Although this is a very small minority, with a vast majority of designers choosing the typical tall and skinny woman. It is not enough for just one designer out off hundreds to take this approach, all designers need to enter reality and celebrate the diverse body shapes and sizes of real women. Although the fashion industry claim to employ models of a healthy weight (those with a Body Mass Index of 18.5 and above), what we see on the catwalk and in magazines suggests different.

It’s not just designer brands that are guilty of portraying this negative image of women, high street chains are also to blame. Mannequins used in shop windows portray tall, slim women, showing that this trend has trickled down from the catwalk and into stores.

The eating disorders charity Beat is doing an excellent job in recognising this growing problem. However more could be done to raise awareness about the link between eating disorders and the fashion industry. Fashion shows such as London Fashion Week could benefit from having a spokesperson from Beat or a similar charity discussing the dangers of eating disorders and the importance of looking after your body.

Although efforts are being made to change this, these are minor and insignificant and underweight models are going nowhere soon.