A new documentary titled "America the Beautiful" tells the story of Gerren Taylor, a young girl who lived the dream of so many young girls by becoming a fashion model. But by her early teens, her career dissipated as quickly as it had developed, and Taylor was told that, as a size 4, she was too big for the runway.

"'America the Beautiful,' the third film and first documentary by Chicago-based [Darryl] Roberts, is a questioning, broad-ranging look at the culture of beauty and physical perfection in the United States. Roberts' goal, as he describes it, was simple. He wanted to find out why Americans have become beauty-obsessed."(The Buffalo News)

"We can get the hair extensions, the fake nails and makeup, and all that, but the real person's on the inside," Gerren told writer Elizabeth Kaye McCall. "If you have a great personality and can just be yourself, you're beautiful. If you think you're the bomb, you are the bomb."

Labels: awareness, modeling, perceptions

When Katie Green appeared on a billboard in central London, she thought her modeling career was really taking off. But just a few weeks later, the agency representing her told her she'd have to lose about 30 pounds if she wanted to continue working with them.

"She immediately began trying to slim down her 5'10", [145 lb.] frame, going to the gym every day and cutting out carbohydrates... 'I lost seven pounds in just a few days but I became desperately unhappy... It was not worth sacrificing my health permanently.'"

Green left the modeling agency and gave an interview to a national newspaper in which she spoke out against the "size zero culture." She was quickly hired by another agency and is now the face of Ultimo underwear in the UK. Thankful that she didn't compromise her health in order to "make it", Katie has launched a "Say No to Size Zero" campaign aimed at helping young girls develop healthy body image not based on size or weight. Source: The Portsmouth (UK) News

Labels: awareness, modeling, pressures

If New York Fashion Week is any indicator, the fashion industry might finally be moving in the right direction: toward health and away from super-thin, unhealthy models. Runways saw fewer size zeros and more sizes two and four.

"That is a small relief to those who have brought attention to the cause of eating disorders in the fashion world, though many say there's a long way to go. 'I saw a few that looked better,' said Finola Hughes, host of "How do I Look?" on the Style Network."

The Council of Fashion Designers of America has held workshops on eating disorders and discouraged the use of models under the age of 16, both of which are small but important steps. Eating disorders in the fashion industry have gotten increased attention since 2006, when two models died from complications linked to anorexia. Source: The Associated Press

Labels: fashion, influences, modeling

In a move that is being praised by the Quebec Health Ministry and others, clothing chain La Maison Simons removed from distribution and destroyed catalogs that featured "stick-thin" models.

"Peter Simons... took full responsibility for the offending catalog, which the Montreal Gazette described as featuring 'twig-thin' models who looked like 'strange stick-insect humans.' Simons said he had failed to 'exercise proper attention, empathy and especially sensitivity and social responsibility.'"

La Maison president Peter Simons received about 200 e-mail complaints about the catalog, which was distributed in newspapers and stores throughout Quebec. Source: The Toronto Star

Labels: media_influences, modeling, role_models

Organizers for London Fashion Week no longer plan to bar size zero models and will not require international health certificates proving the models are in good physical condition. The decision was made after industry executives refused to cooperate.

"Hilary Riva of the British Fashion Council said her international counterparts complained that proposals to make catwalk models pass a medical exam were expensive and intrusive. 'From our conversations with our international counterparts... it has become clear that they do not recognize the need for an international health certificate,' Riva said in an open letter posted on the council's Web site on Wednesday."

The medical exams would have cost $500, and many believed that models would have simply sought work in fashion shows where the certificates weren't required. Source: Associated Press

Labels: fashion, health, modeling

As all eyes turn to Sydney, Australia, for its annual Fashion Festival, organizers are determined to promote health and wellness by using healthier-looking models.

"They really are trying to make steps towards respecting the care and governance of the models they represent. And also they're implementing guidelines around the age and they've stipulated that models must be at least 18 years or older and... models with extraordinarily thin physiques shouldn't be used."

Simon Lock of IMG Fashion believes the industry in Australia is taking very seriously the health of its models, especially in light of an incident last week in which a model was discovered to be only 14 years old. She was barred from Australia's Fashion Week. Source: The World Today (ABC Australia)

Labels: fashion, influences, modeling

Filmmaker Darryl Roberts' latest documentary was inspired by a news story about a young man whose obsession with a model led to murder. After reading the story - which detailed the man's decision to kill the young woman after she rebuffed his request for a date - Roberts began thinking about the value our society places on beauty, and eventually set out across country to see what he could discover.

"He talked to experts, ordinary people, fashion industry workers, magazine editors and style program producers.... 'And the first thing I did was I interviewed 200 women,' Roberts said. 'I asked all of them a set of questions and one of the questions was, "Do you feel attractive?".... and only two said yes.'"

At the root of all bad feelings and poor body images, Roberts said, is a multi-billion dollar industry that makes money by making people feel unhappy about their physical appearance. "America the Beautiful," Roberts' documentary about his travels, is scheduled to be released in theatres across the United States this autumn. Source: Minnesota Public Radio

Labels: body_image, media_influences, modeling

Ali Michael started modeling when she was 15 years old. At the time she weighed 128 lbs.; which wasn't bad for her five-feet-nine-inches frame. But after repeated negative comments at fashion shows she began to lose weight, eventually dropping to 100 lbs. And her menstrual cycle stopped.

"She confides how she was sitting with four girls at a show in Paris last year when she mentioned she had not had a period for over a year, 'and one by one each of them said "me too."'... Having been dragged to a doctor and nutritionist by her worried mother, she began eating healthily and her menstrual cycle returned to normal, but her catwalk career appears over."

Casting directors have told her that her legs are "too plump" though she currently only weighs 106 lbs. Michael hopes that, by sharing her story, she's put the spotlight on the fashion industry's unrealistic expectations, and that young girls will realize the dangers of aspiring to be "super-thin." Source: The Guardian - United Kingdom

Labels: dangers_of_eating_disorders, expectations, modeling

Though they tried for months to contain the rumors, the Versace family released a statement this week stating that daughter Allegra is battling anorexia.

"No one who has ever had anything to do with an anorexia sufferer, witnessed the torment of their parents and family, could do anything other than wish the Versaces all the luck in the world to see Allegra through it, and all the solitude and privacy she may crave in which to get better."

Some are not surprised to hear about Allegra's multi-year struggle with anorexia, and believe that this announcement is further proof of the negative effects the fashion industry has on young, female psyches. Read more at Independent.co.uk.

Labels: anorexia, fashion, modeling

London's Fashion Week will again feature size zero models. But it won't be just the women who are super-skinny. The newest trend among male models is now "size zero" as well, and it has the medical community and eating disorder charities concerned.

"A spokeswoman from the charity Beat said: 'There does seem to be a growing trend towards men's clothes being designed for the slimmer male physique, and we're certainly aware of more men with eating disorders.'"

Though the trend started a few years ago, it's been gaining popularity, which is why so many in the medical community are concerned. Read more at NZHerald.com.

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Labels: fashion, men, modeling

A fashion show at the Liverpool Community Church in New York has re-defined "beauty" for both participants and spectators alike. Models of various shapes and sizes took the spotlight in this event, hosted by Ophelia's Place – an organization dedicated to helping people with eating disorders.

"'Whether you're full sized, whether you're medium sized, all of us have an incredible part of who we are that's very, very beautiful,' said Fashion Model Emme. Fashion Model Emme has always accepted her plus size figure... she's made a successful career out of it."

Mary Ellen Clausen, Founder and Director of Ophelia's Place, is concerned with the images and messages that dominate the media. She hopes to counteract some of those messages by giving girls the opportunity to be around a "plus size" model like Emme. Read more at 9WSYR.com.

Labels: fashion, modeling, perceptions

The British Fashion Council has been criticized for the slow pace with which it has implemented recommendations made by the Model Health Inquiry.

Only four out of 14 recommendations from the Kingsmill Inquiry have been put into practice and doubts are now being expressed about just how committed the fashion industry is to improving the health of models, amid concerns over those suffering from eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia."

Model Tarryn Meaker, who began modeling when she was 16, says that she hears a lot of talk in the industry, but doesn't see much real change happening. Read more at NZHerald.co.nz.

A good residential treatment center for teens, like Youth Care in Utah, can help teenagers by offering a structured therapeutic environment with accredited academics.

Labels: fashion, influences, modeling

For decades, the finger of blame for adolescent eating disorders was pointed directly at mothers. Many believed that mothers who were too protective and attentive - or not attentive enough - caused the extreme behavior in their daughters. Today, however, the focus has shifted away from moms.

"More likely, though not a complete explanation, is a lethal combination of cultural and psychological development factors. 'This Is Beautiful' is a societal drumbeat. Look at any magazine, newspaper, TV or Internet advertisement. No plumb bodies urge us and our impressionable daughters to be like them... We see only painfully thin models."

As the need for approval shifts from parents and siblings to peers, the desire to fit in can be all-consuming. Some girls pursue, in health ways, the desire to be thin. Why some pursue it with extreme behaviors is still largely a mystery.

Raising teenagers can be tough, especially if you're dealing with an eating disorder, teen substance abuse, or behavioral issues. The Teen-Help-Directory lists resources for parents of teens and can offer help with a variety of issues.

Labels: cultures, influences, modeling

Adi Barkan, famous fashion photographer and owner of a Tel Aviv modeling agency, has committed to changing the modeling industry's definition of beauty. A few months ago, Barkan rushed an Israeli model to the hospital; she was battling anorexia and had collapsed in her home. She died last week, weighing less than 60 pounds.

"Barkan's goal, through legislation and public relations, is to try to change the very definition of beauty, one pound at a time. In 2004, working with Knesset member Inbal Gavriely, he successfully submitted legislation to Israel's Parliament requiring all Israeli modeling agencies to use the Body Mass Index (BMI) as a pre-requisite for employment..."

To date, over 30 Israeli CEOs have agreed to only hire models that have passed a health exam. In order to continue working, models have to pass a health exam every three months. With France and Italy opening supporting Barkan's campaign, the modeling industry may well be on its way to redefining beauty.

Labels: legislation, media_influences, modeling

Italian model Isabelle Caro, who has battled anorexia for 15 years, is featured in a new ad campaign for a clothing line - but in the ads, she's not wearing a stitch of clothing. Shot by famous and controversial photographer Oliviero Toscani, Caro appears nude, exposing her 68-pound frame in the ads for clothing brand Nolita. The advertisements feature the slogan "No Anorexia".

"A statement from Flash & Partners [parent company of the Nolita clothing line] said Toscani's aim was 'to use that naked body to show everyone the reality of this illness, caused in most cases by the stereotypes imposed by the world of fashion.'... Caro, who also suffers from psoriasis, told Vanity Fair magazine she has longed to finally come out of hiding."

Some critics of the ad campaign say it places too much blame on the fashion industry, while others worry that it may actually promote disordered eating to those who are predisposed. Italy's Health Minister said the government supports the campaign and will do what it can to help "promote responsibility towards the problem of anorexia".

Labels: awareness, fashion, modeling

Spain has already taken some radical steps to combat the unhealthy image of the fashion industry and its models. Near the end of 2006, the country announced strict Body Mass Index requirements for its Madrid Fashion Week Models. Now, the country is taking more steps.

"...two big changes, announced in January, are in the works: Stores run by four big names will start replacing window display mannequins so that none goes below size 38 (10 in Britain, 6 in the U.S.). And the designers will standardize the dimensions of their women's apparel so that a given size will fit the same way no matter who sells it."

The government has also initiated a study that will take measurements of 8,500 women across the country to get a better idea of the "true" sizes of Spanish women. Read more at Argusleader.com.

Labels: fashion, media_influences, modeling