In a move that has received widespread and diverse reactions, German magazine Brigitte has stopped using ultra-thin professional models. It has turned, instead, to "ordinary" women like Anja, who was a recent cover girl.

"The glossy cover featured a beaming model [Anja] standing defiantly, hands on hips, with one of her red high-heeled shoes clasped between her teeth," Canada's Canwest News Service reported. "The first two issues have sold out on most newsstands, says Brigitte Online fashion editor Susanne Gundlach."

Brigitte editors say they aren't surprised by the warm reception. A recent survey found that its readers openly dislike fashion models they described as "skinny and lifeless." Media critic Shari Graydon has written that she believes there is a growing backlash among women who are tired of the airbrushed images and unattainable body types featured in many fashion magazines.

Many experts have identified exposure to unrealistic media images as a possible risk factor for low self-esteem, unhealthy body image and eating disorders.

Labels: media_influences, size 0

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Researchers from Britains Bristol University found that teenage girls who diet in attempts to reach size zero may be at risk of developing long-term bone problems.

"Findings revealed Wednesday from the Children of the 90s Project, which followed a group of children for nearly two decades, shows that fat mass plays an important role in building bone, particularly in girls& an 11lb increase in fat mass was associated with an 8 percent increase in the circumference of the tibia (lower leg bone)." [Source: The Times of London]

The researchers used scanning techniques to look at the bone structures of more than 4,000 young people, and also measured their body fat. The influence body fat has over bone development was found to be 70 percent greater in girls than boys, revealing yet another potentially debilitating health threat associated with eating disorders.

Labels: size 0, dieting, health_problems

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Germans most popular womens magazine -- Brigitte -- recently announced that it will stop using professional models. Instead, it will feature real women in its photo spreads. The move is part of an effort to encourage physical health and end the media-fueled promotion of poor body image.

"Andreas Lebert said the move is a response to readers increasingly saying that they are tired of seeing protruding bones from models who weigh far less than average women," the Associated Press reported. :Fashion centers around the world have begun trying in recent years to combat the size 0 look that has come to dominate the fashion industry."

On its web site, Brigitte called the change "a new epoch." The magazine also encouraged women to submit photos of themselves to be considered for upcoming photo shoots.

Labels: self-esteem, body image, size 0, modeling

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