April 25th, 2008


To Whom It May Concern,

I am an 18 year-old female writing to address your refusal of implementing weight restrictions for fashion models in your festivals and shows. I believe that fashion is all about expressing oneself, however expressing oneself should not be harmful to anyone. I have researched the rules Madrid has put into place, not allowing any model to walk if their Body Mass Index is below 18 and I was just wondering why you decided to refuse those same restrictions?

Last year in Madrid a ban was placed on super skinny models. According to a CBS news report ultra thin models were banned to appear in Madrid fashion week. The article describes, “Madrid's regional government, which sponsors the show and imposed restrictions, said it did not blame designers and models for anorexia. It said the fashion industry had a responsibility to portray healthy body images.” Fashion week organizers rejected models with an index below 18. According to BMI, if number results between 18.5 and 24.9, they are normal exemplifying that a 5-foot-8 inch model must weigh at least 120 pounds. Although Madrid is cracking down on “super thin” models and eating disorders, your organization is not following the lead.

When you heard about the death of Ana Carolina Reston, the 21-year old model from Brazil, how could you not see what this industry is doing to its employees? She had been on a diet consisting only of apples and tomatoes and weighed eighty-eight pounds at the time of her death. Girls should not be dying because they need to be extremely thin in order to wear clothing. What ever happened to a woman’s curves being sexy and beautiful?

I do not support you in your decision to send girls down the runway that are blatantly unhealthy. Not only does this decision have a negative affect for the model herself, but for young girls everywhere in the world looking at her stick-think frame. Seeing a model so thin pressures young girls to look just like them, ultimately developing eating disorders that could end in death.

Please contact me with a response that will help me understand your reasoning behind your decisions to continue to send unhealthy girls down the runway.

Sincerely,


Patricia Fairclough