To Ban Or Not to Ban?

Should skinny models be banned from the catwalk? That is a question
many people are asking in the wake of the death of some models due to anorexia.

As London Fashion Week opened this Monday, the question has again been raised. Campaigners for eating disorder groups were distributing leaflets backstage at some shows. The British Fashion Council, which organized the event, has issued guidelines to designers asking them not to use underweight models for their shows. The Council has declined to issue an outright ban. More in this article.

Asked why it would not ban skinny models outright, the Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council said it was not possible to tell by looking at a model or by weighing her whether she was underweight or had an eating disorder. I think that's true.

But I also think that more could be done by the Council and by designers to reduce the incidence of eating disorders among models.