Following the lead of Italy, France, Spain, and the UK, the fashion industry in Germany has signed an agreement that models appearing in ads and on runways must be 16 years old and have a BMI of 18.5.
Let's hope the German fashion industry abides by this agreement. Unfortunately, the fashion industries in the UK, Italy, and France have turned a blind eye to the agreements they signed and continue to use ultra-thin models on the runways.
Here's the news report from Germany:
"German fashion industry says 'no' to anorexic models
July 11, 2008
Underfed models will have no place on the runways or in ads of German fashion houses, according to a voluntary agreement signed on Friday by German fashion industry representatives and sponsored by Germany’s health minister.
The charter requires that models at fashion shows or appearing in advertisements have a body-mass-index of at least 18.5 – a European dress size 36 – and be 16 years old.
"We want to take a clear stand against an unhealthy body image,“ said Health Minister Ulla Schmidt.
The agreement was signed by fashion trade fair organizer Igedo, the industry federation German Fashion, the German Fashion Institute and the Velma federation of licenced modelling agencies.
While the agreement in Germany does not require a doctor’s certificate, as a similar charter in the UK does, Schmidt called it a "milestone“ in the fight against eating disorders. She said she hopes other sectors, such as the advertising industry, will sign on to the agreement, and that it could be the foundation for a Europe-wide charter.
Ana Carolina Reston
Frank Hartmann, director of the fashion trade fair organizer Igedo, called on the industry to show "that dying of hunger is not part of the job.“ The case of Brazilian supermodel Ana Carolina Reston, who died of anorexia two years ago at the age of 21, was a wake-up call to the industry.
Gerd Müller-Thomkins, director of the German Fashion Institute, criticized the "distorted aesthetic ideas“ of designers, who tend to prefer very thin models.
Around 600,000 people between 15 and 35 years of age in Germany suffer from anorexia or bulemia. According to research carried out by the Robert Koch Institute, about 22 percent of young people between the ages of 11 and 17 have some kind of eating disorder. Among 17-year-old girls, the number is 30 percent. One in ten people suffering from anorexia dies from it.
The advertising industry has been strongly critical of Health Minister Schmidt. The Federation of the German Advertising Industry (ZAV) has accused the industry of using populist and misleading arguments and refused to take part in the initiative."
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To read my previous posts on the fashion industry and their use of ultra-thin models, please click these links:
BONES OF CONTENTION ON THE CATWALK...
ANA CAROLINA RESTON: SHE WAS YOUNG, BEAUTIFUL & STARVED TO DEATH
ARE THINNESS LAWS TOO HEAVY-HANDED?
FRANCE TABLES NEW "ANOREXIA" LAW
The Guardian also has an excellent article about Ana Carolina Reston here:
http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/fashion/story/0,,1987945,00.html
LINK:
http://www.thelocal.de/13023/20080711/
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1 comments:
hello, I read your blog. although I don't consider myself as fat, I am not thin either. sometimes I wish to look like those super thin models. since I am too lazy to over-exercise or too afraid to be anorexic or blumic I did not act at any time of my life. let me tell you what I did, I stopped buying those (stupid) fashion magazines (cause they only make you feel ugly - sunscreen by Baz Luhrmann)It helped a lot, I felt myself as a beautiful person again, loved and cared by my family. I understand that sometimes families or friends just don't help, it's tough but if everyone can start to try to love themselves and be the strong individual, it makes a big change.
about the caption, I can hardly believe it unless I see it with my own eyes. unfortunately the big ceo's of the world won't let it happen. but I'm not hopeless.
finally the song "sunscreen" by Baz Luhrmann had helped me feel better, it's an advice :)
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