Jumat, 04 Mei 2012

Vogue vows to ban underweight and underage models

Vogue vows to ban underweight and underage models

By Sadie Whitelocks

PUBLISHED: 07:02 EST, 4 May 2012 | UPDATED: 10:05 EST, 4 May 2012

Vogue has vowed to ban underweight and underage models from the pages of its magazines.

Alexandra Shulman, at the helm of the British edition, is among 19 other editors to have joined the pact, in a bid to stop the promotion of unrealistic body images.

Going forward casting directors employed by the title will be asked to check IDs of models before booking them and flag up those who appear to have eating disorders.

American, French, Chinese and British are among the editions of Vogue that will start following the new guidelines with their June issues

American, French, Chinese and British are among the editions of Vogue that will start following the new guidelines with their June issues

It is hoped the 'The Health Initiative' will encourage a healthier approach to body image within the fashion industry.

The project builds on the guidelines already drawn out by Council of Fashion Designers of America and the British Fashion Council with the support of Vogue magazines in both countries.

Alexandra Shulman said at a lunch hosted by the Wellbeing of Women - a charity dedicated to improving the health of women: 'Vogue has started The Health Initiative.

'We are working with 19 of the magazine’s international editors - and models agencies - encouraging them to use healthy models. We will continue to do so.'

Alexandra Shulman says British Vogue will continue to promote the use of healthy models

Alexandra Shulman says British Vogue will continue to promote the use of healthy models

Models' health - and especially their weight - has come under greater scrutiny over recent years, especially following the death of two models from apparent complications from eating disorders in 2006-07.

However until now the focus, has been on catwalk fashion shows, where minimum age requirements and improved backstage conditions have been enforced in numerous countries.

American model Sara Ziff, who was discovered at 14 and has since founded The Model Alliance, dedicated to improving the working conditions of models, hopes the move will encourage other publications to get on board.

'Most editions of Vogue regularly hire models who are minors, so for Vogue to commit to no longer using models under the age of 16 marks an evolution in the industry,' she said.

'We hope other magazines and fashion brands will follow Vogue's impressive lead.'

American, French, Chinese and British editions will start following the new guidelines with their June issues - the Japanese edition will begin with its July book.

Ziff said the age restriction is important for other reasons too, adding: 'The use of underaged models is linked to financial exploitation, eating disorders, interrupted schooling, and contributes to models' overall lack of empowerment in the workplace.

'We simply believe that 14 is too young to be working in this very grown-up industry.'

In addition to agreeing not to knowingly work with models under 16 or with eating disorders, the Vogue pact says the magazines will help 'structure mentoring programs' for younger models and raise awareness of the problem of model health.

The publisher of Vogue, Conde Nast, is also responsible for several other magazines, including Glamour an d Allure, but a spokesperson said there are no current plans for these guidelines to be adopted across the company.

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

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It won't be enugh for the 'real women have curves brigade who have a seriously warped view of what healthy actually is, to them they think that loads of women who are indeed healthy at a size 6 or 8 must be starving themselves and underweight.

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Yeah, right. More empty promises. The pompous fashion industry doesn't care about public opinion. There's a lot of ugliness underneath the surface glamour. Not only do they encourage already slim models to starve themselves, they sexualize 14-year-olds and even children in ad campaigns. They turn a blind eye to the photographers and clients who are sexual predators. They regularly use fur even though they are aware of the animal cruelty involved. They have enough sheeple customers who'll buy their overpriced products no matter what they do. Their actions contradict their words every time.

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How is this even possible? Most of the top girls at the moment are underweight. Are they actually going to stop booking girls like Karlie Kloss and Siri Tollerød? I believe it when I see it. Smells like all talk, no action.

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On a different note - Mossy looks great on that Vogue cover...

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Oh please. How often have we been here - no underweight models will be used. Yes they will continue to be used because that's what the (mostly male) designers like - women who are shaped like men. Nothing will change.

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Please, it's not going to happen. They'll ban it, print a few issues with healthier women, and then once people have forgotten their ban, they'll bring back the super-skinnies.

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I will believe it when I see it. Depends what their definition of ' too thin' is. Probably nothing like what we think of as underweight.

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And may I add.....stop putting the Hollywood bimbo's with their implants in or on the cover as well....that is just as sick!!!!!!!

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Oh please, we've heard it all before. Should this happen, which it won't, they'd only airbrush away any of their size 6 'curves' anyway!

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Did You mean Underweith Underage Models DM?? - Joyce, UK, 4/5/2012 13:51 Sorry, meant Underweight Underage - Joyce, UK, 4/5/2012 13:52 ----------------------------------- Easy to make a mistake when you're too eager and hasty to get printed, isn't it.

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