Whats your age again?

WHATS YOUR AGE AGAIN?

Every girl has that dream of being on the cover of a magazine or walking down the runway wearing beautiful clothes by the biggest designers in the world. We are familiar with the eating disorders and body image problems that come with this industry, but what we don’t realize is how old these girls really are. Modeling agencies like to snatch girls up young while they are still thin and tall , and toss them into the cut throat world. The girls are told they have to keep up a certain weight if they want to book the jobs. What we don’t realize is what their bodies actually go through. Yes these girls are mostly genetically thin and as Michael Vollbracht the creative director of Bill Blass says “ Thin is always in, its how you show clothes”, and it is true that is how the world sees these clothes we buy displayed. Standards that are formulated need to start being enforced. The American Fashion Industry is expressing more concern regarding the models in the industry so they have said that they want models to be ‘healthy, not anorexic, bulimic or chain-smokers. On January 12^th 2012 the Council of Fashion Designers of America whos’ President is designer Diane Von Furstenberg released a set of guidelines just in time for New York Fashion week that starts February 2^nd . The guidelines go as the following:

• Keep models under 16 off the runway and don't allow models under 18 to work at fittings or photo shoots past midnight.

• Educate those in the industry to identify the early warning signs of eating disorders.

• Require models identified as having an eating disorder to receive professional help and only allow those models to continue with approval from that professional.

• Develop workshops on the causes and effects of eating disorders, and raise awareness of the effects of smoking and tobacco-related disease.

• During fashion shows, provide healthy meals and snacks, while prohibiting smoking and alcohol.

Having the major designers behind these guidelines will really start changing perceptions not only of models, but of the way young girls and even woman see themselves. We went from having regular , shapely woman in the 80’s and 90’s like the Cindy Crawford to heroine chic Kate Moss. Just like the weather it’s a progressive cycle that will eventually come back around.