'Bone-thin' models ditched

2006-09-11 11:18

Madrid, Spain - Spain's top fashion show has turned away models because they are too thin.

Organisers of the pageant, known as the Pasarela Cibeles, used a mathematical formula to calculate the models' body mass index - a measure of their weight in relation to their height - and 30% of the women flunked, said the Association of Fashion Designers of Spain.

The decision was made as part of a voluntary agreement with the Madrid regional government, Jesus del Pozo, a designer who is part of the association, said on Thursday. The show runs from September 18-22.

The association said in a statement it wanted models to project "an image of beauty and health" and shun a gaunt, emaciated look.

Last year's edition of the show, also called Madrid Fashion Week, drew protests from medical associations and women's advocacy groups because some of the models were positively bone-thin.

This time the Madrid regional government decided to intervene and pressure organisers to hire fuller-figured women as role models for young girls obsessed with being thin and prone to starving themselves into sickness, said Concha Guerra, deputy finance minister of the regional administration.

Fashion shows, Guerra said, "are mirrors for many young women".

Del Pozo said this was the first time skinny models have been snubbed at a major international fashion show.

Ryan Brown, director of marketing and public relations in North America for the Elite modeling agency in New York City, agreed. "It is very unprecedented," said Brown, who has nothing to do with the Spanish show.

He welcomed the decision saying "I think it is great to promote health."

Madrid's show - which features mainly Spanish designers - is not as prestigious as catwalks in Paris or Milan but "it is not at the bottom of the pile", he said.

The impact of rejecting skinny women would have been greater at those other glitzier venues. Still, he said, "I am sure the industry is taking note."

- AP