Ever since the tragic death of a severely underweight Brazilian model in 2006, the fashion industry has been under pressure to take measures to address the issue of body image and eating disorders. The contention is that by featuring severely underweight models on the runways and in the pages of glossy fashion magazines, the fashion industry is promoting unhealthy beauty standards among young girls and women and thereby contributing to the problem. Following various non-binding measures relating to BMI (body mass index) and minimum age requirements for runway models adopted in Spain and the United Kingdom and a controversial billboard unveiled in September 2007 during Milan Fashion Week, the French legislature has taken the debate one step further by introducing a law that would impose sanctions for promoting extreme thinness including prison sentences for up to three years and fines of up to 30,000 Euros ($71,000 USD). While the aim of the proposed French legislation submitted to France's lower house by UMP lawmaker Valerie Boyer (supported by France's Health Minister Roselyn Bachelot) may be first and foremost pro-anorexia sites, the bill's provisions are drafted vaguely enough to encompass virtually all means of mass communication including magazines, blogs and Web sites. It remains unclear how the law would apply to advertising, editorial content and runway shows and no effort is made to define what constitutes "excessive thinness" hence the criticism voiced by fashion industry heavyweights such as Didier Grumbach, president of the French Federation of Couture. The proposed legislation will now be considered by the French Senate. (Source)
While it's difficult to tell exactly what role the fashion industry plays in the promotion of extreme thinness, I did have the opportunity recently to note for myself the dramatic changes in the fashion industry's portrayal of beauty standards. In the context of a work-related project, I had the opportunity to spend a full week wading through the archives of an American luxury brand spanning sixty years and composed of both American and European fashion magazines. One of the things that leapt out at me almost immediately was the dramatic changes in weight and age of the models featured in the editorial pages of those magazines. The models featured in both the U.S. and European publications from the 50's all the way through to the 80's and early 90's had exquisite muscle tone, beautiful breasts and shapely bottoms. By this I don't mean they had the voluptuousness often associated with pin-ups such as Marilyn Monroe or Jane Mansfield but rather healthy, beautifully proportioned womanly figures complete with hips, bottoms and breasts. The models not only looked healthy but they actually looked like women (albeit preternaturally beautiful ones). By contrast, when my research took me to the more recent portion of the archives in question (mid-90's till present), I found a steady decline not only in body weight but also in age (not to mention diversity). While my experience is merely anecdotal and I was not specifically looking to examine this particular issue, the trend was stark enough to leap out at me and make a lasting impression. There has been a clear shift in our conception of beauty away from the healthy, well-proportioned woman in favor of the young, pale, extremely thin and frail girl. Whether or not the fashion industry (designers and press alike) shape our expectations of beauty or merely reflect it is a topic beyond the scope of this post but what I observed almost by chance months ago continues to disturb me even today. In fact, I haven't really been able to look at a fashion magazine in quite the same way since. If it takes a controversial piece of legislation to spark a real debate beyond the glossy world of fashion and raise our collective consciousness, so be it.
Sincerely,
The Luxe Chronicles
Photographic References:
Left to right: UMP lawmaker and author of the proposed legislation, Valerie Boyer; A special edition of Paris Vogue; Paris Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld.
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