The Fashion Industry Doesn't Like Coco Rocha's Grown-Up Curves

Coco Rocha is the latest model to come out against the fashion industry's stubborn adherence to a super-skinny aesthetic on the runway. Rocha has recently gone on the record saying that she has lost jobs because her body is too big now that she's reached the ripe old age of 21.

We remember when Rocha was a featured speaker at a CFDA Health Initiative forum back in 2008, where she confessed that a day in the life of a typical model involved hearing sensitive comments like, "We don't want you to be anorexic--we just want you to look like you are." She also admitted that an agent had once advised her to throw up after meals and that she had used diuretics to control her weight. Today, Rocha has a healthier outlook: “You know what, I’ve stopped caring. If I want a hamburger, I’m going to have one. No 21-year-old should be worrying about whether she fits a sample size.” The same cannot be said for many industry insiders, who, despite their attendance at the CFDA forums, are still upholding the unhealthy standard of hiring pre-pubescent girls and then routinely rejecting them when they start showing the first signs of curves.

“A lot of people are accountable, and nobody’s saying anything about it,” says James Scully a well-known fashion industry casting agent. “What happens when these girls develop and turn into women?” Well, it looks like they get the axe.

"A Model's Prospects: Slim and None" [NY Times]

CFDA Health Initiative Discussion: "We've Been Drinking the Kool-Aid"

I attended a CFDA Health Initiative discussion last night focusing on "The Beauty of Health: How the Fashion Industry Can Make a Difference." [Usually this is a team effort, but Magali is on vacation with her family. She was sorry to miss it.] This was the third health initiative event they've hosted since releasing their guidelines in 2007.

Some highlights:

Nian Fish of KCD (whose Q & A was our very first blog post almost a year ago) is sick of the ultra-thin look. "Size zero. What is that?" she asked the audience, which included Anna Wintour and Donna Karan. "A size zero means you're invisible. I think we have brainwashed ourselves into believing that is beautiful. It's time to admit that we've all been drinking the Kool-Aid."

James Scully has been an outspoken advocate for reform in fashion, so I was happy to see him step up to the microphone. As one of the most sought-after casting agents in the industry, he knows that he and his colleagues have a responsibility to understand the power of their words and the tremendous influence they can have in young models' lives. "Magali talks about how her life would have taken a different turn if she had received caring support instead of harsh words about her weight," he said. "I think about that every day. Let's stop treating models like greyhounds we plan to shoot after a race. We have to remember we are dealing with real people who have real feelings."

Michael Kors also reminded everyone to treat models as humans, not mannequins. He challenged designers to "stay away from child-size clothes unless you're designing for children,"
pointing out that fashion influences the Hollywood aesthetic--and when celebrities starve themselves to fit into sample sizes, it has a dangerous and far-reaching influence on girls and women everywhere.

Model Coco Rocha did not hold back. She said that a day in the life of most models involves an obsession with staying thin, a constant hunger, and cutting remarks like "We don't want you to be anorexic. We just want you to look like you are." She admitted that an agent once advised her to throw up after meals. Last year she gave in to the pressure and took diuretics--a decision she seriously regrets. After consulting other models, she offered four recommendations:
1. To designers: make your fit models bigger (i.e. make your clothes bigger). When zippers don't zip up at castings, models suffer unbearable humiliation.
2. Keep working to raise awareness about the long-term effects of eating disordered behavior. If young models knew the permanent damage they were causing to their bodies, they might think twice.
3. Agencies need to be closely linked with medical professionals, including nutritionists and eating disorder specialists.
4. Provide healthier food at shows.

I left the discussion with a hopeful outlook. Go ahead, call me the eternal optimist. Magali and I have been working to raise awareness about eating disorders and body image issues in the fashion industry since 1999. For many, it might seem as though change is happening at a snail's pace. But in the span of our work together, the last two years have felt like giant leaps forward. More and more people are finally speaking the truth. We need that kind of honesty. We can't get to a healthier place without it.

Australian Government Releases Body Image Code of Conduct

The Victorian Voluntary Media Code of Conduct on Body Image was just officially launched in Australia. The code contains four clauses that address the following issues:

· The use and disclosure of altered and enhanced images;
· Representation of a diversity of body shapes;
· Fair placement of diet, exercise and cosmetic surgery advertising; and
· Avoiding the glamorisation of severely underweight models or celebrities.

Youth Affairs Minister James Merlino urged the media, fashion and advertising industries to adhere to the guidelines, though of course a voluntary code means that there are no penalties for ignoring it. “The many expressions of support across these industries is encouraging, but there is much to be done if we are to address body image issues in the media that can have devastating effects on young people’s lives," said Merlino.

Here's hoping that the Australian media and fashion industry will take the responsible route. But while we're waiting to see how that pans out, it's pretty clear that their government is seriously committed to raising awareness about body image issues. The Brumby Government's Go for your life initiative has committed $2.1 million to body image programs over the next four years. They also give mini grants of $5,000 to body image programs run by and/or aimed at youth ages 12-25. One of last year's recipients was Girls Together, a project started by a group of 12 to 16-year-old girls. [Media Newswire]

British Magazines May Face Restrictions on Retouching

Magazine editors in the U.K. have agreed to meet with their trade association to discuss a code for the use of retouched photographs. This move is part of a series of recommendations that came out of Britain's Model Health Inquiry, an initiative established by the British Fashion Council and led by Baroness Kingsmill, who concluded that retouching could “perpetuate an unachievable aesthetic." While it's not bloody likely that there will be total ban on retouching, we are certainly curious to see what they come up with and how it impacts the images we see on the glossy pages. [The Times]

UPDATE: The Australians have gotten in on the action, too. The Victorian Government's media code of conduct on body image will discourage the use of Photoshop and other tricks to change the shape and appearance of women in the media. Their code will be released April 18th.

Australian Association of National Advertisers executive director Colin Segelov, who was on the committee that formulated the voluntary code, said it addressed "concerns that images in the media should not set up such false expectations and aspirations as to cause danger to young women." [MSN]

So where is the U.S. in all this? Apparently we're still on the poreless, fat-free, wrinkle-free side of the argument. Let's hope that changes soon.

Anna Wintour Says Models Today Are Pale, Thin, and Joyless

Anna Wintour was not impressed with the models at New York Fashion Week. "Overall, they were pale and thin and entirely lacking in the joyfulness and charm that once defined the supermodel," she writes in the April issue of Vogue. "This is, of course, not their fault: Designers now near-uniformly favor a non-vivacious, homogenous ideal." Oh, snap. And therein lies one of the central problem with tackling the fashion industry's too-skinny beauty standards. The good news is that we've gotten to the point where even the most powerful industry leaders recognize that something is awry. The bad news? Everyone thinks someone else is responsible.

Designer Bradley Bayou, whose daughter suffered from an eating disorder, is calling for a cease fire in the industry blame game. "If everybody takes responsibility and everybody works together, we can change it. In other words, the designers and the editors and the modeling agents and the models' parents and everybody gets together and decides, 'This is not a healthy thing. We must change it.' Then, hopefully, we can." We'll second that. [CBS News]

Jezebel Bans Body Snark. You Can, Too.

It's not easy being a pop culture junkie and an advocate for positive body image. Those two passions don't always play nice. That's why it helps to have some practical ground rules.

Back in January, Jezebel made a resolution to put a stop to negative comments about people's bodies. This was not a ban on celebrity gossip, fashion, or snark in general (because frankly there are some of us who might melt away without them)--just the mean-spirited body bashing that can spring from the intersections. They're sticking to their guns, too. Every day Jezebel editors choose the best and worst out of hundreds of comments submitted on their blog. The offenders are often those who can't stop themselves from making a nasty dig about a celebrity's weight.

This is the kind of stance that can shift people's thinking and change conversations and behaviors for the better. It's really as simple as creating and enforcing community policies that match your values. Wish women would stop talking trash about their own (and each other's) bodies? Well, fellow bloggers and media makers...we can all start in our own backyards. By the way, our blog also has a permanent ban on body snark. But you probably knew that already. [Jezebel]

Doin' It for the Kids: A Tribute to Moms

Kelly over at Fitness Fixation wrote a very moving piece this week about how her six-year-old daughter is already hearing the "F" word at school. No, not that "F" word. The other one: Fat.

“You know how everyone has that extra skin and stuff at the top of their leg? Two boys pinched me there and said, ‘You’re fat.’ But I’m not, everyone has that,” Kelly's daughter reported back to her one afternoon. While her little girl didn't seem to be devastated by the comments, Kelly was enraged, frustrated, and motivated to cancel her women's magazine subscriptions.

"I get a lumpy throat if I think of a slightly older her, critically examining her legs in the mirror, wondering if they are big or jiggly and maybe she ought to eat a few less cookies and try some stupid cream and will she get dates with legs like that? Did I say lumpy throat? Make that nauseous," she writes.

There's no sugar coating it. Moms who are working every day to instill healthy body image and strong self-esteem in their children are fighting an uphill battle. But you know what? It's a battle well worth fighting. So to Kelly and all the other amazing moms out there: keep up the incredible work. Your daughters and sons will thank you.

Male Models are Feeling the Skinny Pressure, Too

Fashion PR spin says male models are getting skinnier because of consumer demand for that look (yeah, right) while casting agents point to Hedi Slimane (nope, the last name is not lost on us), former head of Dior Homme, who is credited with setting the scrawny chic dude trend in motion. There are theories o' plenty, but not too many definitive answers--and even fewer proposed solutions. As has been the case from the beginning of the discussions about the unhealthy size of models, this is a classic game of responsibility hot potato. But the bottom line is that men on the runways are shrinking.

Demián Tkach is a 26-year-old model who said that when he came here from Mexico, where he had been working: “My agency asked me to lose some muscle. I lost a little bit to help them, because I understand the designers are not looking for a male image anymore. They’re looking for some kind of androgyne.” [New York Times]

It's Super Tuesday: Make Your Voice Heard!

As New York and Los Angeles dwellers, we'll both be making our way to the polling stations today. This is an incredibly exciting and historic election. If you live in one of the 24 states holding primaries today, we hope you'll cast your vote.

Fashion Week Day 1: Remember The CFDA Guidelines, Designers?

Almost exactly a year ago, the CFDA hosted a breakfast to announce their Health Initiative. It was a bitter cold morning but the fashionistas bundled up and turned out in droves to hear the announcement of the CFDA's recommendations to promote wellness and a healthier working environment for models. Lest we forget, here are those recommendations:

1. Educate the industry to identify the early warning signs in an individual at risk of developing an eating disorder.

2. Models who are identified as having an eating disorder should be required to seek professional help in order to continue modeling. And models who are receiving professional help for an eating should not continue modeling without that professional's approval.

3. Develop workshops for the industry (including models and their families) on the nature of eating disorders, how they arise, how we identify and treat them, and complications if they are untreated.

4. Support the well-being of younger individuals by not hiring models under the age of sixteen for runway shows; not allowing models under the age of eighteen to work past midnight at fittings or shoots; and providing regular breaks and rest.

5. Supply healthy meals, snacks, and water backstage and at shoots and provide nutrition and fitness education.

6. Promote a healthy backstage environment by raising awareness of the impact of smoking and tobacco-related disease among women, ensuring a smoke-free environment, and address the issue of underage drinking by prohibiting alcohol.

The CFDA has taken a lot of heat for not including BMI restrictions in their guidelines. However, we think there's an even more important recommendation that's missing: medical exams for models. In fact, the medical experts and fashion industry insiders we surveyed agreed that exams were most likely to be effective.

A low BMI might signify an eating disorder, but an average BMI certainly doesn't mean that a model is in good health. People with eating disorders are not always dangerously underweight. Magali was never stick thin, but she was so sick that she once passed out at a photo shoot. If we're serious about protecting models' health, we need to find a way to ensure that they are getting regular check-ups. A doctor can examine the physical, but perhaps more important is that private one-on-one time when a trained professional can ask each model how she/he is doing emotionally. It's a question that's rarely asked in such a frantically-paced industry where young models are increasingly replaceable. It's a question that can be a lifesaver.

Fashion Week Has Issues... And That's Good News

New York Fashion Week kicks off tomorrow amid serious conversations about diversity of size, shape, and ethnicity on the runway. The buzz word is "change." And while that trend might be slow to take off, it's certainly one we're committed to following for the long haul.

CFDA Health Initiative Chair Nian Fish tells us that CFDA President Diane Von Furstenberg sent out a letter in advance of the New York shows reminding designers to follow the guidelines set out last year.

Three industry forums have been held in New York to discuss the lack of models of color on the runway.

Newly-appointed Chairman of the British Fashion Council Harold Tillman intends to enforce strict adherence to the Model Health Inquiry's recommendations. "If the British Fashion Council weren't doing something about it I wouldn't have joined," he told The Evening Standard. London Fashion Week starts February 10th. [British Vogue]

"Real people models" are turning up in ads and on runways in other cities. Will we see any during New York Fashion Week? Time will tell. [Newsweek]

Model Mentors

Runways are filled with girls modeling clothes meant for women. Behind the scenes, these young models' careers depend on their ability to behave with savvy and sophistication well beyond their years. Their physical and emotional health depends on whether they can manage to stay grounded in an industry built on fantasy. Veteran models who have been there, done that, and lived to tell about it could have a lot of guidance to offer these girls. That's why the British Fashion Council's newly appointed chairman Harold Tillman is advocating for model mentoring.

"These are women that younger models admire," he said. "We should get these original supermodels on board and get them more involved." Tillman is also serious about adhering to the guidelines developed by the Model Health Inquiry. "Many girls are looking after themselves but there is unfortunately a minority that isn't. We need the rest of Europe and the rest of the world on board." [British Vogue]

Diversity and Responsibility in Fashion

With NYC Fashion Week fast approaching, agency owner Bethann Hardison hosted a forum this week to discuss the absence of models of color on the runways and in the pages of fashion magazines. This was the third event in a series she launched in September.

The topic is an important one, and we were especially pleased to see that some of the most vocal contributors to this conversation have also been leaders when it comes to addressing the issue of eating disorders and other health issues affecting the industry. Nian Fish of KCD, who chairs the CFDA Health Initiative (and who we interviewed about her role) and creative director James Scully, who has been a strong proponent of eating disorders education and awareness, both spoke at this week's forum. Their leadership is evident in their ongoing willingness to take responsibility, start tough conversations and to speak the truth about their own experiences in order to bring about positive changes.

In a message he wrote for the diversity forum, Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley expanded on the Obama slogan (he is currently volunteering for the campaign) to say "change we can believe in has to happen." We'll second that.

For more coverage, check out Jezebel.

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sephora Thinks I Should Lose Weight...With Lip Gloss

I admit it. I'm a big sucker for beauty products. Fruity, floral, kitschy cutesy packaging, you name it. I'm like a kid in a candy shop at Sephora. In fact, I dropped a significant wad of cash there this holiday season. Oh, boy did they find a special way to say thanks for my business.

This morning I received Sephora's "Top 7 Beauty Resolutions" email. According to their list, my #3 resolution should be to lose weight with "guilt free" lip gloss. Really? Because my doctor says my weight is just fine. And I didn't spend all that time recovering from my eating disorders to go back to the place where I obsess over the number of calories in my freakin' lip gloss.

The product itself comes from Too Faced and claims to be "infused with the healthy, delicious fruit flavors and appetite curbing energy boosting ingredients found in the FUZE Slenderize beverages." Puh-lease! Sephora's website goes on about how "one delicious dab on the lips will give you a taste of what all the Hollywood starlets are losing it over! Always on the lips, never on the hips!" Did I say I'm a sucker for beauty products? Yeah, I'm not that big of a sucker.

Tell Sephora they need to revise their beauty resolutions.
Tell Too Faced why "guilt free" lip gloss is 100% sanity free.

New Brain Research on Anorexia Lets Models Off the Hook. Um, Not So Fast

Walter Kaye has conducted some very interesting research, which reveals that the brain patterns of anorexics are different than those of healthy women. “This means they react and think in different ways to the ordinary person and that they are more likely to go on to develop anorexia regardless of whether they have been exposed to images of super-thin models,” Dr. Kaye said. Wow, is the British press having a field day with that statement:

"Anorexia 'cannot be picked up by looking at photographs of super-thin models'" [Times]

"Stick-thin models such as Kate Moss do not encourage young women to become anorexic, say scientists." [Daily Mail]

"Anorexia not models' fault" [The Sun]

Okay, villagers. Put down your torches. The models are innocent! The gist here is that people don't look at pictures of models and immediately spiral into severe eating disorders. Did anyone really believe it was that simple anyway? But let's not excuse the media and the fashion industry from the table so quickly. Even if they're not solely responsible for girls and women developing full-blown anorexia, they certainly play a role in the even bigger epidemics of disordered eating, drastic dieting, and poor body image.

I recently met four intelligent, articulate high school students who are participating in the Dove Reality Diaries. With zero hesitation, all four of them said they would sign up for plastic surgery (from liposuction to nose jobs) in a heartbeat if given the opportunity. Now try and convince me that all those media images of thinness and perfection don't have a dangerous impact.

Tipping the Scales: Responsible Reporting on Eating Disorders

Reporters search for facts and figures. Stories with shock value are tantamount to striking gold. And that's why when we hear about eating disorders in the news, we get numbers and we get extremes. Two recent examples:

Israeli model Hila Elmalich tragically passed away from anorexia; practically every blog and news outlet made her weight at the time of her death the focal point of their coverage. For a reporter, this number is a crucial piece of information. For most readers, the number instantly distances us from her experience. There is a voyeuristic, freak show effect that washes over us. We shake our heads at the sad reality that someone could make herself so sick. But the truth is that eating disorders are all around us, in every shape and size. We never give details about how much weight we lost when we were suffering with eating disorders for exactly that reason (and to avoid triggering pro-anas, of course). Those numbers are not a measure of our suffering.

A few weeks ago we posted about the Salon story on Diabulimia. Claire noted that the symptoms and behavior described in the article were not new, but the term "diabulimia" certainly was. Reporters quickly latched onto it. Although this eating disordered behavior has long been a problem, it didn't get extensive coverage until it got repackaged with a sexy new name. Check out writer Nancy Matsumoto's account of the personal conflicts she faced when covering diabulimia for People magazine.

If you are a reporter, editor or writer, we encourage you to read these tips on responsible reporting from the National Eating Disorders Association. As a media consumer, remember that every time you see a sensational story about an emaciated anorexic who starved herself to a shocking XX pounds!, there are millions of other people with eating disorders. Their weight might not be so shocking, but their pain is very real.

Ana Carolina Reston: Died of Anorexia, November 15, 2006 | Hila Elmalich: Died of Anorexia, November 14, 2007

We have just learned that Israeli model Hila Elmalich passed away as a result of anorexia. She died on November 14th, almost exactly one year after Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston lost her battle with the same eating disorder. Reston's death prompted us to launch our 5 Resolutions to Transform the Fashion and Beauty Industries. Today we got another sobering reminder that this work must continue. And we take comfort in the knowledge that we are not alone.

Elmalich's friend, fashion photographer and agent Adi Barkan (pictured at right, with a hospitalized Elmalich over two years ago), is raising awareness among Israeli fashion agencies. Over 30 Israeli CEOs have agreed to hire models for their advertisements only after they pass a health exam. [Israel 21C]

We have also called for health exams, and our own survey showed that both medical professionals and fashion industry professionals agree that of all the proposed recommendations, exams would be the most effective way to protect the health of models. But despite support for the idea, in the U.S. it's still just that--an idea. Other industries have figured it out. There's no reason why the fashion industry can't, too.

Barkan put it best when he said, "They say a lot but they did nothing yet, so let's do it! Because from talking nothing will move." Ready to start taking some action?

Do You Think I'm Fat?

This PSA was produced by the National Eating Disorders Association:



There are some striking similarities between this spot and the much-discussed Dove "Onslaught" campaign. For the record, we love both. But given the recent criticism of Dove (thanks to Kelly at Strollerderby for the link), we do think it's important to make the distinction between advertising and a public service announcement. So let's be clear. The message above has absolutely no affiliation with any global corporation responsible for online games like "Is Your Shower Hottie Ready?"

Has Spock Joined the Fat Acceptance Movement?

Leonard Nimoy (yes that Leonard Nimoy) has a new book of photographs called The Full Body Project, featuring images of full-figured women. It also includes a foreword written by one of our favorite authors, Natalie Angier. Admittedly, our first reaction was something along the lines of "Huh?!?" However, Nimoy actually sounds pretty serious about the cause.

"The average American woman," he writes, "weighs 25 percent more than the models selling the clothes. There is a huge industry built up around selling women ways to get their bodies closer to the fantasy ideal. Pills, diets, surgery, workout programs. . . The message is 'You don't look right. If you buy our product, you can get there.'" Right on, Leo. That all sounds so, um, logical. Sorry! We couldn't resist. And we are definitely not doing the Vulcan hand salute right now. [Digest]

Related: Does This Photo Look Familiar?

Update: One of our commenters tipped us off to this excellent NPR interview with Nimoy.