MP Calls For Thin Models To Be Banned From Catwalk Ahead Of London Fashion Week

Thin Models Should Be Banned From Catwalk, Says MP
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As the industry gears up for this year's London Fashion Week, the size zero debate has once again been brought to the forefront - and one British MP is calling for a ban on very thin models.

Caroline Noakes MP, who heads the All Parliamentary Group on Body Image, is campaigning for a law banning models with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of under 18 from the catwalk.

Noakes hopes Britain will follow in the lead of France, which is the latest country to vote to criminalise the use of models who are dangerously thin.

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Victoria Beckham Spring/Summer 16

Victoria Beckham was recently criticised by for using 'skinny models' in her latest show at New York Fashion Week.

Denise Hatton, chief executive of YMCA England, which is coordinating the Be Real body confidence campaign, called Beckham's show a "prime example of selecting models based on the outdated premise that the only way to sell products is by presenting an idealised view of the female body".

Meanwhile, journalist Piers Morgan described the models in Beckham's show as looking both "painfully thin" and "painfully miserable".

And earlier this year a YSL advert was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority, who deemed it to be 'irresponsible' for featuring an "unhealthily underweight" model.

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A YSL advert banned for featuring an "unhealthily underweight" model

However not everyone agrees that a focus on BMI would promote health.

The British Fashion Council currently does not enforce BMI, as they believe it is an inaccurate measure for young women.

Instead, the organisation say they have "a focus on looking after models [and] encourage health and wellbeing with healthy food and drink provided backstage at shows."

Alice Dogruyol, founder of premium denim brand Beauty in Curves, told HuffPost UK Style "To criminalise a BMI of less than 18 and threaten models with legal action is ludicrous - BMI is not an accurate measure of a person’s health and fitness.

"Fashion brands do need to take more responsibility and represent diverse body shapes and sizes on global catwalks.

"Surely the focus should be on health, not just body size. There are other things above and beyond size that require stronger legislation and matter more, such as the issues of smoking or binge drinking."

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Many people have also spoken out about how a ban on certain body types would not be a positive step for women's body image in general.

Rivkie Baum, editor of plus-size magazine SLiNK told HuffPost UK Lifestyle: "The way to greater diversity and representation in fashion and the media is not to pit one type of body against another.

"Piers [Morgan] is right that the use of just very slim models both on the catwalk and within mainstream media gives many young girls unrealistic body ideals, but it is not about banishing very slim models altogether."

Baum adds that New York Fashion Week is "quickly becoming a leader in using a more diverse set of models", with a number of a curvy figures taking to the runway alongside their straight-size model counterparts this week, in shows such as the Chromat one.

She says: "It is these designers and catwalks that demonstrate to young girls that fashion and the media accepts different bodies and this will ultimately play a huge part in re-educating young women about the relationship they can form with themselves. Let's not use skinny-shaming as a way of calling for greater diversity."

The Huffington Post has recently launched our #NYFW4All and #LFW4All campaign to highlight moments in Fashion Week that include people of all skin tones, genders, sizes, shapes and personalities - and we'll be shining a spotlight on shows that include models with a more diverse range of body types at this September's London Fashion Week.

Meet Our Body Image Heroes
Adele(01 of17)
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Adele says she tries not to worry about her body image and doesn't want to be a "skinny minnie." "The first thing to do is be happy with yourself and appreciate your body -- only then should you try to change things about yourself." (credit:Facebook)
Lady Gaga(02 of17)
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After the media focused on her alleged weight gain in September 2012, Gaga hit back at critics by baring her body in photographs, sharing her struggles with an eating disorder, and inviting her fans to join her in a "body revolution." (credit:Facebook)
Christina Aguilera(03 of17)
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"I am always in support of someone who is willing and comfortable in their own skin enough to embrace it," the singer said in a recent interview. (credit:Facebook)
Margaret Cho(04 of17)
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In a powerful 2012 piece for Jezebel, the comedian responded to people who criticized her appearance:
I grew up hard and am still hard and I don't care. I did not choose this face or this body and I have learned to live with it and love it and celebrate it and adorn it with tremendous drawings from the greatest artists in the world and I feel good and powerful like a nation that has never been free and now after many hard won victories is finally fucking free. I am beautiful and I am finally fucking free.
(credit:Getty)
Gina Rodriguez(05 of17)
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The Golden-Globe winner told HuffPost Live how her father shaped her perspective on beauty:
Beauty was very much on my mind. I had a father that would -- we would look up at billboards and he would say, "That's one version of beauty. You're another version of beauty. And she's a version of beauty. And that girl? She's another version of beauty." He always said that beauty came from within, and as much as you're younger and you're [sarcastically] like, "Yeah, beauty comes from within" -- no, beauty does come from within. I've met some of the most beautiful people, and sadly their heart is just not smiling, and that destroys it all. And then other people that aesthetically aren't considered as beautiful are the most gorgeous people I've ever seen in my life.
Rebel Wilson(06 of17)
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The actress took to Twitter to say, "I'm not trying to be hot. I'm just trying to be a good actress and entertain people." (credit:Facebook)
Ashley Judd(07 of17)
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After the March 2012 frenzy around Judd's "puffy face," the actress fought back in The Daily Beast, calling the media out for making women's bodies "a source of speculation, ridicule, and invalidation, as if they belong to others." (credit:Facebook)
Danielle Brooks(08 of17)
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The "Orange Is The New Black" actress wrote a powerful essay for Glamour about her struggles with self-esteem and journey to body love. She's now dedicated to making sure all body types are seen on-screen:"Ideally, I want to see all beauties, all shapes, all sizes, all skin tones, all backgrounds represented in my profession. Now that I am blessed to be that reflection I was once looking for, I’m making a promise to speak out for that little girl that I used to be." (credit:Getty)
Allison Tate(09 of17)
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Tate's essay about body image and motherhood not only broke the Internet; it has sparked a movement of "moms who stay in the picture." (credit:Allison Tate)
Gabourey Sidibe(10 of17)
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The "Precious" actress had the most incredible comeback to cruel comments about her weight.
Autumn Whitefield Madrano(11 of17)
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On her informed, thoughtful blog "The Beheld," Autumn writes about beauty, body image, appearance and her two -- that's right, two -- mirror fasts. (credit:Facebook)
Kjerstin Gruys(12 of17)
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Gruys went on a year-long mirror fast during which she did not study her reflection in mirrors or other reflective surfaces, or look at photographs of herself. (credit:Facebook)
Lena Dunham(13 of17)
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At the 2012 New Yorker Festival, the magazine's TV critic, Emily Nussbaum, asked Lena Dunham, producer, creator and star of the hit HBO show "Girls," why Dunham is naked in so many scenes. Dunham responded, "I realized that what was missing in movies for me was the presence of bodies I understood." She said she plans to live until she is 105 and show her thighs every day. (credit:Facebook)
Alexa Chung(14 of17)
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Chung responded to critics who suggested that her slight frame made her a bad role model for young women, saying:"Just because I exist in this shape doesn't mean that I'm, like, advocating it." (credit:Facebook)
Stella Boonshoft(15 of17)
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The NYU student started the amazing Body Love Blog, where she posted this picture of herself and wrote an open letter to those who feel entitled to shame others for the size or look of their bodies. (credit:Facebook)
Beth Ditto(16 of17)
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This 5-foot-tall, 200-pound singer spoke openly about her weight to The Advocate, saying, "I feel sorry ... for people who've had skinny privilege and then have it taken away from them. I have had a lifetime to adjust to seeing how people treat women who aren't their idea of beautiful and therefore aren't their idea of useful, and I had to find ways to become useful to myself." (credit:Facebook)
Mindy Kaling(17 of17)
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In 2013 interview with Parade, Kaling said that she was tired of being discussing her appearance:"I always get asked, 'Where do you get your confidence?' I think people are well meaning, but it's pretty insulting. Because what it means to me is, 'You, Mindy Kaling, have all the trappings of a very marginalized person. You're not skinny, you're not white, you're a woman. Why on earth would you feel like you're worth anything?'" (credit:Getty)