Are Laws Needed To Protect Models From Being Too Thin? British Vogue’s Editor Doesn’t Think So

Alexandra Shulman, British Vogue’s editor-in-chief, says “nobody’s forced to be a model.” [Photo: Getty]

A debate about whether laws to protect models working in the fashion industry should exist will be discussed in Parliament today. It’s a topic that’s been widely discussed over the last few months, since a 23-year-old model from Australia claimed that one of the UK’s top agencies told her she wasn’t skinny enough to be on their books.

Rosie Nelson, who’s a size 8, revealed that when she approached the unnamed agency with dreams of becoming a model last year she was told she “ticked all of the boxes except one” – her weight. She lost 5kg, but refused to slim down any further, despite her agency wanting her to.

Her own harrowing experience led her to launch a petition calling for a new law to be introduced to protect other models from similar pressures.

There are laws like this in operation in France, where earlier this year it became a crime to hire models who have a BMI of under 18. But nothing similar currently exists in the UK.

However that could all change today when Nelson heads to Downing Street to hand in over 100,000 names of supporters. Also in attendance will be Caroline Noakes, the MP who has been putting body issues on the Government’s agenda.

“I’ll also be giving evidence to the Parliamentary inquiry for body image - where MPs will also hear from industry professionals and health experts,” Nelson wrote on her Change.org page earlier.

Rosie Nelson is yet another model who’s been told she needs to lose weight by a modelling agency. And she’s taking a stand. [Photo: Instagram/Rosalie Nelson]

But the proposition of protective laws for models aren’t supported by one key fashion figure.

British Vogue‘s editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman has called it a “completely unworkable” and undesirable legislation, saying, “I can’t think of anything more degrading and more appalling for girls who are models to have to go through being measured and weighed like they’re a heffer.”

Shulman added that “nobody’s being forced” to be a model. “If you chose to enter an industry where you’re being judged on your shape, that is your choice.”

And it’s not the first time the influential fashion editor has made comments like these. The Telegraph reported that Shulman, who’s been at the helm of British Vogue since 1992, said she “strongly” believes the use of extremely skinny models on the catwalk doesn’t give girls body image issues.

“I think it’s extremely unfair to think that a model who is extremely skinny should not be on the catwalk, because if somebody will attach their own feelings about their own self-image, possibly the problems they’ve got with an eating disorder or something, to that girl,” she said.

Victoria Beckham was slammed on social media after posting this photo of a very thin model, who appeared in her SS16 Fashion Week show, on Instagram.[Photo: Instagram/Victoria Beckham]

And it’s not just fashion editors who have been targeted for showcasing scarily thin models - designers have been slammed for booking unhealthy looking girls, too.

During New York Fashion Week in September, Victoria Beckham was slammed for using super skinny models in her catwalk presentation. While there was plenty of praise for the show itself, VB’s choice of models has largely overshadowed the success of the new season collection – especially as she said in 2010 that she wouldn’t use unhealthily thin models in her shows any more.

Back then, the 41-year-old said that she’d only book models with a “healthy appearance” to walk in her shows, in an effort to promote a positive body image. But the fashion designer doesn’t appear to have kept her word, as the models that appeared in her shows this year looked thinner than ever.

Do you think more should be done to protect models and promote a healthier body image in the fashion industry? Tweet us at @YahooStyleUK.

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