This year’s New York and London’s fashion weeks, in light of the progress the rest of the world’s fashion centers have made in the last year to regulate the health of their runway models, were not only great disappointments, but enormous failures.

Ever since four Brazilian fashion models died within a two month time span in 2006, the media began to focus on an unspoken fashion industry truth: many fashion models have eating disorders.  But is it the fashion industry’s job to regulate its models’ health? What can or should it be doing to ensure this year isn’t a repeat of 2006?

Tragedy Rocks the Fashion World

But while stories like this make sensational headlines, they are often soon forgotten. What is the fashion industry doing to ensure the health of its models? In the case of last week’s New York Fashion Week, nothing. And in the case of this week’s London Fashion week, a fair amount that has resulted in nothing. But not all fashion weeks are so bleak. In fact, New York and London seem to be the last fashion centers on earth to take a stand against the unhealthy images their fashion industries produce.

World Fashion Organizations Respond

In late 2006, following the deaths of several Brazilian models, organizers of Sao Paulo’s fashion week said participating models would have to prove they were over 16-years old, and supply a health certificate. They also said they’d provide a country-wide health and anorexia awareness campaign that would be diffused through print media, TV, the internet, fliers, and school talks. 

Spain followed suit, banning any model with a BMI lower than 18 from the runways. Spain’s fashion houses, Zara and Mango, even went so far as to ban ultra skinny mannequins from stores, opting instead for healthy size 8 mannequins. The country is widely recognized as being the first to set strict regulations for its modeling industry.

In Paris, France, the fashion capital of the world, several fashion houses, media outlets, and advertising firms recently signed a charter to fight anorexia among models in print ads and on the catwalks. Led by Health Minister, Roselyne Bachelot, the charter is meant to end the display of the boney models currently typical of high fashion shoots. In France, fashion agencies currently require models to prove with a government-issued license that they are over 16 to participate in runway shows.

Italy signed an anti-anorexia charter in February, 2007, to promote healthful images of beauty and ban girls younger than 16 from catwalks. Every model on an Italian catwalk must present a health certificate that clears them from having an eating disorder before participating. Several ad campaigns proclaiming “No to anorexia” shot by famous Italian photographer, Oliviero Toscani , have also run across Italy since 2007.

The British Fashion Council created the Model Health Inquiry in March, 2007, in response to concerns about the health of models participating in London’s fashion week. Instead of forcing models to produce a health certificate, or prove they have a healthy BMI, the BFC, like France’s fashion houses, decided it would take less invasive steps to ensure the health of British fashion models, like making the minimum catwalk age 16, and providing healthful foods and therapists backstage for the models. 

The BFC’s decisions are decidedly far less aggressive than those of Italy or Spain. The BFC, reportedly, feared models would go to other runways besides those of London Fashion Week if forced to obtain a health certificate that could cost, they say, up to $900. 

Another reason why the BFC stated it would not use more forceful tactics to rid England’s runways and print ads of sickly models: the USA isn’t doing it, so why should they.

The Worst Record for Change: The USA

Indeed, of all the fashion capitals of the world, New York has taken the weakest stand against eating disorders. While reporter Megan K. Scott stated she found the models at last week’s New York’s fashion week to be healthier looking for the most part than last year, she still found certain shows to be exuding the “heroin chic” ideal that Kate Moss ignited twenty years ago.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), says Scott, “held workshops on eating disorders and recommended that designers keep models under 16 off the runway, offer healthier snacks backstage and require those identified as having an eating disorder to seek professional help if they want to continue modeling.” Basically, they made recommendations so as to look somewhat proactive, but that’s all these ideas are: suggestions. There are no laws in America that effectively keep models younger than 16 off of the runways, and no laws that require any models with eating disorders to seek treatment.

In fact, America is diving headfirst into promoting the waif-thin images of an ‘80s era Kate Moss. While other countries, most notably Spain, are taking efforts to completely makeover the entire nation’s perception of beauty, America is regressing, instead creating reality shows about extreme dieting, like MTV’s new show, Model Maker.

That’s not to discount the efforts of companies like Dove, who’s “Campaign for Real Beauty” is a beacon of hope in an otherwise image-distorted nation. Others have spoken out against the American fashion, television, and advertising industries’ devotion to stick-thin imagery, like Lynn Grefe, CEO of the National Eating Disorders Association, who says, “"They do drug testing for sports. Why? To keep competition clean, but hopefully also to save lives. That's what we want, too” for New York fashion week.

There’s a lot of responsibility to be taken in this situation. In the CFDA’s defense, it’s not their job, as employers, to regulate the health practices of its employees. On the other hand, as creators of the images that bombard the entire country, women and men, from impressionable teenagers, to adults, American media must be responsible for promoting images of health. 

Why are we always last to do what’s right? It seems Europe has trumped us yet again in organizing mass, countrywide campaigns to promote the health of entire nations. Spain, Italy, and France should be commended for their efforts. It’s now the English-speaking world’s turn to take a stand to help mold their countries’ future perception of health.