Spain Takes on Eating Disorders by Banning Skinny Models from Catwalks

American society is facing an epidemic of tragedy. I am not talking about war, gang violence, racism or even the alarmingly high rate of autistic babies. I am talking about food and America's obsession with it.

Skinny is the "in" fad all thanks to the fashion industry and Hollywood, who seem to be merging more and more as the years creep by. The skinnier you are, the more desirable you become. This has been the trend for so long that the "normal" size model or actress is looked upon as being "plus size". In a society where the average woman is a size 14, how is it that a model that is a size 12-14 is plus size? Does this mean that the average American woman is plus size? Let's look at it this way as well, about one third of American women are over size 16.

Steps are being taken in Madrid, Spain, one of the leading fashion hubs of the world. "The regional government of Madrid, Spain (who sponsors the Fashion Week show) has imposed restrictions that effectively ban skinny models from appearing on the catwalk... The model must have a BMI of 18 or over. So far 30% of models have been turned away. Under current health guidelines a BMI of 18.5 or under is considered underweight." (diet-blog.com) This is a step in the right direction and it has the fashion industry in an uproar. Unfortunately, it is too little, too late. The damage to the American society has already been done and it will take far more drastic measures to reverse the image.

"Eating disorders affect 2 to 4 percent of children and adolescents in the United States each year, with girls at least twice as likely as boys to suffer from these disorders." (Social Problems, pg 97) These following statistics are staggering:

"Young girls are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing their parents. 50% of 9-year-old girls and 80% of 10-year-old girls have dieted.
90% of high school junior and senior women diet regularly, even though only between 10% and 15% are over the weight recommended by the standard height-weight charts.
1% of teenage girls, and 5% of college-age women become anorexic or bulimic.

Anorexia has the highest mortality rate (up to 20%) of any psychiatric diagnosis.
Girls develop eating and self-image problems before drug or alcohol problems; there are drug and alcohol programs in almost every school, but no eating disorder programs." (fullandfabulous.org)

Children as young as 5 years old are saying that they are not happy with their body type. I blame the media and the parents for this disturbing news. How would a child of 5 years of age know if it was okay or not to be skinny or heavy if not for what they see and hear in the media? The parents are also to blame. A child does not need to be bombarded with these types of things; they should be engrossed in Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer. Parents need to monitor better what their children are seeing and hearing. These are impressionable little minds and bodies that we are molding.

While taking part in a focus group, a young girl, age 7, shared with the group that she wanted to kill herself because her hips were to big, her thighs rub together when she walked, and her cheeks were too round. My heart broke for this child. Her mother did not seem overly upset with this fact and stated that the both of them would just have to work harder to achieve their goals.

It is stories like these that have tragic endings. These children are learning to hate themselves because their bodies are not perfect. They are not "supermodel thin". Society encourages these children to strive for the perfect look, then when the eating disorder is brought into the light, society ridicules these victims for having no control.

I was one of the few who have faced this evil demon and have conquered it. In a nutshell, I was a chunky child. At age 12 I started taking diet supplements. Phen-phen was still very much legal and very much in the supplements. By age 15 I was hospitalized. I hated myself for eating and I hated myself for not eating. People stared at me when I went to the store or to a restaurant. I felt their pity and their fear. I felt sub-human. My family even was afraid of me. I am three-fourths Native American and this was something that just is not addressed in our heritage. "Among Native American populations, the scant available information suggests that aberrant eating patterns more often strike heavier individuals and that purging behaviors such as vomiting and laxative abuse are used to control weight. Research has also noted that younger women with higher levels of education, as well as those who have moved off reservations and are assimilating into western culture, are at increased risk." (pbs.org)

Once I was able to control my illness, I started having a lot of major health issues. I was later diagnosed with faulty valves in my heart. I will have to rely on medications for the rest of my life to keep my heart beating regularly. I can no longer do certain activities that I love.

Eating disorders are viewed as mental illness. As a whole, mental illness is still very much taboo. It is to not be discussed in social circles and only addressed behind closed doors and in institutions. Hollywood has glamorized eating disorders with movies on the subject, making martyrs of those who succumb to the illness and magically curing others. The heroine is cured then society embraces her and she lives happily ever after with no repercussions.

By keeping the truth of eating disorders from society, society is viewing it as something to fear and to shove those afflicted into institutions to fight for their lives by themselves. Society needs to be made aware of the causes, the treatment, and the fallout of eating disorders. Only then can society truly come together and help those who are seeking refuge and help. It is time that the American society rallies together and stands firm on what the ideal body is and find ways of giving our young people a sense of self outside of looks and body type. It is up to the average American to plan the attack on the fashion industry and Hollywood. I think that Madrid, Spain is onto something. Changing the look of the models will communicate to the public that it is not okay to be rail thin and starving for the sake of fashion and popularity.

Fitzgibbon, Marian and Stolley, Melinda. "Minority Women: The Untold Story" Retrieved 9/24/2007 from http://www.pbs.org

Kornblum, William and Julian, Joseph (2007). Social Problems Twelfth Edition. Pearson Education Inc, New Jersey.

Lacey, L.B. (9/24/2007). "What Size is the Average Woman?". Retrieved 9/24/2007 from http://www.fullandfabulous.org

Unknown Author (9/13/2006)."Skinny Models Banned". Retrieved 9/24/2007 from http://www.diet-blog.com