CELEBRITY STYLE SPY: See all the latest celeb photos

Plan dropped to ban size zero

By Lucy Hutchings on Wednesday 13 August 2008

Print
Share
Comment

Fashion model

Plans to ban size zero models on London's catwalk have been dropped, following a lack of support from the remaining fashion week cities.

An initiative was implemented which would see models having to gain doctor's certificates to confirm their health, before they could walk in fashion shows.

The plans received strong government backing from then culture secretary Tessa Jowell, who expressed praise and support for the initiative,

However, the scheme has been dropped following the refusal from New York, Paris and Milan to follow London's lead.

Representatives from the three cities claimed they feared models would boycott the shows if the health measures were enforced.

Steven Kolb, executive director of the New York council told The Times, 'We looked at things like doctor?s certification and body mass index and decided that, for us, it wasn?t the appropriate recommendation. We felt it was wrong to force a girl to have a physical examination, especially because the signs of a problem aren?t always obvious.'

There were already rumblings of discontent amongst the modelling industry, which were exasperated by the announcement that models would have to pay between £250-£500 annually for the certificate.

The Times reports that Hilary Riva, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, will confirm that the scheme has been dropped today.

Wednesday 13 August 2008

Have your say ...

Add your own comment

Well they'll all be dead, deformed or sterile by the time they're 40 so lets leave them to it. We have both ends of the size scale here in the UK the super obese and the super thin and no one is going to change attitudes while the power of advertising rules. EAT LOTS OF RUBBISH MCKINGBURGERS BUT ALSO STARVE SO YOU FIT THIS DRESS AND LOOK LIKE VBECKHAM. I say let those that are mindless sheep eat cake then throw up. I'm not going to fall for the fashionista poliza telling me that I can only be beautiful if I'm size zero.
Comment by SAM on August 13 18:22