Ban underfed and underage models in fashion, MPs urged

Ban underfed and underage models in fashion, MPs urged 

 

Models have urged MPs to consider tougher rules for the fashion industry, describing catwalks full of models with advanced eating disorders, some surviving solely on popcorn.
Rosie Nelson, whose Change.org petition calling for new laws for health standards in the fashion industry has attracted more than 110,000 signatures, told the all-party parliamentary group on body image that she had constantly been urged to lose weight, with one agency saying she needed to be “down to the bone”.
“Friends at shows saw models who fainted and had to be dragged off the stage, quickly replaced by another girl,” the Australian-born model said. “At one stage, all I ate was fruit and vegetables, nothing else. One girl I knew only ate popcorn.”
The committee, which is chaired by the Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, is considering pressing for legislation. It heard from models and agencies for both traditional and plus-size models, as well as health experts and the models’ union, on whether Britain should follow countries such as France, Spain and Israel, which have rules to prevent models with eating disorders being used on catwalks and in fashion spreads.