The Zero Debate

Fashion Week shifted to Milan on Feb. 17, so did the spotlight on the size of runway models. On Feb. 14, the 18-year-old model Eliana Ramos died of a heart attack, possibly related to malnutrition. The publicity of unhealthy models has increased with the recent deaths due to unhealthy lifestyles, such as anorexia. In November, Ana Carolina Reston, a Brazilian model with a diet of apples and tomatoes, died weighing 88 pounds. At this year's shows, fashion models can be found defending their natural figures during backstage interviews and are often shown eating in photos in publications such as The New York Times.

Some critics believe that the U.S. fashion industry and organizations such as the Council of Fashion Designers of America should set limits on the body mass index ratio, calculated by dividing weight by height, of models in fashion week shows. The fashion establishment of Madrid was the first to place a BMI minimum of 18 for catwalk models. Milan responded with a BMI minimum of 18.5, the low end of a "normal range" for an individual. While fashion industry leaders agree that some of the girls have problems, one fact is clear: models are expected to be thin. Clothes do, and always will, look better presented on thin frames.

But critics claim the size of models has declined over the past three decades, from a size 6, to a size 4 and the current size 0. In a similair fashion to the unconventional Heart Truth show in New York, Elena Miro, a designer for the "real woman" sized 6 to 22, kicked off Milan Fashion Week. While the show garnered positive publicity for Milan, the issue of thin models is still lingering in the air. The fashion industry, especially in the U.S., can not ignore the highly publicized issue. Public relations practitioners need to consult with fashion clients to integrate social responsibility with new industry standards.