Known as one of the world’s most prestigious and chic industries with its glossy covers and couture runways, the fashion industry certainly has a malignant side. Around 25 years ago, the world of modelling was subject to huge public concern as ‘size zero’ began to appear in newspaper headlines, with thousands of models committing to harmful eating disorders to reach this unattainable body ideal. However, while one could argue there is a progressive shift towards inclusivity over the past decade, do issues around model's sizing expectations still remain?
Indeed, only last weekend I experienced this disturbing return, walking for designers at London Fashion Week. Some of the models were discussing their constrictive eating habits, and how they maintain their body size prior to Fashion Week. I overheard one girl chatting about her reliance on gum as ‘it has no calories!’, the other replying how great it is as “it makes you feel as though you’ve eaten a full meal!” They had not eaten a full meal. It was distressing to hear and confirmed that starvation still stands. I too have been told to lose inches off my bust and waistline to book haute couture jobs and have had casting directors question my clothing size. This simply inspired me to write about the lack of progression behind the scenes as these suppressive standards are still being frequently imposed on young, many adolescent, models.
Kristie Clements reported her conversation with a model she was dressing, after noticing scars on her knees. “When I queried her about them, the model said, nonchalantly: "Oh yes. Because I'm always so hungry, I faint a lot." She thought it was normal to pass out every day. Sometimes more than once. Furthermore, Clements then describes how the only sentence one of her foreign models knew how to say in English was “No, no. It is my job not to eat.” This is the disturbing reality of the world these models are submerged in, dieting drastically to stay in the game. The ultimate vicious cycle that still continues today.
Fashion really seems to be turning its back on the curve models it began to invite onto its runways, reverting back to the 90s emaciation standards, reviving the unattainable body ideal. Glamour’s Fashion Editor Londiwe Ncube agrees: “The comeback of Y2K and 90s fashion has also brought back those outdated attitudes towards models. We often still associate super slim with luxury and until we shift those attitudes, it’s what a lot of people will aspire to.” Don’t we know better by now?
Some blame the fashion process, as designer clothes are fabricated around a skeleton. “We've had couture dresses arrive from Europe that are so minuscule they resemble christening robes!” says Clements. The sample clothes are so worryingly small that models are having to starve themselves to squeeze into them, as designers have no interest in seeing their clothes on normal sized women. For some bizarre reason, it seems they favour models to be youthful, 6ft tall and built like a prepubescent boy!
In Tilda Gladwell’s article ‘Not Much Has Changed’ I was introduced to some stats: 62% of those who enter the modelling industry are told to lose weight by their agency. On top of that, 81% of models have a body mass index that is medically characterised as ‘underweight.’ While these facts may not seem shocking based on industry standards, this article is from the 13th February 2024. In 2024, our inclusive, modern day in age, the vast majority of models are still underweight. The body diversity we started to introduce is fading into a singular skinny body type, that was once harmfully celebrated two decades ago.
This leaves me craving a fashion revolution, where designers finally break free from toxic traditions and accept women of a healthier weight to model their garments. However, sadly this remains an elusive goal as the industry has such a long way to go before it can be labelled as inclusive or realistic.
The hope is that in the future, the fashion industry can be an accepting and harmless industry, representing the real world in terms of size, one where young models don’t feel constantly pressured into disordered eating and self-hatred.