Eating Disorders Unit urges fashion bosses to ban 'clearly anorexic' girls
OCTOBER 11, 2006
Professor Janet Treasure, head of the eating disorders service and research unit has along with 40 doctors and health professional colleagues had an open letter to the British Fashion Council published in the Evening Standard this week highlighting the dangers of making skinny models into icons, given the increased prevalence of eating disorders now found in nearly 10 per cent of young women. The letter also makes the point that public interventions may be warranted. It cites the example of the Spanish health authorities who recently made the decision to ban extremely thin models from participating in this year's annual Cibeles Fashion Show, an important first step that other fashion industries could choose to adopt.