The Great Weight Debate
Mar 23, 2010 at 10:00AM
Last night was the Harris Center for Education and Advocacy in Eating Disorders at MGH's Annual Public Forum. This year, the forum was in conjunction with the CFDA's Health Matters initiative at Harvard Business School. All so fancy, yes? It was a bit refreshing to be in an audience with a majority of health professionals versus fashion folk in regards to such an important topic, not to say Boston's fashion crowd wasn't there to represent (Jay Calderin, Michael de Paulo, Sam Mendoza, Marilyn Riseman, Tina Sutton and a handful of our friendly local bloggers were on hand).
The focus of the evening's discussion was weight and wellness in the world of fashion. There was a short "film" shown, basically featuring models eating backstage at panelist Michael Kors' most recent show and statements made by models like Doutzen Kroes and Coco Rocha about their consequences within the industry for taking a stand for healthy living. The video suggests that concern for eating disorders in the fashion industry took a turn for the worst in 2006 when Brazilian model Anna Carolina Reston died from complications of a severe eating disorder, weighing only 88 lbs (she was 5'8") at the age of 21. Just let that sink in for a second...
Hear what panelists Anna Wintour, Michael Kors and Natalia Vodianova have to say on the subject of eating disorders in fashion and more after the jump.
Dr David Herzog, director of the Harris Center, introduced Anna Wintour by saying she "is not unlike what you'd expect", which received quite a laugh. Don't worry, Anna had a zinger for the doctor when she got up to the podium. She discussed how there was no public dialogue about eating disorders in the fashion industry until the CFDA Health Initiative and how "we want healthy looking girls". She wants to "end the tyranny of the sample size", noting that there has been a downward shift in sizing and models over the past decade. Towards the end of the evening, Michael Kors made a compelling explanation to why sample sizes are so miniscule - "Influential designers wanted something blank, no personality, because it's all about the clothes" which then caught on throughout the industry. Wintour was also able to make some great plugs for Vogue's 9th annual Shape Issue with "touching" stories of Dutch model Kim Noorda's struggle with her eating disorder and plus-size model (and Harvard grad) Kate Dillon's story of being, well, a plus-size model. Very timely that the Shape Issue is out today. Overall, she very broadly touched on the topic while not placing blame on anyone in particular and promoting the hell out of the Shape Issue.
Next up was Michael Kors, who's like your favorite tan, gay uncle played by Will Ferrell (think Mugatu without all the evilness). He was charming and wasn't wearing any socks (I also heard a rumor that he was to dine at Mistral afterward). Kors got a huge applause when he said, "Whether it's subconscious or conscious, the fashion industry is recognizing different bodies and adults". Emphasis on adults. Kors detracted a bit from the weight convo and flipped it into a discussion about age in fashion. He thinks that models should be allowed to grow up a bit, to not be discarded by the age of 20. Kors then publicly vowed that he would NOT book a girl under the age of 16 for his next show. His take on the whole eating disorder topic is that girls, by nature, are hyper-competitive and will always draw comparisons, which leads to neurosis, which leads to eating disorders. Eating disorders are an outward affect of insecurities. Can you get more insecure than being a 15 year-old girl? Not from my life experience (I was a headcase, but I didn't have an eating disorder)! He thinks it "takes a village" and that "we are all responsible" for watching out for the signs of eating disorders. Kors gave my favorite quote of the night, "Clothes are meant to make you feel like the very best version of yourself, models included." Food for thought.
Model Natalia Vodianova is just too adorable. Perhaps it was the amount of thought she put into her responses or maybe it was just her patent leather oxford flats. She made the most valid point of the evening - recognizing the disease is the first step. Of all the panelists, she spoke the most freely and really touched home about what drives girls to anorexia and bulimia. She realized that after she was pregnant (no specifics - Natalia is the mother of 3!) and had lost a lot a weight, that she, too, was battling an eating disorder, or as she put it, "the little gremlin in my head". Anna listened intently. Natalia goes on to say that these girls' senses of self worth is left in the hands of people who aren't paid enough to care about their feelings. She believes models need to be mature enough, but they also need information about eating disorders, someone to talk to, that support and boundaries need to be provided. By far, Natalia's remarks were the most honest and heartfelt of the panel.
The panel's resolutions and solutions for the time being include speaking out more because change will follow (Wintour), don't buy into images you don't agree with (Kors), provide more information and support for models about eating disorders (Vodianova), look at the problem more carefully (Wintour), don't book girls who are too thin and report them to their agencies (Kors) and realize that being a tall and beautiful supermodel is not as simple as it looks, that we all have a price to pay for our success (Vodianova).
I was not surprised by the remarks and reactions of the panel at all. It was all quite by-the-book and well prepared. Eating disorders are a serious issue and I feel that the topic was a bit danced around. Dare I say, I wanna call bullshit on the vagueness and redirection the conversation took at times. Kors even said that he felt that initial CFDA Health Initiative panels held in 2007 were pretty passive aggressive about addressing the problem. It's unfortunate that it's more than the clothes that have become disposable in the fashion industry and that people's lives are at risk.
I have seen many friends, both casual and close, struggle with body image and eating disorders over the years. While the topic of age and how young is too young plays into eating disorders within the fashion industry, let's take a look at how working in other facets of such a superficial industry takes a toll on women and men (!) who are in their 20's, 30's, 40's and beyond. I understand that the pressure of being thin is dangerous on the psyche of a teenage girl, but it is a problem that goes far beyond models and can affect anyone at any point in their lives, or even worse, can stick with a person for their entire life. It's a truly heartbreaking thing to watch, whether it's a model who doesn't eat on shoots or a friend who only thinks he/she is of value only because they're thin. If you know someone in your life who you think is battling with an eating disorder, please use resources like the Harris Center and try to talk to and support your friend/family member/co-worker. It's not an easy conversation, but treatment and on-going support are the only way to possibly save their lives.
Reader Comments (5)
Incredible write up! Wish I had been able to attend.
Kors's statement that he will no longer accept models under 16 is a nice start, but it's not enough. Wintour in particular, though she is obviously a very accomplished woman, is so painfully thin that her mere presence negates much of what she says about supposedly healthy eating/living.