Supermodel Gisele talks about how the fashion industry affects the rise in the incidence of anorexia.
With all of the recent controversy in the fashion industry concerning the banning of underweight models, celebrity Gisele Bundchen speaks out.
This past year has seen Spain, Italy and London create a minimum BMI requirement for models, as well as an age minimum of 16 years. The United States has followed suit, somewhat reluctantly, by producing a set of guidelines that encourages designers to report girls who are suffering from an eating disorder.
But supermodel Gisele has had it with the debate and the blame put on the fashion industry and models for the rise in the rates of anorexia and bulimia.
"I never suffered from this problem [an eating disorder] because I had a very strong family base. Parents are responsible, not the fashion industry," she was quoted as telling O Globo magazine.
The recent deaths of her fellow Brazilian model, Ana Carolina Reston, as well as Uruguayan model Luisel Ramos, were cited due to complications from anorexia. But Gisele defends the industry that pays her as nothing more than a career reality.
"Everybody knows that the norm in fashion is thin," she stated, "But excuse me, there are people born with the right genes for this profession."
And so the debate continues. How much of an impact do you think super skinny models have on the rise of eating disorders?
This article first appeared on www.Suite101.com
Author's Bio
Ms. Henry is a freelance Writer and Actress residing in Vancouver, Canada. She was the Editor of Beauty: You Define It magazine and has worked intensively with local youth around issues such as body image, eating disorders and dieting.
She has published a book of poetry titled, Silent Screams (Trafford Publishing, 2002), which was written when she was a teenager. The second printing was released in 2007.
Along with writing, Lori sat on the Advisory Committee of Jessie's Hope Society (formerly ANAD) and is a Director of the You Are Not Alone Eating Disorder Society and Shelley's Angels Society.
Visit her website for more information.
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