Comments on: Fashion week backs down. Models can still be walking skeletons but at least they’ll be over 16.

By: Peta

Peta — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 01:38:03 +0000

I think this is a really important issue for all of us and a chance for us as consumers to get our message through to designers that it would be really nice if they stopped designing clothes for a very small population of women who are tall and straight up and down. They do it for asthetics, PR and more importantly its cheaper to make. I’m starting up my own custom made clothing line, because I’m sick of all this crap and I’m sick of the way it makes my beautifull friends feel because nothing suits them.

By: Den

Den — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:28:59 +0000

Hi Mia, I have said this before and I will say it again, I DO NOT want my fashions paraded on a super skinny pre-pubescent, under developed tweens!! How on earth do they think it looks good? It is disturbing, and unattractive. Real stylish looks must be modelled by real women. Bring back the hour glass!! When are these fashion insiders going to get it?
It is time us Aussie Women stood up and told the rest of the world that we are no longer going to support the exploitation of these young girls. We are strong, healthy, intelligent women and we want similar women to be the ones modelling our fashions. Let’s ban super skinny underage girls on the catwalk and in mags, and I am sure the rest of the world will follow suit.

By: lexi

lexi — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:16:51 +0000

I admire you Mia for not being afraid to have a voice. And it’s a sane voice that’s like a breath fresh of air in such a crazy industry that gets caught up in the hype and seems to constantly forget reality (or not really give a rats about it). Thank you!

By: Dreamqueen

Dreamqueen — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:22:27 +0000

I agree with everyone’s comments … there’s absolutely no reason why we can’t have shapelier girls inside magazines, it’s really hard to see if an outfit is going to suit you when it’s on a beanpole. And it was great Mia that you started that trend, it’s a pity it wasn’t taken up by more mags … I know we like to see beautiful girls in the mags but not beanpoles. There’s a section in Shop til you Drop where they have everyday girls showing how to wear different outfits than they normally would, yes they are all pretty slim, but they are still ‘normal’ size and it’s nice to see how clothes fit, you can then assess if it’s a design you could even begin to think about trying on. Being curvy, I find it very difficult to purchase clothes in Australia (I love shopping in the US and I do every year because they cater for more variety of sizes, but we don’t have the luxury of the population to be able to do that here).
But what I was thinking about the age of models, don’t we have, in Australia at least, a legal age that children can actually be working from? Isn’t it 15 and 9 months or something? If this is true, then why doesn’t it apply to the modelling/fashion industry? Wouldn’t it be constituted as child slave labour? I could be completely off the mark, I don’t have kids.
That’s the other issue within the fashion/modelling industry, they don’t appear to have to adhere to other strict workplace OH&S policies that organisations around the world have to. I had this same discussion with Zoe Edquist when she was advocating for tougher guidelines within the industry. They did make some positive progress which was good. But at the end of the day, why should a 14 year old be representing an adult program (can’t think of the right word, too early)?
Sorry, it’s a long post !

By: Emma

Emma — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:01:44 +0000

Since I sorta grew out of Cosmo I have been really liking Marie Claire and I thought it had integrity too. But, Mia makes a really good point here. And she would know!
I mean, I didn’t even have the body of these 14 year olds when I was 14! So why would that appeal to me now at 23?
I understand that they have to put celebrities on the cover to sell the mag but I wish that what was inside the mag was more realistic than the glossy cover.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:36:50 +0000

Marie Claire at least has some integrity and I have never seen a super skinny model in there and I buy most issues. Kirstie Clements was in all the papers today going on about the model- vogue has to be the absolute worst the models are always super scary thin. Vogue USA is even worse!!