size zero

Fashion models and stylish celebrities have become well known for bad girl, diva behaviour while their dress sizes are always being criticized, and many celebrities now are apart of the size zero revolution. Their dramatically low weight sparked the size-zero debate. The use of size 0 in advertisements and products of the clothing industry has been met with some media attention. For example, Louise Redknapp dieted to fit into a size zero dress to explore the effects for a documentary television program. The World Health Organization, doctors and women's groups are concerned that the use of underweight models sends out dangerously wrong signals to girls who look at models as role models. In July 2009, Katie Green won a competition to represent Wonderbra. They referred her to the Premier Model Management agency for representation. Green reported that "one of the guys from the PR agency from Wonderbra" insisted that she lose weight, that it wasn't normal for models to be a size 8.... Unless I could drop down to that weight, they wouldn't be willing to get me more work." Green, who is 5 ft. 11 in tall and in May 2011 weighed 145 lb., at first complied, but then rebelled, and quit the agency. She then, with Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Öpik, launched a campaign titled "Say No to Size Zero". They began a petition drive with the goal to put an end to size zero and underweight models on the catwalk or working in the fashion industry. They set a goal to obtain 20,000 signatures and plan to present it to the UK Prime Minister and Parliament. They are campaigning for legislation that would require regular health checkups for all models before undertaking any assignments.
In September 2010, Victoria Beckham banned size zero models from her New York Fashion Week runway show. Herself a size two (UK size 6) at 36 years old, she reportedly barred 12 models from appearing in her show after deeming them ‘too skinny’. Her fashions will be modeled by "healthy girls who look ‘realistic’ to encourage a positive image to impressionable teens." Size zero models were barred from Madrid Fashion Week in 2006, and the Milan fashion show took the same action shortly afterward, banning models with a body mass index (BMI) of 18 or below. As a result, five models were banned from taking part. Fashion labels Prada, Versace and Armani have agreed to ban size zero models from their catwalks. As of 2007, the British Fashion Council promoted the creation of a task force to invent guidelines for the fashion industry. They also urged fashion designers to use healthy models. An inquiry reported in September 2007 that up to 40 per cent of models could have an eating disorder and made a number of suggestions to promote health, yet ruled out a ban on size-zero models. Larger sizes 14 and 16 - would also be introduced into shows and all models under 16 would also be banned. Fashion designer Giorgio Armani has given support to the effort to eliminate ultra-thin models. "The time has now come for clarity. We all need to work together against anorexia." Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston died at the age of 21 due to anorexia. She arrived for her first foreign fashion shoot, the 8st model was warned she was too fat. Two years later, and two stone lighter, she died from complications arising from anorexia. This was a waste of a woman whose childhood dreams of being a cover girl came true - but for all the wrong reasons. The British Fashion council claimed there were too many skeletons on the runways and were urging Italian designers to cast healthy looking models for their shows. Staggering 6 out of 10 women think size zero is attractive and nearly all consider size 12 to be fat. Size zero celebrities such as Nicole Richie are said to be putting their health at risk with their drastic weight loss, but the majority of British women find the look desirable, according a poll for New Woman magazine. The same figure would rather have friends who are fatter than them, and 76% admit they are jealous of slimmer friends. Half of the women surveyed said they had gone without food all day before a big night out in order to fit into a dress. The pressure to be slim comes from other women and 6 out of 10 woman said friends had criticised their body shape and 4 out of 10 said their mothers had urged them to lose weight and another 1 in 5 said they can't sit at their office desk without their work colleagues suggesting they slim down. 4 out of 5 said they would be much happier if they lost weight and one-third said they had tried dieting by eating less than 500 calories a day. A lot of woman will go to extreme lengths in order to lose weight.