Designer: Stop Passing Buck On Thin Models

Bradley Bayou Says Vogue Editor, Others, Need To Join Together To End Notion That Thin Is In

(CBS)  A top designer is challenging an industry powerhouse and others to stop passing the buck on, and join forces against, the prevalence of super-thin models on runways.

That prevalence is blamed by many experts for starting and perpetuating the concept that the skinnier a young girl or woman is, the more attractive she is.

In what many observers see as a surprising move, Vogue's editor in chief, Anna Wintour, writes in the magazine's April issue about the models at New York's recent fall fashion shows that, "Overall, they were pale and thin and entirely lacking in the joyfulness and charm that once defined the supermodels. This is, of course, not their fault: Designers now near-uniformly favor a non-vivacious, homogenous ideal."

But on The Early Show Thursday, "designer to the stars" and author of "The Science of Sexy," Bradley Bayou, whose daughter is battling the eating disorder bulemia, said the statement caught him by surprise "because the editors of the magazines are partly to blame. I think what she's doing is shifting the blame to the designers. ... She's in the business. She knows what the designers are doing. It's not like, 'Oh, gee, what a surprise, the models are skinny.' That's kind of surprising to me."

So, Bayou issued a challenge to Wintour to "quit passing the blame. If everybody takes responsibility and everybody works together, we can change it. In other words, the designers and the editors and the modeling agents and the models' parents and everybody gets together and decides, 'This is not a healthy thing. We must change it.' Then, hopefully, we can."

Bayou noted to co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez that Wintour "is the final word in our business. She has a lot of power. That's why it's surprising, because I think a lot of this came out of Anna Wintour and all the other fashion editors to make this skinny look and sort of keep the heroin-chic look alive, and it's even gotten worse.

"So, I think that she's to blame. Quit passing the blame. This whole thing has become a blame-game, so nothing gets done.

"At least she's taking a stand, and I'm happy. Let's hope she really sticks to it and let's hope she supports the designers if they do the same thing."

Being sexy, says Bayou, "has nothing to do with being emaciated. Sexy has to do with balancing your body. It's all in my book, how to balance your body to look sexier. That's really what it's about.

"The average size of a woman in this country is size 14, she's 5'5" and weighs about 160 pounds."

But, he says, the average size of the models on catwalks is "two/zero. If you think about it, it's 80 percent less than the average in this country. They're that much skinnier. That's a lot. I mean, that really does not represent this country at all. So it will change."

Bayou recently spoke about thin models at a panel co-sponsored by Harvard Medical School.

"I want healthier models on the runway, really, and that's really what it's about. And I think that the opportunity to speak at Harvard allowed me to talk about my own industry and my own organization, the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), and the lack of attention we're really giving this issue, which is incredibly serious. Obviously it's had an effect on me, and an effect on millions and millions, at least eight-to-ten-million women in this country with eating disorders. That's a lot of people."

[linfinster]

The bottom line is money! The fashion industry wants as much as they can get. For example, how much more fabric is used in the difference between a size 2 and a size 14 (or larger.) that will cut into their profits. , thread? 5 or 10 cent loss per garment? NO they wont jump on the bandwagon. What a shameful industry. Not forgetting the sweat shops of the world.

[keithle1]

Looks like the new Governor of New York.

Black & Latina women don''t obsess about being thin. Neither do poor working class white women.

What man wants to sleep with a broomstick that has no derriere & no breasts?

[renwoman1]

I object to the idea that everyone who is obese overeats. I KNOW I do not overeat yet I am obese. My problem is just the opposite - I do not eat enough as determined by my doctor. He also said I have other factors at work and, chances are, I will never be thin. (I am on medication for those factors.) Quite frankly, everytime I hear that everyone has to be thin, I want to scream. Not everyone is meant to be thin. God made many different types of people in this world and I''m one of them. If you cannot accept me as I am, then that is your problem. I refuse to make it mine.

As for all of this talk about everyone having to be thin, it feels like a witch hunt. "Let''s pick on everyone who does not conform to our standards." That is the general mentality of just about everyone who is "thin" out there. We''re coming down to the "have vs. have-nots" and the "thin vs. obese" in our society.

It''s time this ended. It''s time to stop making judgements based on popularity. It''s time to accept people for whom they are and what they are.

[lisagia71]

The models on the runways now are boring and cookie cutter. The only exception are the super *** glamazons we see in Victoria''s Secret many plucked from the beaches of Brazil and Australia and California. Isn''t it interesting how we know who Giselle, Heidi Klume, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, are but ask someone to name one of the super skinny runway models and they can''t. Obviously men and women prefer the more cuvacious bombshell type of models who are akin to the supermodels of the late 80''s / early 90''s.

I''m five foot three, 112 pounds and I teeter between a size 0 and 2 sometimes 4 depending on where I''m shopping. I consider myself healthy for my frame. I have thighs and a butt and when you hug me you feel a person and not a skeleton. I could not imagine myself the same weight with an additional 7 inches on me making me the model ideal of five foot ten. My butt would go away as would my pleasant mood. I''m 37 years old and can stil rock a bikini as I enjoy a slice of pizza at the beach. That to me is living!!

[angelmarlane]

I believe it is about time to satisfy the broad general public with more designs for the "Norm". I still wish I could be skinny and look like a model in at the age of 65. It will never happen. My normal weight keeps coming back. I am not obese but am naturally a larger individual. I want to associate with clothing for folks like myself and I want to look wonderful for ME. I am hopeing the consciousness changes and designers will be ecstatic to design for Normal Body Types.

Thank you,
Marlane

[wl7bzh]

"eight-to-ten million in this country with eating disorders" ?

Uh, does that estimate include the number of women(and not to mention men) that are morbidly obese?

Yea, you don''t the women to look too "skinny" but, you also don''t men walking around looking as if their water is about to break.

How bout a little balance here by focusing on diet and exercise. Anorexia and metabolic syndrome-two extremes.