Opposition parties call for skinny model ban

Opposition parties in Denmark have called for regulations preventing underage and underweight models treading the catwalk in the wake of Copenhagen Fashion Week. The move came as public broadcaster DR aired a documentary about the fashion industry on Thursday 3rd February in which several models told how they were forced to starve themselves.

Ozlem Cekic, MP for the Socialist People’s Party, said, “We’re seeing some very serious cases of young girls starving themselves so much that they will be unable to have kids when they grow up.” The party also pledged that it would take steps to end the trend of stick-thin models if they came to power.

“We’ve lost our patience with the modelling industry,” said party health spokesperson, MP Sofie Haestorp Andersen. “We can’t continue to watch these poor girls gambling with their health.”

Right wing movement the Danish People’s Party said it would also be prepared to legislate on the issue. “We propose that people who want to do modelling should provide a health certificate,” said party spokesperson Liselot Blixt in a report by YLE. “Then a doctor can check, for instance, whether you’re suffering from an eating disorder.”

Major fashion cities, such as London, Madrid and Milan, have already implemented rules dictating how young and thin models can be.

Copenhagen fashion week ran from 2 to 6 February.

Comments are closed.