Controversy: Thin Models Banned From Runway Shows In Spain

Spain has decided to ban extremely thin models from their runway shows. I agree with that decision for many reasons.

As a society, we have decided that thin equals beauty. Instead of looking beyond the physical, we have placed enormous emphasis on that very thing. If a woman weighs five pounds more than what is deemed her appropriate weight, she's considered to be too fat. If a woman weighs a bit more than that, she's considered obese.

If the fashion industry doesn't want to acknowledge that fashion and models have a direct impact on how a woman or young girl views themselves, they're wrong. Let's face it, a lot of young girls want to look like models. They want to be thin because society teaches them that thin equals beauty. Society teaches them that if they're thin, they'll be accepted. But if they're not, they'll be shunned and ridiculed. I'm not saying that the fashion and modeling industry is responsible for eating disorders because I don't think they are. What I am saying though is, they're not doing enough to be accepting of people who don't look like skeletons. The average woman is not stick thin. Yet, the fashion industry designs clothes with a stick thin woman in mind. There's nothing wrong with having "plus" size models in a fashion show, alongside the thinner models. However, I don't think that you're going to see that anytime soon.

As I said before, I think Spain was right in banning extremely thin models. If they're that thin, they shouldn't be on a runway. They should be in a hospital with an IV attached to their arms. It's only a matter of time before a model drops dead on the catwalk because she's starved herself one too many times. Who's going to take responsibility then?