Five Models Banned in Madrid - Calls for London to Follow Suit

Angelschlesser1

Well, looks like organisers of Madrid's Pasarela Cibeles fashion week were as good as their word on the "skinny models" issue. Five of the 68 models who turned up on Saturday morning to be "appraised" by the show's medical examiners were deemed too thin to take part, and subsequently sent home.

The models banned from the event were all over 5'7" tall and weighed less than 121.25 pounds. "Clearly we don't want walking skeletons," said show organizer, Cuca Solana. Meanwhile, in London, Cabinet Minister Tessa Jowell called for London Fashion Week to follow Spain's lead. The British Fashion Council said in a statement that they will not "interfere in the aesthetic of any designer's show," but did cancel a photo call planned for Sunday to avoid adding to the publicity surrounding the issue.

Five Models Banned in Madrid - Calls for London to Follow Suit - Comments

Frapp

Banned? I thought these models were just going to be turned away? I really like the idea of turning away too-skinny models but I think it's quite drastic to ban them completely. After all, for some of these girls it could be their only livelihood and they might not be able to fly to other countries for work.

Emma

This is a good idea in theory, but what about models who are naturally thin and tall? I'm not a model, but I'm 5'8 and weigh 116 pounds, and I most definitley do not have an eating disorder. That would mean that if I was a model and turned up for Madrid fashion week, I would have been sent home. I can't help how much I weigh, I just have a fast metabolism - should models in the same situation be punished because of the few models who take dieting to the extreme?