Quebec takes on thin model issue

The issue of skinny models has been quieter this show season, as fashion weeks across the globe in places like Milan, New York, and Paris have come and gone without much mention of models’ weight. (If anything, there was talk of models looking curvier during New York Fashion Week.) But as Montreal Fashion Week kicks off, Christine St-Pierre, the Quebec Minister of culture, communication, and the status of women, announced that a committee will be formed to “address the problem of ultra-thin models.” I’d like to share some of my thoughts on this recent development.

From the various articles I read, it sounds like the Minister is looking to involve the fashion industry in this project by having representatives participate in a committee. She isn’t looking to implement a law, but rather, is aiming to encourage the fashion industry to educate and inform young women.

I agree that a committee is a good idea. The first step in deciding whether there is an issue, and if there is how it should be handled, is to have good communication and discussion. What actions, exactly, such a committee would take (other than to encourage the fashion industry in a certain direction) is not yet decided, so I cannot comment further on that.

But, what I do like about St-Pierre is that, according to the news articles, she recognizes that this is a complicated and delicate issue, that eating disorders are psychological problems, and that the fashion industry has the ability to make an impression on young girls (and therefore messages about health and beauty from them carry more weight than coming from a government official). Also, there was mention that she would involve former models in these talks. (Though, I have to say, it is important to have both former and current models involved as the opinions of each could differ widely when it comes to the health of models and pressures to be thin.)

As is often the case with articles about the thin model issue, there is confusion of whether the issue is about the health of models, the health of other young women, or both. I’ll give St-Pierre the benefit of the doubt and assume she is forming this committee to help ensure both groups of women are healthy.

Of course, there is still the problem of whether models truly are or are not healthy, and whether there is a clear causal connection between thin models and eating disorders in the population. There is evidence that goes both ways. St-Pierre has opted to take action on the skinny model issue, and given her role in government, it is fair that she would get involved.

Her efforts are much more reasonable than talks last year leading up to Montreal Fashion Week that said that models who looked too thin, or had low body weights, would be removed from shows because their weight could indicate they had an eating disorder. The concept of the industry shifting to using slightly curvier models is one thing, but I take issue with the idea of simply looking at a model to determine whether she is healthy or not. Just because a person is thin does not mean that they have an eating disorder.

Good articles on the development of this issue in Quebec here and here.

As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m working on an in-depth article and timeline about the “skinny model debate” that I look forward to sharing here on Belle IQ in the next little while. In the meantime, I’ll keep you in the loop regarding how this issue continues to unfold.