Do thin people need protected class status?
The government of Madrid has imposed a rule that thin models cannot participate in the Madrid fashion week. The rule is based on Body Mass Index (BMI). Models with a BMI of less than 18 are too skinny for the show and cannot work. According to the article, 30% of the models were turned away. The goal of the rule is too discourage the "waif-like or heroin chic look" and to promote "an image of beauty and health."
A worthy goal, but setting an arbitrary cutoff that doesn't take into account a person's natural physique, and setting a cutoff of 18 which is considered a healthy BMI, is excessive. If they had set the cutoff at a BMI rate that was considered unhealthy or dangerous, they probably would have gotten little argument.
"I think its outrageous, I understand they want to set this tone of healthy beautiful women, but what about discrimination against the model and what about the freedom of the designer," said Gould, Elite's North America director, adding that the move could harm careers of naturally "gazelle-like" models.
According to the article, supermodels Esther Canadas and Kate Moss would both be barred from Madrid based on the ruling.
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