Efforts to draw up a French fashion industry charter to keep ultra thin models off catwalks, magazines and advertising posters have made no progress since May, when France elected a new government, industry sources said Friday.
As world capital of fashion, leaders of both France's powerful couture world and the ready-to-wear industry had joined a working-group set up by the Health Ministry in January amid mounting world concern over the link between anorexia and showcasing skinny models.But talks to fine-tune an ethics "charter on body image" drafted in May have been suspended, with no date set for a new meeting and no deadline set for the charter, said Sylvie Zawadzki, of the French Couture Federation.
The next round of Paris ready-to-wear shows takes place in September.
Like the British Fashion Council (BFC), which runs British Fashion Week, the French favour raising awareness about the risks of eating disorders and promoting a healthy body image, rather than setting rules about body mass index (BMI).
Concern over teenage anorexia and over-thin models mounted following the deaths of two South American models last year.
In France, agencies require a government-registered licence and must request special authorisation for models aged under 16, who undergo regular medical check-ups.
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In Rome this week, 15 models were kicked out of a fashion show for being too thin -- under French size 36, or US size eight.
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They also demanded a study investigating how common eating disorders are among models and urged chaperoning for 17- and 18-year-olds at catwalk shows.
Source-AFP
SRM/M