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Models "too thin," say 4 in 5 consumers
2007-02-01
Female fashion models and many celebrities are "too thin," say four in every five consumers from around the world, a new online survey showed on Thursday. A week before the start of the annual fashion season, trend tracker The Nielsen Company revealed what 25,000 people in 45 countries said about the body size of women strutting the world's catwalks and red carpets. "An overwhelming 81 percent of online consumers agree that female fashion models and celebrities are too thin," ACNielsen Europe's President Patrick Dodd said in a news release. The findings follow a worldwide outcry over the fashion industry's promotion of the stick-thin images which critics say contribute to eating disorders in young women. As a result of the death of two Latin American models, czars from the powerful fashion capitals of New York, London, Milan and Paris pledged last week to address the controversial issue of bringing more weight to the catwalks. Nielsen found Latin American consumers were strongly against super-skinny models, with 91 percent of Argentinians and 89 percent of Brazilians supporting the notion that fashion models are too thin. The online survey also found a link between perceptions of thinness among women and a country's quality of life. Norway, New Zealand, Switzerland and Australia were the fiercest critics of the fashion industry with as many as 94 percent of those polled believing models are too thin. Those countries also consistently top global rankings for having the best quality of life. Australia and New Zealand also boast top models Elle Macpherson and Rachel Hunter who are famous for their healthy physiques. "These countries believe in the healthy concept of beauty and culturally also reject the super-skinny model type that follows fashion trends," Dodd said. The annual women's wear fashion season kicks off next week in New York, followed by London, Milan and Paris and the shows are expected to be dogged by the ultra-thin model debate. As many as 89 percent of U.S., British and French consumers were against ultra-thin models, the survey showed. That concern was least shared in Asia, where fewest people -- though still a majority -- objected to the images portrayed by the fashion and celebrity industry. Just 59 percent of Vietnamese consumers thought models were too thin, followed by 64 percent of Indians and 63 percent of Japanese.
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