Natalia Vodianova speaks about eating disorders…
Supermodel Natalia Vodianova spoke about the role fashion plays in eating disorders at the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) health initiative panel discussion during Fashion Week in New York City.
She spoke first, before any of the panelists, and offered more insight into the problem than any of them could.
“Oscar Wilde once said that to love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance,” she said. “But I hope you would agree with me that no relationship comes that easy.
“Perhaps the trickiest and most complex relationship is the one between you and yourself, your body and your mind. Sometimes it’s even possible to be crueler to yourself than you would be to your worst enemy.”
Natalia had gone through a time when she was cruel to herself. She explained that she came from a poor background and grew up thinking of food as what you eat to stay alive. She had no concern about her weight until she became a model in Paris in 2000.
She said the pressure of being ultra-thin, keeping a very busy schedule and modeling for runway shows resulted in a weight of 106 pounds, hair loss and being very nervous and overly sensitive all the time.
She spoke with an accent and was quite eloquent. You could tell that she spoke from the heart. She held the attention of the audience of nearly 200 people from the moment she stood up.As mentioned last week on the WichiTalk blog, CFDA members hope to raise awareness and educate models, their agents, designers and others in the fashion industry about eating disorders.
A committee including a nutritionist, a physician, those in the modeling industry and others developed these recommendations, among others:
• Models identified as having an eating disorder should be required to seek professional help in order to continue modeling.
• Support the well-being of younger individuals by not hiring models under the age of 16 for runway shows, not allowing models under the age of 18 to work past midnight at fittings or shoots, and providing regular breaks and rest.
• Supply healthy meals, snacks and water backstage and at shoots and provide nutrition and fitness education.
• Raise awareness of the impact of smoking and tobacco-related disease among women, ensuring a smoke-free environment, and address underage drinking by prohibiting alcohol.
While all this seems to be a step in the right direction, it was clear the CFDA’s goal is to raise awareness and educate, not police or enforce the guidelines.
In Wichita, I know the people who own and work at the agencies. They’re very aware of a model’s weight. Unhealthy habits and eating disorders are never ignored. Thankfully, the models I’ve worked with on the fashion shoots for The Eagle and for fashion shows know their health comes first.
Add comment February 11th, 2007