The first entity not related to the fashion industry has decided to eliminate models who are too thin from its advertising.
Unilever NV/Plc is a consumer products group (think Skippy peanut butter and Lipton tea). Home and personal care division president Ralph Kugler said, "Unilever has adopted a new global guideline that will require that all its future marketing communications should not use models or actors that are either excessively slim or promote 'unhealthy' slimness."
This decision comes as controversy continues over eating disorders in the modeling industry. A number of global fashion shows have wrestled with the issue of models' health over the last several months in response to well-publicized deaths related to eating disorders.
Models Deemed Too Large Excluded, Too
However, Unilever is not simply banning models who are too thin. They also will not be employing models who are too large. Unilever will require each model and actor to have a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 25.
This brings the issue into a different light. Being excessively overweight is a health risk, and being excessively underweight is a health risk. Unilever seeks to promote health in the appearance of models, and the choice to avoid using larger models is clearly an effort to take a balanced view. But it does raise the question of how one decides what "healthy" really is.
If the goal were simply to employ healthy models, a BMI rating would not be enough to judge. Thorough physical and psychological testing would be necessary to determine whether a model carries her or his weight in a healthy manner or not (whether thin, heavy, or neither). But those who are viewing the advertising will only see a model's physical appearance, so this is likely not of great importance to Unilever or to anyone else considering restrictions.
Some Unhealthy Models Will Not Be Screened Out
Models with anorexia nervosa will be detected; they will eventually have body mass indices that are too low. But this does not always apply to those with bulimia nervosa. Binging and purging can occur for years, doing severe physical and psychological damage, without a major change in the ratio of height to body weight (the components of BMI).
Adding to the Problem?
So, Unilever's actions are baby steps, but even these steps emphasize appearance. And emphasis on appearance is the very dynamic that fuels eating disorders in the first place. We have a long way to go before sanity returns to media and fashion in appearance-dominated cultures.
Source:
Reuters, Inc. Skinny types need not apply for Unilever ads. reuters.com. Accessed 28 January 2008.
