Vogue bans skinny skinny models. About damn time.

Female standards of beauty are always changing, and women have been trying to keep up with these silly conventions since the pharaohs. During the old Greek days, the curvier physique was what ladies strove for, while today women have to be Popsicle sticks to walk the runway (being of Trinidadian descent, I much prefer the former look. The Greeks had it right). But now a magazine has finally had enough of this nonsense, recognizing that the proverbial image of the super-thin girl with the pouting lips sets nigh impossible standards for women, but more importantly puts their lives in danger.

Vogue has set a ban on models below the age of 16, and has also vowed to not feature models who are in desperate need of a sandwich or two. Photographers are being asked to confirm the age of their models, and editors would no longer run shots of girls who appear to be dangerously underweight or anorexic. This is all in the fashion magazine’s effort to encourage a healthy lifestyle and promote more realistic images of women.  Countries around the world have already endorsed this movement, such as Spain, Italy, and India. Israel has even imposed regulations, based on the World Health Organization, that a model’s BMI must be at least 18.5.

Eating disorders are a serious problem among young women, and until recently the fashion industry has done nothing but fuel and profit off of this. With an influential fashion pillar like Vogue finally stepping up to the plate, people might hopefully come to their senses and stop enabling these young women to torture themselves.  It’s high time the ones who set these ridiculous standards of beauty help people realize that they’re beautiful no matter how they look. It’s a small step, but a step nonetheless.