Anorexic Model Ban Threatened at London Fashion Week

Fashion Week organizers rejected the call -- but said they were canceling the event's opening photo call to avoid giving the issue more publicity. Last week Madrid's Fashion Week, the Pasarela Cibeles, announced it was banning models with a Body Mass Index, or height to weight ratio, below 18.

Organizers of the Spanish event said they wanted models to project "an image of beauty and health" and shun a gaunt, emaciated look. "I applaud the decision taken by Madrid to ban super-thin models, and urge the organizers of London Fashion Week to do the same," British Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell. The World Health Organization considers people with a BMI below 18.5 underweight. To achieve a BMI of 18, a 5-foot-9 model would have to weigh about 125 pounds. The average runway model at that height is 115 pounds.

The body mass index is a tool for doctors who study obesity. It is calculated by dividing weight in pounds by height in inches squared, and multiplying that total by 703. If the resulting number is between 18.5 and 24.9, the person's weight is considered normal. Below 18.5 they are underweight. "The fashion industry's promotion of beauty as meaning stick thin is damaging to young girls' self image and to their health," Jowell said in a statement. "Young girls aspire to look like the catwalk models -- when those models are unhealthily underweight it pressurizes girls to starve themselves to look the same."

The British Fashion Council, which runs Fashion Week, said in a statement that it "does not comment or interfere in the aesthetic of any designer's show." "The BFC has canceled the photo call on Sunday because it is unwilling to add any more impetus to the publicity surrounding this complicated issue," it added,

Last season, London was effectively reinstated on the fashion map by Anna Wintour, the hugely influential editor of American Vogue, whose presence in the front row marked the end of London's years in the wilderness. The message was that if she took the London shows seriously, so must the rest of the fashion industry. While she won't be attending this time, London is again playing host to more famous faces: designers Giorgio Armani and Tom Ford, who is in town to judge the Fashion Fringe competition for emerging design talent.

Armani, the uncrowned king of Italian fashion, is presenting his Emporio line outside Milan for the first time, and is launching his new Emporio Armani Red capsule collection, 40% of the profits of which will go towards the Global Fund, the agency fighting Aids in Africa.

As is fitting of a brand that has just announced its net profits are up to £154.8m, Armani is marking the occasion with a huge event on Thursday, including an appearance from Chelsea footballer Andriy Shevchenko, and performances from Beyoncé and Bono.