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What's the big deal?

With skinny models being shown the door in Madrid, are we ready to see the curvaceous ones on the catwalk? RENUKA VIJAY KUMAR finds out

FATAL FAD Luisel Ramos' death brings to the fore health related issues coming with size zero

Tongues are wagging, fingers are being pointed and the international fashion fraternity is abuzz with one BIG issue— does size really matter on the runway?

What's all the hullabaloo really about? Is it because we want to continue seeing skeleton-like models on the runway or is it because we want to see more curvaceous ones?

Case in point- a young Uruguayan model who was told she had better chances of `making it big' if she slimmed down some more, took to a diet of diet soda and leafy vegetables. When the 22-year-old Luisel Ramos had a heart failure last month as she stepped off the catwalk at the Montevideo Fashion Week, the buzz about banning super-skinny, size zero models on the runway began.

Following the incident in Montevideo, many thin models were turned away from the Madrid Fashion Week that wound up yesterday, but the ongoing London Fashion Week and the New York Fashion Week that culminated last week, refused to adhere to the ban and chose to keep the reed-thin girls on the ramp. Now, many from the industry want the ban imposed at the upcoming Paris Fashion Week as well. The criteria used at the Madrid Week for thin was anybody who is a size zero or with BMI (Body Mass Index) of less than 18.5. The Union Health Minister, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss commended the decision saying he hoped that it would make young girls focus on being healthy and lean rather than starving and skinny. Many Indian models survive on their chain smoking habits and seem to get scrawnier by the day, probably setting an example for young women across the country on how they should look. But will a similar ban work in India? "It's ridiculous, uncalled for and will not work here," says designer Rohit Bal. A sentiment expressed by designer Anand Kabra as well. Anand, who will showcase a feminine andart inspired clothes line at the Mumbai Fashion Week next month says, `I don't know how it will work here. I see it as a form of discrimination. Sometimes, if the clothes are androgynous, we need thin models to carry off the look."

While Rohit Bal feels that international models have a skinnier frame than their Indian counterparts, he completely opposes the idea of a ban. "It's the designer's prerogative to choose who should model the clothes. There cannot be a general ban on any kind of body type. Even obesity is dangerous, should there be a ban on that too? Model and actress Madhu Shalini sheds light on the situation in the city and across the country. "Many models are made to believe that the skinnier you are, better and bigger offers will come your way. So there is a lot of pressure to be thin. I have seen many fellow models going to the extreme to lose weight because they have been told to." By `going to the extreme' she means models starving themselves, going on bad crash diets and working out 24*7.

Nutritional therapist Kavitha Kabra says there is no general criteria to define thin of fat. An ideal BMI depends on many factors- the age of the person, height and weight. "The classification varies from person to person." Her advice is that people should look at healthy eating habits and customise their calorific requirements according to their age and other factors rather than focussing on being fat or thin. "Just like different people need different type of clothes, a person's diet should be tailored to suit them," adds Kavitha. Anand adds that that banning thin models is the wrong way of tackling the issue. "Instead, there should be more awareness programmes of anorexia and bulimia." The focus after all is on beauty and health.

Are we ready to accept the real India woman— curvaceous and full as she is, or do we want to stick to fashion stereotypes and retain the sometimes sick looking girls? Whatever the fashion frat chooses, it must bear in mind that the same reflects on the mind of the people too.

But as Rohit Bal bluntly puts it, "We live in a free society and everyone has the brains to choose and understand what they want to be."

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