A FORMER Bathurst-based model has weighed in on the ‘skinny model’ debate that dominated Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.
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During the event last week, concerns were raised about the number of waif-thin women gracing the catwalks.
Model Lauren Burnett, who is now based in the Illawarra region, said it is time for the fashion industry to do something about this long-standing issue.
“For years everyone has been talking about changing, but no one is doing anything about it,” she said.
“It really comes down to the designers, but they don’t want to bend the rules.”
Ms Burnett said even though some designers had apologised for using extremely thin models, it has been something they have been doing for decades.
“I’ve worked with a lot of designers in the past who have said, ‘oh great, you have lost weight. We can use you now’.”
The 23-year-old, who is a healthy size 12, last year became the second “plus-size” model ever featured in Vogue Australia.
Ms Burnett said she went to two casting calls for this year’s fashion week, but noted that models over a size eight were practically written off.
“You go in and they look at you like you’re an alien,” she said.
“I was quite offended actually. I had a lady laugh at me when I walked in.”
Ms Burnett said it was time for the fashion industry to show a greater variety of models on the catwalk.
“It is fine to use naturally skinny girls, but use a variety of women. Why not showcase every body when clothes are designed for everyone,” she said.
“If you look back at the 1980s, supermodels were a often a size 10 to 12. They had curves and boobs and were actual real women. Now they only book girls who are really slim.”
Ms Burnett said that while some models were naturally very thin, many young women went to great lengths to stay in demand.
“All young models are pressured to be skinny, many are not eating properly or taking drugs to stay thin. It is so disgusting,” she said.
During her younger years Ms Burnett lived and worked in New York, where she met many models who had eating disorders.
“Girls even used to eat cotton wool balls soaked in orange juice so they would not get hungry,” she said.
She said that when she was 16 years old, she had fit into a size six and weighed just 58 kilograms, which was an unrealistic weight for a 183-centimetre tall woman to try and maintain.