Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen denies ever having an eating disorder, but she says she knows many fellow models who do and she is now publicly blaming the girls’ parents for it. The statement seems a bit outlandish (I know it made me pause for a minute), but her comment wasn’t taken out of context… at least that’s what Brazil’s “O Globo” newspaper maintains.
In previous blogs I addressed the issue of the fashion industry being blamed for promoting anorexia among young models, which is why I find Bundchen statements so interesting.
The 26-year-old model (and actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s ex-girlfriend) recently told newspaper reporters:
“I never suffered this problem because I had a very strong family base. The parents are responsible, not fashion.”
The topic of eating disorders, specifically anorexia, became front-page news in Brazil after the deaths of several young women, including 21-year-old model Ana Carolina Reston. Reston’s death sparked a public outcry from her friends and family members who damned the fashion industry for putting pressure on models to be “too thin.”
Shortly after Reston’s death Bundchen told PEOPLE magazine: “I understand that in the industry there is pressure to be skinny, but (this) is what happens when people take things to extremes.”
You’ll recall a few months ago organizers of Madrid’s fashion week banned underweight models, and in December Italian designers started requiring models to submit proof that they do not have an eating disorder. Then, just a few days ago, New York’s Council of Fashion Designers of America issued its own guidelines, which could possibly ban anorexic models from runway shows.
Bundchen told “O Globo” she does not support the recent moves by fashion leaders: “Everybody knows that the norm in fashion is thin. But excuse me, there are people born with the right genes for this profession.”
She went on to add: “Everybody knows the standard for models is to be thin. But you can’t generalize and say that all models are anorexic.”
Bundchen is one of the world’s most successful models. She was recently named No. 16 on Forbes’ list of the 20 richest women in entertainment, so how will her statements affect her status? Personally, I think her perspective may change when (if) she becomes a parent herself. What do you think?
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