American 6ft model reignites row over 'anorexia chic' ahead of London Fashion Week: Call for change in the law to help protect impressionable young women

  • 18-year-old American Molly Bair quickly became fashion's hottest property
  • Images of 18-year-old American model already on 'thinspiration' websites
  • The disturbing sites are used by people suffering from eating disorders
  • Videos of rising star have prompted furious discussions about her weight

Since being scouted last year, she has quickly become fashion's hottest property, posing for top couture brands like Alexander Wang, Prada and Gucci.

But with her very slender 6ft figure, Molly Bair has also reignited the row over 'anorexia chic' on the catwalk.

Images of the 18-year-old American model are already being posted on 'thinspiration' websites used by people suffering from eating disorders.

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With her very slender 6ft figure, Molly Bair has also reignited the row over 'anorexia chic' on the catwalk

Despite being teased as a youngster for looking like a 'praying mantis' or 'alien', Miss Bair's unusual looks have made her hot property on the fashion circuit and she closed the Chanel Haute Couture show last month

Despite being teased as a youngster for looking like a 'praying mantis' or 'alien', Miss Bair's unusual looks have made her hot property on the fashion circuit and she closed the Chanel Haute Couture show last month

And videos posted on YouTube introducing the rising star have prompted furious discussions about her weight.

It comes as the model is set to fly in for London Fashion Week, which starts on Friday.

Despite being teased as a youngster for looking like a 'praying mantis' or 'alien', Miss Bair's unusual looks have made her hot property on the fashion circuit and she closed the Chanel Haute Couture show last month.

Bair was born in Philadelphia and discovered in a New York flea market, reports i-D.

Bair was born in Philadelphia and discovered in a New York flea market

The teen is signed to ELITE London, although before she was previously thinking of majoring in computer science or a career in environmental lobbying when she was filling out college applications. 

'I would never think that a girl who spent most of her childhood with a unibrow, glasses and a Yoda shirt would be in Vogue Italia,' Bair told CNN.

But she said she instantly felt at home when she began modeling.

'I think it's because we're kind of a community of people who have always been the strange, tall, skinny people,' Bair said to CNN.

'It's crazy how I've instantly found so many people who are so similar to me. It's really weird. I've never been able to make friends so quickly.'

The teen is signed to ELITE London, although before she was previously thinking of majoring in computer science or a career in environmental lobbying when she was filling out college applications

The teen is signed to ELITE London, although before she was previously thinking of majoring in computer science or a career in environmental lobbying when she was filling out college applications

'I would never think that a girl who spent most of her childhood with a unibrow, glasses and a Yoda shirt would be in Vogue Italia,' Bair told CNN

Britain has not yet followed the lead of other countries which have introduced a minimum BMI (Body Mass Index) requirement for catwalk models, instead depending on a voluntary code of conduct.

But there is increasing pressure on fashion houses to stop using very thin women with jutting bones to promote their latest garments.

Last week Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on body image, launched a parliamentary inquiry into the effectiveness of the code and will consider if a law could better protect young women.

She said the code used to regulate the age and BMI of models had 'slipped a lot' over the last six months, adding: 'No one with a BMI of under 18 should be there.'

Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston died after battling anorexia

Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston died after battling anorexia

This summer France voted to criminalise the use of models with a BMI of less than 18. Similar legislation is used in Spain and Israel but the British Fashion Council is yet to follow suit.

Leonor Perez Pita, director of Madrid fashion week, is one of many in the fashion world who believe London should introduce the same law.

She told The Sunday Times: 'Of course it should. This rule should certainly be applied on as many catwalks as possible. Although fewer than 900 people are present at each one of the shows, these can be seen on TV and the internet. There are thousands of young girls watching them.'

Yesterday the chief operating officer of eating disorder charity B-eat, Lorna Garner, urged the organisers of London Fashion Week to respond to pressure from commentators 'in a positive way'.

She said: 'Beat is delighted that Caroline Nokes continues to press the agenda for real change. Clearly the media are keeping these strong messages in the public arena. 

'We hope these very clear messages are heard by the organisers of London Fashion Week and they respond in a positive way because they have the ability to make a significant impact.'

The debate over the use of underweight catwalk models came to public attention in 2006 following the death from heart failure of Uruguayan model Luisel Ramon, who had been starving herself. Three months later Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston died after battling anorexia.

 

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