New York's fashion industry is getting a clue?

On Tuesday, Diane von Furstenberg of wrap-dress fame and president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, sent CFDA members a letter urging them to address the issue of underweight models!  The previous week, fashion insiders like Anna Wintour, Vera Wang, and Derek Lam, got together with health and nutrition experts to discuss the same thing.  When your employees start dying -- like Luisel Ramos and Ana Carolina Reston -- it's time to consider whether or not there's something flawed in your industry.

Per the LA Times, Von Furstenberg wrote that ultra thin models are a "global fashion issue." Moreover, "as designers, we cannot ignore the impact fashion has on body image. We share a responsibility to protect women, and very young girls in particular, within the industry, sending the message that health is beauty."

I think it's great that the industry is finally recognizing that many of the demands made on models are unhealthy and may have lasting, adverse effects.  To expect a 16 year old model from Moldavia or Uruguay, who may be her family's primary bread-winnder, to adopt a sensible diet in the face of industry pressure to remain stick-thin, is outrageous.  The fashion industry must acknowledge its role in the eating disorders and other health issues that these young girls acquire.

Of course, emphasizing the use of healthy models on the runway is a necessary first step.  However, the fashion industry needs to go one step further.  They need to consider the broader impact of their sizing and marketing practices on the public.  What is the message that Von Furstenberg herself is sending when her clothes are only available through size 12?