A PR Pro's assessment of the CFDA guidelines

Laer (a PR Pro) at Cheat Seeking Missiles has a wicked analysis of the new CFDA guidelines.  He writes:

On the whole, the recommendations are laughable. Models and the parents of young models hardly need to be educated about eating disorders; they wrote the book. And designers know full-well how to recognize someone with an eating disorder. And when they see one, they slap a size 0 on them and send them into the shoot. A pamphlet won't enlighten them.

But I like the idea of a smoke-free, alcohol-free work environment for models. It's not appropriate for an industry that hires so many young people to encourage and support smoking and drinking.

Health advocates wail that these are merely recommendations, not regulations. The Fashion Council counters, "You're going to be able to get more people involved in helping out by educating and teaching versus enforcing a ban," according to WSJ.

That phraseology is what we in the PR profession knowingly refer to as a "lie." Philosophically, I'm with them though, since I'm no fan of over-regulation of business. When consumers of fashion start protesting by punishing with their pocketbooks the purveyors of bolemia and anorexia, the industry will quickly regulate itself and Kate Moss will pack on the pounds.

Until then, go ahead and print the pamphlets. the models can eat them as low-cal filler.

For the most part, I think he's right.  The guidelines are lame, and the fashion industry won't act unless consumers start to punish them.  So.....To all those designers who use anorexic waifs to push handbags and dresses, look out.  We know who you are, and we're not buying your products.