Skinny models on the catwalk

Erin O'Connor was talking about how she was being blamed for the rash of skinny models on the current catwalks. How unfair! As one of her Careers Advisers in school, I remember Erin being very self conscious of her height, she walked around school with stooped shoulders, and just wanted to disappear into the crowd. Yeah, she WAS thin, and towered above the year group - including the lads - but it wasn't because she starved herself, its just the way she is, and always has been. If she had not been spotted at the BBC Clothes show, she would have been returning to school to do her A levels, and it was a big loss to the education system when they lost a potentially great teacher - but its great to see her doing well in the cut throat industry that is modelling. As Erin said, perhaps the designers also need to recognise that normal women DO weigh over 8stone, and start designing for real women, not the current crop of ill-looking waifs stumbling down the catwalks...

Standing tall