Ban skinny models from catwalk

Skinny models should be banned from the catwalk, say experts. Academics at the London School of Economics said restricting the use of photographs of underweight models in magazines would help ease the pressure on women to be very thin.

Skinny models should be banned from the catwalk, say experts.

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Academics at the London School of Economics said restricting the use of photographs of underweight models in magazines would help ease the pressure on women to be very thin.

A study of 3,000 women in Britain and Europe found young women, who account for 90 percent of anorexia cases, were influenced by the size and weight of their peer group.

Experts said the eating disorder was a disease that was linked to social and cultural influences, The Telegraph reported Friday.

Women in Austria were the thinnest with a body mass index (BMI) of 23.67 compared to a European average of 25.

The lowest BMI among young women was in Italy at 21.40.

The two countries also had the highest rates of anorexia, along with Ireland.

In Britain, average BMI was the highest of the 17 countries in the study at 25.98. Britain had the 12th highest anorexia rate.