“I’m sorry to say that it’s a subject I consider ridiculous for several reasons; the story with the anorexic girls — nobody works with anorexic girls, that’s nothing to do with fashion. People who have that [anorexia] have problems to do with family and things like that. … There are less than 1 per cent of anorexic girls, but there more than 30 percent of girls in France — I don’t know about England — that are much, much overweight. And it is much more dangerous and very bad for the health … So I think today with the junk food in front of the TV it’s something dangerous for the health of the girl.”
Here’s the thing with Karl Lagerfeld‘s denial-is-not-just-a-river-in-Egypt comments on Britain’s Channel 4 News. He’s right that anorexia is a mental illness which cannot be attributed to just one factor. He’s also correct that unhealthy eating is also bad. And he’s even got a point, sort of, about the fashion industry not wanting to work with anorexic “girls.” The fashion industry isn’t necessarily employing “normal-sized” women who are anorexic; they are employing women who are rail-thin with androgynous, boyish frames as well as young teen/tween girls whose bodies are practically prepubescent. There is a reason why there has been a huge controversy with the CFDA regarding designers who employ models under the age of 16. So, in a sense, Lagerfeld does have a valid point that can be teased out of this quote. But his snotty comments about Adele being “fat” and overall dismissiveness/lack of responsibility towards eating disorders in his industry is enraging. Choupette, I’ll always love, but I am officially done with Karl Lagerfeld. [Telegraph UK]
