Oh my God, look! Models—not celebrities—on the cover of a fashion magazine! And they’re black! November’s Teen Vogue published a fantastic cover story about models Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn, who spoke candidly about the racism in the modeling industry and the competition that results when black models feel there can only be “one black girl.” (Chanel is actually black and Korean—damn, she should have been in our biracial hotties slideshow!) The pair dished to Teen Vogue about the fashion industry’s flat-out racism:

Iman: “You’re being told, ‘So and so is only booking one black girl. It’s either you or Jourdan,’ So we’ll be sitting in the lobby looking at each other like, ‘Okay, I want this job, and she wants it too. Which one of us is going to get it?’”

Dunn: “I remember last season, I was about to go into a casting, and my agent phoned and said, ‘Turn back. They decided they don’t want any black models.’ I was like, ‘They’re actually telling you that’s the reason? Are you serious?!’”

“I would not have become a supermodel in 2009. I look too healthy.”

—Supermodel Cindy Crawford disses the 100-lb models who are en vogue right now. But what we really want to know is how kind would modeling agents of 2009 be to facial moles? [Telegraph UK]

The online scientific journal Perception just published findings that claim young men rate women with healthy BMI’s (between 18.5-25) as “the most attractive and healthy looking,” as opposed to thinner ladies. Shocking, we know. Additionally, women were also more into guys with average builds, and both sexes were not turned on by the overweight either, which may be attributed to the fact that they were perceived as unhealthy. A professor associated with the study had this to say: “A take home message for young people is that maintaining a normal weight benefits current health and will improve good looks.” Uh-huh. While none of this information is the slightest bit revelatory, given the current model debate raging on and on, here’s some more conclusive evidence for the advertisers and editors that insist (extreme) thin is in. (Evidently, it’s not and never has been?) [Daily Mail]

Interested in becoming a supermodel? Sure ya are! Here, follow the Georgia Jagger method, satisfaction (ha) guaranteed:

1. Be born to celebrity parents. You may want to work this out with God beforehand.
2. Be moderately attractive and thin. This should be easy enough assuming that step #1 works out and you’re subsequently introduced into the Hollywood diet and body image culture.
3. Create a stir by appearing topless in an advertisement when you are still a minor.
4. Score yourself a Vanity Fair profile to up your cultural credibility (so people will actually want to hire you). Make sure it features tasteful yet provocative photos à la Miley Cyrus to rouse more interest.
5. Partner with other famous people. Now Georgia Jagger is following in Kate Moss‘s footsteps by landing a Rimmel campaign, a job that’s boosted by the fact that Coco Rocha will be the second face. Now just wait for the ads to come out, which will certainly lead to more work. Throw in a drug scandal and relationship drama, and there you have it ... the world’s next supermodel obsession. [Elle UK]

On Friday we told you about the controversy surrounding a Ralph Lauren print ad which featured a photograph of a model that was Photoshopped to s**t, whittling her waist to bizarre thinness. Ralph Lauren reps have since said the photo was an accident and doesn’t represent their brand ideals. Well, that model, Filippa Hamilton, appeared on “Today” this morning to blow up Ralph’s spot even more, claiming the brand fired her for being too heavy and not being able to “fit” in the clothes anymore. Check out her interview, above.

A model floats down the catwalk on a cloud of saffron yellow at John Galliano‘s runway show for his spring/summer 2010 collection. [10/7/09, Paris]

Even professional runway walkers have off-days. Yes, sometimes models wobble, and sometimes they fall down. Inspired by the this season’s models who hit the skids on the catwalk—thanks to all those crazy high heels—we’ve created a new dance: The Falling Model. There are three basic moves. Pick which one works for you, then try it out on the dance floor. You’ll impress all your fashionista friends!

The Oh-Hell-No: Pinwheel both arms, sending the right arm up and the left arm down as you dip towards the ground. Freeze. Smile like you know what you’re doing. Push out your chest as if you’re on the verge of a nip-slip. On tiptoe, spread your legs slightly, but do not flash your panties. Stand up. Do it again.

German models might soon find themselves out of work. Today, the country’s most popular women’s magazine announced that it’s banning professional models in favor of real people. Starting next year, the bi-monthly Brigitte will feature a mix of prominent women and regular readers in photos dealing with content from fashion to fitness in an attempt to fight unhealthy beauty standards and please readers who are sick of seeing models with “protruding bones,” said Andreas Lebert, the magazine’s editor-in-chief.

At Hussein Chalayan, a model showed off two emerging trends: a bag on your head and a dress grabbing your boob. [10/4/10, Paris]

Kind of ironic, huh? A book called Hungry that I just ate right up as quickly as I could. But model Crystal Renn‘s autobiography is that good. Seriously, I could not put down Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves for two days straight.

In her incredible memoir, written with former Sassy health editor Marjorie Ingall, Crystal shares how she was just a teen girl living with her grandmother in Clinton, Mississippi, when a modeling scout changed her life. The scout approached her at a charm school class and said Crystal could be just like Gisele Bundchen if she wanted to—meaning, she had to take off a lot of weight. Over the next several months, a 165-pound Crystal became anorexic, starving herself so she could drop 70 pounds and become a “straight-size” model.

Remember when plus-size model Lizzie Miller appeared in Glamour magazine’s September issue and caused a s**t storm of comments and letters and the general outcry of ladymag purveyors saying “Yes! Thank you! Finally!”? We also knew the magazine was planning on shooting a spread of Miller alongside other curvy ladies, including one of our heroines, Crystal Renn, and subscribers got the issue today! (Amelia reports that the photos are really, really pretty.) The crew guested on “Ellen” today and editor-in-chief Cindi Leive announced the magazine is making a commitment to showing more diversity (both in terms of size and ethnicity) in their glossy pages going forward. Only time will tell, but it’s a big step in the right direction, no? And with all the attention the mag is getting, look out for others to jump in on the action. As Cindi observes, ultimately, the fashion industry is about sales. So are magazines. Fine. If money (and people) talking is what it takes to make editors accept that women are sick of size-zero glorification, well, we’ll take it. [Ellen]

Kate Moss was spotted leaving the John Frieda salon in London today, but it’s not her hair that caused us to look twice. (Um, definitely not the ‘do; perhaps she just got a conditioning treatment?) Maybe only a supermodel can get away with pairing black denim hot pants with tights, a leo underneath a blazer, and a rockin’ python bag all at the same time, but knee-high, slouchy brown boots are accessories that look good on everyone. We were trying to think of which high-end designer made these when we remembered our recent over-the-knee boot gallery and realized that, save for a slight color discrepancy, Kate’s boots were kind of spot-on knocked off at, wait for it ... Victoria’s Secret. With the huge demand for mega-high leather boots growing by the increasingly cooler-out day, we’d advise you to click over there and snap up the Devon boot ASAP. Because the majority of other options out there cost as much as, well, as much as Kate Moss’s actual boots probably did.

A model crowned with bird feathers navigates the catwalk at Gareth Pugh‘s Spring/Summer 2010 show in Paris. [9/30/09, Paris]

Does this look like a runway model to you? Maybe! Sick of looking at runways overcrowded by blond, Caucasian, skinny models? Pipeline has a terrific post on the latest trends in fashion model looks. The new professional coat hangers are girls with way more curves, men and women in their sixth, seventh, and eighth decades of life, burly dudes with body hair, and boys who aren’t afraid to wear dresses. Pipeline says: “From scary, hairy, husky dudes (thanks Vivienne Westwood!) to buxom gals in super-short minis (à la Mark Fast), this new model trend is sure keeping the typical shows a lot more interesting!” We love all the diversity. Check out the rest! [Pipeline]

This photograph was taken at Tokyo Game Show 2009 at the exact moment that these two models realized you couldn’t pay them enough to: a.) put up with all these geeks, b.) smile for the camera, and c.) wear those godforsaken outfits. [9/23/09, Tokyo]

“I don’t want to be the fat one anymore.”

—Model Lara Stone to ELLEuk.com [Via Fashionologie]

You believed French women looked gorgeous naturally, didn’t you? Quel suprise! Airbrushing is causing unrealistic body images and encouraging eating disorders, said a French politician on Monday as she proposed warning labels on digitally enhanced images.  Parlimentarian Valerie Boyer and 50 other French politicians want a “health warning” on airbrushed pics. All enhanced photos would be accompanied by this line: “Photograph retouched to modify the physical appearance of a person.” Under the proposal in France, a company that didn’t include the warning on their retouched ads would be slapped with a trés mal fine of a $54,930, or up to 50 percent the cost of the advertisement. The French proposal comes on the heels of a suggestion by British pols for warning labels of their own. But what we want to know is how long until such a proposal comes to the States, where we just love our Photoshop? (And can you imagine what Anna Wintour would have to say about it?) [Yahoo]

When Vogue cover model Ruslana Korshunova was found dead in 2008, having apparently jumped out of a ninth-story window, police were quick to call it suicide. There was no sign of struggle in the model’s New York City apartment, and it was clear from her journal entries that she was severely depressed. Now, however, new evidence has come to light, reports the Russian news source Pravda, that may point to a sick-o murder involving a hair fetishist.