Vogue’s Underage Models Banned Under New Policy that Addresses Age, Eating Disorders

Vogue‘s underage models will no longer be working with the legacy fashion publication after a new policy was handed down at Condé Nast regarding issues related to modeling and general health.

It’s kind of an old fashion cliche, the model discovered at a young age and recruited to a life of glamor and fame after she was scouted at the roller rink or walking home from school. But Vogue‘s underage models are going to become a thing of the past, beginning with the June issue of Vogue.

Condé Nast International chairman, Jonathan Newhouse, spoke to the New York Times about what the paper calls an “unusual” announcement about model health. The issues that plague high-fashion models (namely drugs and eating disorders) have been present in the fashion world for some time, and Newhouse says:

“Vogue editors around the world want the magazines to reflect their commitment to the health of the models who appear on the pages and the well-being of their readers.”

Interestingly, the announcement about Vogue’s underage models included a “six point pact,” covering many of the issues surrounding models and health in general. In the pact, the property promises:

“1. We will not knowingly work with models under the age of 16 or who appear to have an eating disorder. We will work with models who, in our view, are healthy and help to promote a healthy body image.

“2. We will ask agents not to knowingly send us underage girls and casting directors to check IDs when casting shoots, shows and campaigns.

“3. We will help to structure mentoring programs where more mature models are able to give advice and guidance to younger girls, and we will help to raise industry-wide awareness through education, as has been integral to the Council of Fashion Designers of America Health Initiative.

“4. We will encourage producers to create healthy backstage working conditions, including healthy food options and a respect for privacy. We will encourage casting agents not to keep models unreasonably late.

“5. We encourage designers to consider the consequences of unrealistically small sample sizes of their clothing, which limits the range of women who can be photographed in their clothes, and encourages the use of extremely thin models.

“6. We will be ambassadors for the message of healthy body image.”

The new policy covering Vogue’s underage models will be enacted among nearly 20 of the property’s international publications.