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Tuesday, June 7, 2011 92nd Street Y, NYC 10001 NY, USA

Dear Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue magazine,

How skinny is too skinny? You tell me, should anorexic models walk the run way? Personally I would have to say no. Think about it do you want to see boney little models modeling your favourite clothing? To me I probably wouldn’t by the clothes. The clothing wouldn’t look flattering, you know when you see a beautiful model walking down the flashing run way and see the most gorgeous dress and you know your going to by that dress. But when you see a horrific, boney, skinny model your not going to want to by the dress she is wearing. That’s not all so many people die from anorexia each year. But wait, what if your teenage daughter is watching this disturbing model and she says" mom I need to look like her" what are you supposed to say to her. Teenagers all over the world are getting caught up in anorexia

First, the effects of anorexia. At least 30% of people suffer from eating disorders including anorexia. Some risks of starvation/anorexia are dehydration, kidney failure, heart failure, your body becomes weak, constipation and affects to the menstrual cycle (it can actually stop it). Plus, as much as 15% of a person's total body weight can be lost. That’s a lot. Also, 10% of teens die from anorexia each year. An interesting fact about anorexia is that 4% of the world population suffers from anorexia and the truth is most of them deny having it. Many of those people refuse to get help if they do realize they are sick. A lot of people who have anorexia wear baggy clothes, so people around them don’t realize how skinny they are. The amount of deaths caused by anorexia continues to grow.

Let's move on, if you were watching a fashion show and looking for the latest fashion to buy for your store and you saw a boney, little skinny model wearing the skimpiest dress you could find you wouldn't even think of buying the clothes. Ask yourself why would designers want to put anorexic models in their clothes. They're not flattering, they're not gorgeous and they're definitely not going to sell the clothes. Listen to this article. In the April issue of [|__Ladies' Home Journal__]__,__ editor-in-chief Diane Salvatore addresses the big issue in the fashion industry right now: anorexic models. But unlike so many other reports that focus just on the fact that models are starving themselves, Salvatore hits the nail on the head about a possible reason -- designers will only provide tiny sizes for their samples. Simply put, if you can't fit into the clothes, you can't model it. After speaking out about the issue in July 2006, Salvatore was challenged by readers to use models above a size 4 in her photo shoots. In this issue, she did just that -- she used a size-14 model without flagging her in every photo as the token plus-size girl. But it was a real challenge to get designers to send samples in bigger sizes."...designers still provide only tiny sample sizes for shoots, which means only ultra-lean models can wear them. Why? Apparently some designers feel their clothes are shown to best advantage when uninterrupted by the natural curves of a woman's body," wrote Salvatore (April 2007, p. 14).Well said. If the designers won't provide bigger sample sizes, nothing is going to change. Aspiring models will continue starving themselves to fit into the

Lastly, 3000 young people will die due to Anorexia. Most Anorexic Models won't live a strong, healthy life. Although they may become very successful in their careers, their bodies will never be as strong and successful. Anorexic Models still have a very strong right to the runway. I have very mixed feelings on the subject but I do say that Anorexic Models should not walk the runway, because of their health, the message they may send out to young girls and woman, and because of their appearance. I still want people to chase their dreams even if they are Anorexic and want to be a model, people deserve the right. Together our opinions could change a person's life. So go ahead chose your side! How do you feel?

Sincerely, Katrina Steckle, Brooke Whetstone, Taryn Siertsema and Hanna Gilbert from Huron Centennial School