Anorexia and bulimia nervosa are life-threatening eating disorders affecting around 1-2% of the Australian population. Out of every ten individuals affected by these conditions, approximately two will die.

There is no doubt that the media and the modelling industry have crucial roles to play in the development of eating disorders. The so-called ‘thin ideal’ conveys the message that thinness is not only attractive but is the norm.

As a teenager in the 21st century, I know that the media is primarily responsible for the thin ideal. Adolescent and teen girls are constantly plagued by the message that they simply must be thin if they want to beautiful, which in result, destroys their body image.

Banning clinically underweight models from appearing in the media - that is, models with a BMI of under 18.5 - would convey the message that we should strive for a healthy, active body rather than a stick-thin one. Of course, orthorexia (an ED in which individuals avoid any food deemed by them to be ‘unhealthy’) will continue to exist, however prioritising a healthy body over a thin one is still a step forward towards beating EDs altogether.

As someone who has been directly affected by the media and the modelling industry’s unrealistic ideals, I urge you to join me in the battle against these life-threatening psychological disorders by encouraging authorities to ban models who are clinically underweight.