The Harvard Business School hosts
Health Matters: Weight and Wellness in the Fashion World
by Ian J Larraga
Health Matters: Weight and Wellness in the Fashion World
by Ian J Larraga
For those of us involved in fashion it's not too unexpected to see a lecture or panel with Michael Kors or Anna Wintour or to see someone such as Steven Kolb of the CFDA in the audience, that sort of thing is considered common in New York. But, surprisingly, this event wasn't in New York but here in Boston, specifically in Cambridge at the Harvard Business School.
The Harvard Business School was proud to host on behalf of the Harris Center at Mass General the Health Matters public forum, Weight and Wellness in the Fashion World. Hosted by Dr. David Herzog of the Harris Center of Eating Disorders, the Health Matters event was both a private fundraiser and public forum on the topic of health in the world of fashion.
The pre-reception fundraiser allowed guest to mingle with panelists Anna Vodianova, Michael Kors, and Anna Wintour. Following the panelists from New York and attending the pre-reception were Victoria Secrets model Doutzen Kroes and executive director of the CFDA, Steven Kolb. The pre-reception was a huge success as it raised over $150,000 in much needed funds for the Harris Center.
Since this was the first time designer Michael Kors and editor-in-chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour have officially visited Boston, the public forum drew in a large crowd of nearly 1000 attendees. Although Anna Wintour has attended many forums discussing health and weight in the world of fashion in the past, this was her first time speaking publicly at such an event.
All of this, of course was made possible by Dr. David B. Herzog. As the founder and director of the Harris Center, Dr. Herzog is know globally as an expert on eating disorders. He is often contacted by agents of models and designers when a young model is in need of serious medial help for eating disorders. Dr. Herzog has many connections with the various organizations and individuals that are at the top tier of the fashion world. During the forum, Dr. Herzog spoke about some of his cases and his support of the CFDA Health Initiatives that started 3 years ago.
Model and philanthropist Natalia Vodianova was one of the first models to speak out about the treatment of models and the lack of support. During her early years as a young model, she was often told she needed to loose weight when she was already very thin. This lead to a combination of mental problems and eating disorders. In her own mind, she would believe that she was too fat and she felt enormous guilt whenever she had something to eat. Natalia was fortunate. She found the courage to speak out and get help. By contributing to the forums, she hopes to send out the message to other models to not be afraid to seek help and to tell others about abusive practices they encounter in the modeling industry.
For her part in the forum, Anna Wintour spoke about the many changes that have taken place in the industry. She believes the CFDA Health Initiatives that started 3 years ago was a bold first step in the right direction. Though the initiatives are not a mandate, they are a great guideline for those in the industry that wish to bring about a healthier environment for models and a better image of health for women. Anna discussed how Vogue made changes to promote the image of healthier women by developing the Shape issue, one of Vogue's best selling issues on a yearly basis since its creation 9 years ago. In an upcoming Shape issue, the one year diary of dutch model Kim Noorda and her trials of dealing with both an eating disorder and the pressures of the fashion industry are chronicled. Vogue did its part to help and support Kim during that difficult time. Anna accepts that change is very slow in the industry but she fully supports the CFDA Health Initiatives and she applauds the efforts of designers such as Michael Kors, who's doing more than his part to bring change about.
Designer Michael Kors was the most dynamic speaker of the evening. He spoke about what he can do to be an advocate for healthy models. Before his shows, models are encouraged to eat healthy snacks, fruits and veggies and drink water. Models drinking alcohol are sent home. He will not hire girls that are unhealthily thin and will work with the agent to get that girl help. He made a pledge to not use girls under 16 as models. Michael loves the idea of the return of the adult woman on both the runways and magazines. He, more than most designers, is willing to work by the standards set the CFDA Health Initiatives and he's encouraged by some of the changes that other designers made this season.
By the end of the forum, there was a consensus that there is change in the industry but the change comes slowly. Hopefully, there will be more designers that will follow Michael Kors' lead and incorporate the CFDA Health Initiatives in their daily practices. It can't just be the designers alone, however, as the entire fashion community must be involved in order to bring about the greatest change. As Michael Kors noted during his speech, "we are all accountable".
Please visit the Harris Center website to learn more about eating disorders and the public forums.
Please visit CFDA.com/health-initiative to learn more about the CFDA Health Initiatives' recommendations.
The Harvard Business School was proud to host on behalf of the Harris Center at Mass General the Health Matters public forum, Weight and Wellness in the Fashion World. Hosted by Dr. David Herzog of the Harris Center of Eating Disorders, the Health Matters event was both a private fundraiser and public forum on the topic of health in the world of fashion.
The pre-reception fundraiser allowed guest to mingle with panelists Anna Vodianova, Michael Kors, and Anna Wintour. Following the panelists from New York and attending the pre-reception were Victoria Secrets model Doutzen Kroes and executive director of the CFDA, Steven Kolb. The pre-reception was a huge success as it raised over $150,000 in much needed funds for the Harris Center.
Since this was the first time designer Michael Kors and editor-in-chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour have officially visited Boston, the public forum drew in a large crowd of nearly 1000 attendees. Although Anna Wintour has attended many forums discussing health and weight in the world of fashion in the past, this was her first time speaking publicly at such an event.
All of this, of course was made possible by Dr. David B. Herzog. As the founder and director of the Harris Center, Dr. Herzog is know globally as an expert on eating disorders. He is often contacted by agents of models and designers when a young model is in need of serious medial help for eating disorders. Dr. Herzog has many connections with the various organizations and individuals that are at the top tier of the fashion world. During the forum, Dr. Herzog spoke about some of his cases and his support of the CFDA Health Initiatives that started 3 years ago.
Model and philanthropist Natalia Vodianova was one of the first models to speak out about the treatment of models and the lack of support. During her early years as a young model, she was often told she needed to loose weight when she was already very thin. This lead to a combination of mental problems and eating disorders. In her own mind, she would believe that she was too fat and she felt enormous guilt whenever she had something to eat. Natalia was fortunate. She found the courage to speak out and get help. By contributing to the forums, she hopes to send out the message to other models to not be afraid to seek help and to tell others about abusive practices they encounter in the modeling industry.
For her part in the forum, Anna Wintour spoke about the many changes that have taken place in the industry. She believes the CFDA Health Initiatives that started 3 years ago was a bold first step in the right direction. Though the initiatives are not a mandate, they are a great guideline for those in the industry that wish to bring about a healthier environment for models and a better image of health for women. Anna discussed how Vogue made changes to promote the image of healthier women by developing the Shape issue, one of Vogue's best selling issues on a yearly basis since its creation 9 years ago. In an upcoming Shape issue, the one year diary of dutch model Kim Noorda and her trials of dealing with both an eating disorder and the pressures of the fashion industry are chronicled. Vogue did its part to help and support Kim during that difficult time. Anna accepts that change is very slow in the industry but she fully supports the CFDA Health Initiatives and she applauds the efforts of designers such as Michael Kors, who's doing more than his part to bring change about.
Designer Michael Kors was the most dynamic speaker of the evening. He spoke about what he can do to be an advocate for healthy models. Before his shows, models are encouraged to eat healthy snacks, fruits and veggies and drink water. Models drinking alcohol are sent home. He will not hire girls that are unhealthily thin and will work with the agent to get that girl help. He made a pledge to not use girls under 16 as models. Michael loves the idea of the return of the adult woman on both the runways and magazines. He, more than most designers, is willing to work by the standards set the CFDA Health Initiatives and he's encouraged by some of the changes that other designers made this season.
By the end of the forum, there was a consensus that there is change in the industry but the change comes slowly. Hopefully, there will be more designers that will follow Michael Kors' lead and incorporate the CFDA Health Initiatives in their daily practices. It can't just be the designers alone, however, as the entire fashion community must be involved in order to bring about the greatest change. As Michael Kors noted during his speech, "we are all accountable".
Please visit the Harris Center website to learn more about eating disorders and the public forums.
Please visit CFDA.com/health-initiative to learn more about the CFDA Health Initiatives' recommendations.
(from left) Panelists Natalia Vodianova, Michael Kors, Anna Wintour, and Dr. David B. Herzog take turns discussing personal experiences with health issues in the world of fashion at the Health Matters Forum, held at the Harvard Business School.
Photo Credit: Roger Farrington for the Harris Center.
Photo Credit: Roger Farrington for the Harris Center.
