Is it couture or a sickness: A narrative review on eating disorder behaviors in fashion models.

This narrative review examines the impact of the fashion modeling industry's idealization of extremely low body mass on the physical characteristics, disordered eating behaviors, and eating disorder (ED) prevalence among fashion models. The review of nineteen peer-reviewed studies found that fashion models consistently have significantly lower body mass index (BMI) than non-model controls and frequently engage in unhealthy weight control behaviors, such as restrictive dieting and purging. While evidence on the prevalence of clinically diagnosed EDs in models compared to non-models is mixed, there is a notable increase in subclinical disordered eating symptoms among models, which may impair their mental health. The review highlights the need for the fashion industry to implement protective measures to safeguard the physical and psychological well-being of models and calls for further research on EDs in diverse modeling subgroups and male models.