"Anorexia is an illness, not a fashion statement..."

As Brooke Davis, a character from the popular teen TV drama 'One Tree Hill' enters into her magazine offices she shouts at some editors that the girl on the front of the issue needed to gain some weight before appearing in her magazine and the titular quotation, that "anorexia is an illness, not a fashion statement."

As an ex-sufferer of this disease I would like to commend Mark Shwaan (the writer of the series) for this bold statement and sentiment. It is a breath of fresh air in this stagnant climate of stick-instect models and 'Size 0' lifestyles and diets. I, like many others, am sick of opening a magazine and being confronted with pictures of emaciated models, diet tips and weight loss schemes. Enough, I say! Enough of trying to perfect our bodies and pressure ourselves into this supposedly desirable look. Enough of starving ourselves by choice when others are scavenging for food in bins. Enough of peer pressure and media pressure on innocent teens who are so susceptible to this sort of illness. Enough.

In the spirit of fictional magazine editor, Brooke Davis, I would like to propose to any magazine contributors out there to hire only UK Size 8 models and above with a healthy BMI of 18.5 or above.

Anorexia is an illness. It is not a fashion statement.