By Francesca Claybrook
Fashion is fun for all of us, and it’s something that gives many people the chance to be creative and express themselves. But sometimes we have to face the ugly side of the fashion industry – namely, that of the image crisis that has resulted in the idealization of a woman’s body that is sickly skinny. One woman has now paid with her life after suffering since the age of 13 with anorexia. Isabelle Caro, a French model who once appeared in an anti-anorexia campaign, died recently at the age of 28. These photographs, taken by Oliviero Toscani in 2007, were for the Italian fashion company Nolita and featured a nude Caro, protruding bones and all, under the slogan “No Anorexia.” At the time the model, who was 5’4” tall, was reported to weigh only 68 pounds. Caro had said “I’ve hidden myself and covered myself for too long. Now I want to show myself fearlessly, even though I know my body arouses repugnance. I want to recover because I love life and the riches of the universe. I want to show young people how dangerous this illness is.” As we mourn the loss of one young woman, let’s keep in mind what’s really important about fashion: making yourself look fantastic, no matter what size you are.