Are fashion influencers creating successful anorexics?

February 12 2010, 9:36am

National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) and communications agency Zulu Alpha Kilo have just launched a provocative campaign on the heels of Eating Disorder Awareness Week in Canada. The project takes aim at fashion leaders and marketers and asks them to “Cast responsibly. Retouch minimally.” NEDIC has previously provided resources and information to individuals affected by eating disorders and food or weight preoccupation, however this time they decided to reach out to some of the influences. “We wanted to target the industry that has the greatest impact and sets the standards for what we see as the ideal,” said Suzanne Philips, the program coordinator for NEDIC in an interview with ICUC Moderation Services. The campaign included several tongue n’ cheek elements meant to make influencers really think about the affects and outcome that their industry has on women. Greeting cards that Philips describes as very ‘un-Hallmark’, with the message “Thanks for helping to make me such a successful anorexic” are meant to shock. As were impossibly small T-shirts with a tag that read “Please try this on to experience how your ads make us feel.” Fashion leaders, marketers and the general public are being asked to visit the NEDIC microsite where they can sign an online petition that urges the fashion industry to broaden its definition of beauty and make a pledge to diversify its production and advertising by incorporating women of all shapes and sizes. As a part of the campaign NEDIC also teamed up with the Canadian Women’s Health Network (CWHN) to host an informative and challenging webinar discussion about the impact of media imagery on women. Casting Light: Media representation of the female body received an overwhelming response and is now available for viewing on the website. “We want advertisers and marketers to be more accountable. We have the power to change the criteria for the casting process,” said Zak Mroueh, president and creative director for Zulu.