LOS ANGELES, Dec 26, 2007 / FW/ — Since I’m in the mood of catching up with all the shows I had missed so far, I’ve been watching re-runs of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and was totally surprised that on a 2002 episode entitled ‘The Hunger Artist’, the series actually discussed ‘size zero issue on models.’
Perhaps it is a writer’s prescience, but ‘The Hunger Artist’ episode has more relevant facts about the problems of bulimia and anorexia that allegedly is a problem among size zero fashion models.
Just to get the facts straight – NOT ALL SIZE ZERO MODELS ARE BULIMIC OR ANOREXIC. Most models are actually naturally thin. But, it is also true that bulimia and anorexia exist among fashion models. There are no statistics on this though, so I could not cite sources.
The one that I really wanted to point out is that the CSI episode in question was aired in 2002, four years before the size zero issue on fashion models became the topic of fashion tête-à-têtes.
Again, was it a writer’s prescience or because Hollywood as a microcosm heralds what is to become a social issue in the near future?
The writers of CSI: Crime Scene Investigations had always touched on social issues, though the series is a cop show. That might be the reason why it is popular and already on its 8th season.
‘The Hunger Artist’ is also not the first time that CSI: Crime Scene Investigations had delved into the fashion world. There are two other episodes that I know of that had been centered on fashion.
As a fashion writer, it was fascinating for me to see how other writers who are not part of the fashion press corps view the industry. It is both interesting and illuminating.
And if you’re interested on a first hand observation of the Size Zero Model issue, try reading Walking Skeletons by Jean Paul Cauvin.