When the London development agency and the British Fashion Council, set up their independent model health inquiry last year, no one could have guessed the rejection their recommendations faced. Following the death of Brazilian model, Luisel Ramos in 2006, the size zero debate was brought into the public consciousness. The BBC were quick to pick up on the issue, commissioning a documentary by Dawn Porter to highlight the issue. ITV responded with a Louise Redknapp programme and many other media sources were keen to distance themselves from the negative press.

One of the 14 recommendations put forward by the inquiry board was to implement a system of compulsory medical tests for models, and subsequent model health certificates (MHC). These would enable the catwalk shows to promote their endorsement of healthy models. However, the organisers of the Paris, New York and Milan shows refused to implement the scheme, forcing London to pull out, fearing models would boycott the catwalks if they went ahead. The British fashion council are now encouraging modelling agencies to act responsibly, through the endorsement of the Association of Model Agencies (AMA).

The head of the British Fashion Council, Hilary Riva, published an open letter today stating; “The Model Health Certificates continue to create very specific challenges. From our conversations with our international counterparts in New York, Milan and Paris it has become clear that they do not recognise the need for an international health certificate. In summary, Model Health Certificates are an unworkable solution based on concerns in principle and practicalities of implementation. The BFC now feel that we have taken this as far as we can within the remit of our organisation. We are not a regulatory body and we have access to limited resources. We believe the AMA should take the lead role in developing and encouraging an international network, to set best practice in each market and develop a version of the MHC which will be a useful tool for models who work internationally.”

The clothing brand Nolita, took the dramatic step of using anorexic model Isabello Caro across billboards in Milan and subsequently, the 2007 Milan fashion week showed much more shapely models. The lesser known Madrid fashion week in 2007,  bandne girls with a body mass index of below 18 from its catwalks – 18.5 to 25 is considered the “normal” range.

Sadly this year, it seems ’size zero’ is last years news, supporting the health of models is apparently no longer ‘in vogue’. Fashion to die for.

Geri Halliwell, of the Spice Girls fame, has stripped off to a bikini for Hello magazine’s current issue. The article is accompanied with Geri commenting on her discomfort and self consciousness stating, ‘I haven’t been willingly photographed in a bikini for seven years – and I don’t think I’ll do it again.’

There is no doubt that Geri looks amazing in her bikini aged 36, putting women half her age in the shade. However, it wasn’t that long ago Geri was doing sterling work as a UN ambassador, in an attempt to be taken more seriously. It is also a concern that a woman who was so publicly open about her eating disorders, is verbally uncomfortable about the shoot.

What message does this send to the legion of old and now new spice girls fans regarding publicity. Whether you like it or not, you have to take your clothes off to sell pictures? Is this the girl power the Spice Girls so animatedly promote? Hello?

For tips on looking good in your own swimwear see, swimwear trends or swimwear styling for your individual shape;

• Tall
• Petite
• Large Bust
• Small Bust
• Large Bottom Half (hips/tums/bums)
• Small Bottom Half (straight and flat hips/tums/bums)

In a staggering demonstration of China’s vanity, the little girl who ’sang’, Lin Miako, was actually miming at the olympics opening ceremony.

The real singer, also seven years old, was Yang Peiyi.

She was replaced at the last minute, olympic organisers refusing to let her go on stage, because she was deemed too chubby and her teeth were uneven.

Young women have enough issues with body image when they become teenagers, what would something like this do to a little girls confidence. Words fail me.

It reminds me of the awful way Michelle McManus was treated having won Pop Idol in 2003. Given just the contractual amount of promotion, thus reducing her record sales (who buys things they haven’t heard), and forcing her to seek a career based on her Gillian Mckeith weightloss. Michelle is a talented singer but again wasn’t deemed to have the right image to be promoted as a solo artist.

A large group of women dressed only in their underwear posed in front of a billboard at Charing Cross Road today. They were there to promote the launch of wonderbras new D to G cup range.

The advert is a mosiac made up of 8000 ‘real’ (as in not paid models), womens underwear shots. The individual photographs make up a large picture of new wonderbra model Katie Green.

The company are hoping to capitalise of the previous success of the “Hello Boys” poster campaign from ten years ago. The old advert featured model Eva Herzigova, now sadly a lot more ‘boy’ than ‘hello’ having shrunken to skeletal proportions.

The range has been launched to “answer the demands of the ‘dress to impress myself’ generation” according to wonderbra. Wonderbra spokeswoman Julia Nolan also said: “This is the most inclusive lingerie billboard in history and we’re so proud of our one thousand girls, who are now Wonderbra billboard models”.

The company website has an interactive version of the billboard, which is also being put up at Tottenham Court Road today, so that each of the photographs can be viewed full screen.

The campaign is an interesting response to Marks and Spencers negative press regarding the inflated charge for larger sizes. Wonder if wonderbra will do the same?

Follow link for tips on choosing swimwear for a large bust.