The great debate of the season is the weight of catwalk models. Young models such as Lily Cole and Gemma Ward lead the way to skeletal bliss, encouraging young girls to aim for size zero figures.

I’m amazed at how insecure we teenage girls are about the shape of our bodies. It is no longer satisfactory to be a size 10 or 12, because it is the latest thing to be a size zero. Gone are the days when we were little and naïve, now it’s all about boys, make-up, skin and bone.

On the other hand, most girls don’t understand what goes into achieving a wafer like build. It’s not about sticking to your gym membership and living a healthy lifestyle as Luisel Ramos, who died during Uruguay’s fashion week, found out.

But would Alexandra Shulman ever put a full figured model on the cover of Vogue? Such thoughts are considered taboo!

However, teenage girls should have more will power and not feel as though they must be slender. Everybody has a different size and shape, hence the reason why we label shapes hourglass, pear and boyish, just to name a few.

It is unfair to put blame on the fashion industry as slim models have paraded the catwalks for decades and I doubt that things will change anytime soon.

By Petrina De Gouttes