Fashion Week and Super-Skinny Models

I thought this article on Fashion Week from the Washington Post's fashion critic was pretty interesting, despite having a silly, pun-filled headline: "Designers Face a Weighty Problem: Excuses for Hiring Super-Skinny Models Are Wearing Thin." In it, he follows the casting process for a Fashion Week runway show.

Among other things, the article talks about how, even though fashion models have always been skinnier than the average woman, in the past decade the discrepancy has become larger. Sample sizes have gone from 4/6 (which he describes as "supermodel amazons," like Tyra or Heidi I assume) to 0/2 ("stickpins" and "waifs").

He also points out a practical consideration involved in changing the industry standard that I have never thought of before:

This is the designer's dilemma: Because the size-2 models are the most popular, they have the most experience. The size-6 model is inexperienced. Hire her for aesthetic reasons and she'll stand out not only because of her size but also because she isn't as qualified.