Lately, the public has been criticizing her for gaining weight after she retired from modeling. However, even with this gain, Banks is only 160 pounds, which is considered perfectly healthy and normal for her height and age.

But this begs the question: Do we ever really see a perfectly healthy and normal model? We see the buxom and the frail on runways, but rarely do we see a normal-looking woman in the fashion industry. Today, in an effort to combat current trends, some modeling agencies have started to hire plus-sized models, who are well above the average size 8 American woman.

It is unhealthy when a model’s rib cage is visible to the world; however, it isn’t much better when her dress size is significantly larger than that of the average American woman. Why must models’ body types go from one extreme to the other?

It seems that when it comes to women’s fashion, we will not accept anything short of extraordinary. Our rationale is simple — why should we look at a model with a body we can see every day?

Many are realizing the dangerous ideas super-thin models are implanting into young teenage girls’ minds and are criticizing the fashion industry for encouraging eating disorders.

In response to this criticism, the organizers of Milan’s Fashion Week banned models who had a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18.

According to ABC News, the average runway model is estimated to have a BMI of 16, which is considered grossly underweight. Now the fashion industry is hiring plus-sized models to show they do not support eating disorders.

However, these attempts are fruitless because although anorexia and bulimia are severe problems, modeling agencies seem to forget that obesity is also dangerous to a woman’s health. The average plus-sized model is 5’11” and weighs 170 to 180 pounds which, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, means a BMI over 25.

Agencies must begin hiring normal-looking models. Average models will more accurately represent most women’s bodies and help millions of young women feel comfortable in their own skins.