Twiggy

Stick-thin 1960s British supermodel, Twiggy, says many of today’s models, actresses and celebrities are too skinny.“It’s very worrying,” Twiggy said in Los Angeles.The 57-year-old pop icon has called on fashion magazines to ban unhealthily skinny models and for the modelling industry to be regulated.Born Lesley Hornby, but given the nickname Twiggy for her reed-thin body, said she was naturally skinny when she revolutionised the fashion world in the late 1960s.“When I was modelling through 16 to 20, when I got blamed for making kids want to be thin, I ate absolutely everything, but I was naturally skinny,” she said.“I ate, but I had a really high metabolism.”Today, many models, actresses and women in the public eye have lost large amounts of weight and Twiggy, without naming names, says it is easy to spot them.“You get what I call the lollypop look,” she said.“If somebody is not naturally slender, if their head is too big for their body, the chances are they are dieting too much.”It is not just Hollywood’s young women that concern her, with Twiggy pointing to well-known actresses beyond their 20s who appear to be starving themselves.“A lot of them aren’t girls,” Twiggy continued.“They are women. You can’t believe somebody in their 30s and 40s would want to do that or go there.“It’s incredible really.”Twiggy is using her new job as a judge on reality TV show, America’s Next Top Model, seen in Australia on Foxtel’s FOX8 channel, to help educate young wannabe models about the dangers of crash diets.Along with the show’s host and founder, American supermodel Tyra Banks, Twiggy pulls contestants who appear to have lost too much weight during the pressure of the competition aside for counselling.“Tyra’s really good about that,” Twiggy said. “She really is.”Twiggy wants other influential players to step in.“I think some of the fashion magazines should take a little bit more control of it and maybe not feature anyone who looks unhealthy and the modelling industry should be regulated,” she said.