In line with a directive from New York headquarters, Vogue Japan from its July issue will not feature models under 16 or who appear to have an eating disorder.
Conde Nast Publications, which publishes Vogue in 19 countries and regions, announced the policy May 3.
The fashion and lifestyle magazine wants to promote a healthier body image in the hope that readers will not go on extreme diets to emulate distorted images of women’s bodies.
Models younger than 16 will not knowingly be used, nor those who could be viewed as suffering from bulimia and other eating disorders.
"Vogue editors around the world want the magazines to reflect their commitment to the health of the models who appear on the pages and the well-being of their readers," Conde Nast said in a joint statement released in New York.
The magazine said it will call on model agencies and designers to rally around the new policy.
Vogue's announcement will likely send ripples through fashion circles as it has enormous clout in the industry, according to analysts.
The magazine, however, did not give specific figures to judge whether one is healthy or not.
Mitsuko Watanabe, editor of Vogue Japan, said the magazine values the individuality of a person, saying the concept of beauty varies from one person to the next.
"We, as creator of image, should not edit our publication in a way that would reinforce the ideal image of beauty built on lopsided ideas," Watanabe said. "We will make suggestions also for diet and health."
Vogue Japan’s July issue, to go on sale on May 28, carries an article about how six women, including models Ai Tominaga and Rie Hasegawa, approach their daily lives and health subjects under the theme of the beauty of women who have healthy eating habits.
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