With the fashion world vertically split on this weighty issue, I because of shear curiosity tried finding out what India's top models and designers have to say about it.

To be or not to be skinny is an issue that seems to be quickly getting under the skin of all ramp blazers and gazers alike. While Madrid Fashion Week's refusal to allow waifs to waltz on the runway seems fashionably historical, the Australian and London Fashion Weeks have recently put down their heels, distancing themselves from any such interdiction.

But how relevant can the prohibition be to ensure that fashionist as from across the glamour world put their collective weight behind it? And who is responsible for models losing their sleep (and sinews) over it?

Models, not mannequins, please

If the glitterati are waking up to the nutritional needs of models, well it's about time they did too. The issue gained importance post the death of Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston, 21, who weighed a mere 38 kgs. As designer Nisha Jamval expostulates, "A model is not a piece of meat!

Okay, an obese model will not work, but you cannot be insensitive to them. They're human beings." And while top-notch fashion designer Hemant Trivedi believes that models are meant to be "divas who are unattainable", he concedes that "while being skinny helps because it means one's body doesn't interfere with the clothes, the desire to lose too much weight can take a serious turn when models start starving or smoking to kill appetite.

One mustn't forget that the clothes they showcase are meant for ordinary people," and they must therefore not look too intimidating.

Weight's the matter?

Despite the concerns, one cannot deny the fact that the profession and its demands weigh heavily on the models and some of them make no bones about it either.

Although Rathi Vinay Jha, chairperson, Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) shrugs off the issue with "I don't see any pressure being put on the models with regard to anorexia. People are that way on their own choice," models like Amanpreet Wahi paint a different picture.