New research from the London School of Economics suggests images of too-skinny models does psychological damage to young women. Here, models walk the Stella McCartney fall-winter show in Paris March 5.

By Justin Fenner, Styleite

New research from the London School of Economics says that if the U.K. government wanted to prevent fashion brands and talent agencies from using super-skinny models, it would be justified by the fact that imagery of too-thin women actually does appreciable psychological damage to women and young girls.

The Guardian reports that LSE’s study — the first known economic analysis of anorexia — found that reducing the number of images of skinny women on television and in magazines would “lift some of the social pressure women feel to be thin.” And because of that, the study suggests that new laws that put limits on how thin a model can be would be worth the effort.

“Government intervention to adjust individual biases in self-image would be justified to curb the spread of a potential epidemic of food disorders,” they write in their paper, to be published in the academic journal Economica later this year.

“The distorted self-perception of women with food disorders and the importance of the peer effects may prompt governments to take action to influence role models and compensate for social pressure on women driving the trade-off between ideal weight and health.”

Government officials in Europe and the United States have been working to curb the appearances of images of unrealistically thin women in the media over the past few years. In 2008 the French Parliament made it illegal to display images of “extreme thinness,” and Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority has been banning images of skinny women left and right. The idea has even gained some traction here in the United States, but there’s not a law on the books about how thin a model should or shouldn’t appear to be in images.

But now that the research has been done, how long do you think it’ll be before we’ve got a law that says models should look healthy instead of emaciated?

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Versace, WireImage

Like mother, like daughter? The Young Versace spring/summer 2012 campaign features 10-year old Kaia Gerber, the daughter of Cindy Crawford.

UPDATED Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. ET: Supermodel Cindy Crawford told The Daily Front Row, a magazine distributed at New York Fashion Week, that the media blew her daughter's modeling "career" out of proportion.

"Kaia isn't modeling per se — she doesn't have a portfolio or an agent," Crawford said in the interview. "She did one picture and it ended up going everywhere! I didn't quite understand how much media play it would get."

It sounds like little Kaia has a sense of humor about the career that made her mom a star as a teenager. Crawford told writer Eddie Roche: "She kind of jokingly said — I'm not even sure if it was jokingly — 'I might model first because you don't know how to do anything, but then I want to be a baby nurse.'"

While last month Crawford seemed excited that her 10-year-old daughter was following in her footsteps, she is putting a possible career on hold until Kaia is older.

“At this point, she's too young to pursue a career," she told The Daily. "There aren't even a handful of jobs for a 10-year-old girl. But if she's 17 and wants to try it, of course, what can I say?"

Why 17 and not 16 or 18? Perhaps because Crawford started her own career at 17, when she was the runner-up in Elite's Look of the Year contest.

What do you think of her decision? Vote in our poll and tell us in the comment section below.

Original report: Well, you can definitely blame this one on genes.

Versace just revealed the face of their advertising campaign for the new Young Versace line, and it’s none other than 10-year-old Kaia Gerber, the gorgeous offspring of supermodel (and Gianna Versace muse) Cindy Crawford and her husband, Rande Gerber.

"Like her mother, Kaia has a very special gift. The camera really, really loves her," said Donatella Versace said in a statement. "Having Cindy on set for the shoot took me back to all the amazing Avedon shoots we worked on together. It was such a special treat watching Kaia walk in her mother's footsteps!"

Cindy seems just as excited to have her daughter follow in her glamorous footsteps. "There is something so very special about the House of Versace," Crawford said in a press release, according to The Huffington Post. "Being on set with my daughter, watching her in front of the camera was a fantastic experience. I am so proud of her."

The line, aimed at lucky (and affluent) little boys and girls up to age 12, will be available at the Versace Young boutique in Milan and in select stores.

Versace is just one of many high-end labels to tackle the childrens' wear market this past year. Lanvin, Stella McCartney and Diane von Furstenberg also announced plans to release lines for the little ones.

As Styleite pointed out, the best thing about this photo — besides Kaia's clear resemblence to her mother — is the fact that she's wearing socks with sandals. Can we expect a cozy summer sandal trend?

Courtesy of Versace

Kaia Gerber, daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, is quite the natural at modeling.

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 Beyoncé album promo criticized for alleged skin lightening
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beyonceonline.com

Does Beyonce look too light? The pop star is being criticized for her latest album promo ad.

Did Beyoncé opt for a lighter shade on her newest album promo ad? The new mom is being heavily criticized for what appears to be artificially lightened skin on the cover of her album “4.” The scantily-clad singer is shown posing in a sexy bodysuit, resting on a leopard skin sofa, with her face a noticeably lighter color than the bottom half of her body. Critics are concerned the ad is reminiscent of the pop star’s 2008 controversy, in which L’Oreal was accused of altering her skin tone in Feria hair color advertisements.

“It appears Beyoncé — or her producers — have not learned their lesson,” writes the Daily Mail.

(At the time, L’Oreal denied digitally making Beyonce’s skin fairer, and Beyonce herself never addressed the issue.)

Others, however, are defending the new album promo, stating that the altered color is likely the result of harsh studio lighting. “The photographer probably got his lighting kit too close to Beyonce’s upper half and washed her out a touch too much,” writes Styleite.com. “Beyonce has never been more herself or more in control of her image than she is right now…We just don’t think she would lie about herself to promote something so real by altering the way she looks.”

Skin lightening in the magazine and ad industry has become a big issue in recent years, with stars such as Gabourey Sidibe, Freida Pinto and Aishwarya Rai stuck in the middle of it.  As the Huffington Post pointed out, it’s still a highly-controversial issue that requires the outmost in sensitivity.

"Colorism is unfortunately still an issue today. Dark skin is considered less than light skin in the in the minds of many in our community and in the media," Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry, co-directors and co-producers of the documentary "Dark Girls," told The Grio.

What do you think? Does Beyonce look much lighter?

Rina Raphael is a TODAY.com editor who once proudly spent two months mastering the "Single Ladies" dance.

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Happy birthday to style icon (and first lady) Michelle Obama!

Target

Ryan's mother says "the whole process of modeling is an extreme confidence booster" for the young model.

By Julia Rubin, Styleite

For all the controversy surrounding some child models, it gives us great pleasure to dote on the latest pint-size star. His name is Ryan, and he has Down syndrome.

The adorable 6-year-old’s latest modeling gig is for Target, and he also appeared in a Nordstrom catalog this past summer. Daddyblogger Noah’s Dad posted both of the photos, and Ryan’s proud mom commented:

We are very pleased that Nordstrom placed Ryan in their catalog. The whole process of modeling is an extreme confidence booster for him. He received so much warmth and caring from the Nordstrom crew that he thought they were there just for him! We are honored that Ryan is making the Down Syndrome community proud. He is a beautiful boy inside and out. He makes us better parents, and a better family.

Nordstrom

Nordstrom's newest pint-size model, Ryan, is just one of the gang.

The best thing about Target and Nordstrom’s casting of Ryan is that he’s not singled out in any way — he’s just another super cute kid smiling for the camera. The ads are inclusive, yet they aren’t trying to prove a point. They come across as completely ordinary, which in this case is a really wonderful thing.

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Proctor & Gamble / Styleite.com

Is Taylor Swift's latest ad too Photoshopped? The National Advertising Division thinks so.

By Verena von Pfetten, Styleite

Following in the footsteps of their ad-regulating colleagues across the pond, the National Advertising Division has banned a CoverGirl campaign featuring celebrity spokesperson Taylor Swift due to excessive Photoshopping. In other words, if you thought Swift’s lashes looked too good to be true, you’re right.

The ad in question was for NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara, which CoverGirl claimed delivered “superior performance” in doubling the volume of bare lashes and offering a 20 percent lighter formula than “the most expensive mascara” on the market. Unfortunately, the lashes on display in the ad aren’t courtesy of this miracle mascara; Swift’s “lashes [were] enhanced in post production” — at least according to the fine print at the bottom of the image.

According to NAD, it is “well-established that product demonstrations in advertisements must be truthful and accurate and cannot be enhanced,” which is to say: Photoshop is not allowed. And while the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority has been banning ads left and right, this is the first crackdown by NAD on a major campaign.

NAD’s director Andrea Levine told Business Insider, “You can’t use a photograph to demonstrate how a cosmetic will look after it is applied to a woman’s face and then – in the mice type – have a disclosure that says ‘OK, not really.’”

Case in point: An ad for a Maybelline anti-aging product featuring Christy Turlington and Julia Roberts was banned over the summer for “digitally retouching” their skin.

But not all ads are bad because they’ve been digitally altered. Just last month, the British Advertising Standards Authority banned a Miu Miu ad featuring "True Grit" star Hailee Steinfeld because it “depicted a child in an unsafe position.” Steinfeld was photographed crying while perched on a set of empty train tracks.

Related: Dakota Fanning fragrance ad banned for ‘sexualizing a child’
Julia Roberts’ anti-aging ad under fire for excessive photoshopping
 'True Grit' star Hailee Steinfeld’s fashion ad banned

By Verena von Pfetten, Styleite

Marc Jacobs' ads have a tendency to make us blush, but we never thought they were racy enough to get banned. However, the British Advertising Standards Authority disagrees: They have just shut down an ad for the Jacobs' fragrance Oh, Lola, featuring 17-year-old Dakota Fanning.

In the ad, Fanning is shown holding an oversize bottle of the fragrance, placed right between her legs. Earlier this summer, many criticized Marc Jacobs for what they deemed a provocative and inappropriate ad.

Marc Jacobs

Too grown up? Dakota Fanning is the new face for Marc Jacobs' new perfume, Oh, Lola!

The ASA told the Telegraph:

"We noted that the model was holding up the perfume bottle which rested in her lap between her legs and we considered that its position was sexually provocative. We understood the model was 17 years old but we considered she looked under the age of 16. We considered that the length of her dress, her leg and position of the perfume bottle drew attention to her sexuality. Because of that, along with her appearance, we considered the ad could be seen to sexualise a child."

Coty, the makers of the fragrance, defended the ad, calling it "provoking, but not indecent".

It's certainly provocative — that bottle placement was no accident and Jacobs, at the time of launch, admitted to WWD he was making a conscious Lolita reference, saying, "I knew [Dakota] could be this contemporary Lolita, seductive yet sweet" — but does it cross a line?

More from Styleite: Marc Jacobs Gets Naked To Sell New Cologne
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Summer's Eve, the makers of lady freshness products in scents like "Delicate Blossom" and "Morning Paradise," have kicked up something of a controversy over a new set of video ads.

The three spots -- each featuring a woman's talking hand of different ethnicities -- are being called out for the racially stereotypical voicing of each character's monologue. There's an African-American hand, called "Lady Wowza" who's suggests freshening before a night at the club, a presumably Latina hand called "Leopard Thong" who breaks into fast-paced Spanish rant at the end and a non-specific Caucasian hand named "BFF."  

The campaign, called "Hail to the V," is aimed at selling their cleansers, woman to woman. 

Watch the spots here and let us know what you think of the ads -- are they a down-under blunder?

Lady Wowza's ad: 

Leopard Thong's ad:

BFF's ad: 

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