Dear Donatella,
I read that your daughter Allegra is in the hospital for anorexia, is down to 70 lbs., and being tube fed. I am so sorry to hear that. She is a beautiful girl and I hope she makes it and recovers from this deadly disorder. So here is why I am writing this letter to you.
I remember going into the Versace store in Los Angeles and looking at the gorgeous clothes. I've been a Versace fan for a long time. I noticed that the only clothes being displayed were size 0 or 2 at the largest. I am a size 8. The sales gal came over to me and very discreetly told me that they had larger sizes in the back, if I needed. As if a size larger than a 2 should be hidden in the back because it doesn't represent the Versace image. I believe the store mannequins are a size 0 or 00. I left the store feeling low.
So, Donatella, here is your own daughter suffering from the effects of low self esteem put on her partly by the Versace image. As a woman, as a Mother, and as one of the most famous fashion designers on the planet, you have the power to change things. I am a therapist specializing in treating people with eating disorders and I can tell you that some of the damage done is by the fashion industry. The way I felt leaving your store must be the way a lot of us normal weighted women feel when constantly confronted with size 0 images of what is beautiful.
I propose that you use what is happening to your daughter as a sign that things in the Versace house need to change. Be the leader in the fashion industry, Donatella, and start designing for real women. Replace the f....ing size 0 mannequins with size 6 or 8 or God forbid even 10. Start using healthy models to walk the runway. Be the leader and change things for the sake of your child and for the other mothers out there who are going through what you are right now.
And by the way, I don't mean start Versace Woman. You know, the spin off line for large ladies. I mean change Versace period. Make clothes that flatter women who are at a healthy, fit weight. You know, most of us human females. If you lead, maybe the others will follow. You are in a unique position to do some real good.
Best to you and especially to your daughter.
Sincerely,
Irene Rubaum-Keller, LMFT