Victoria’s Secret model Anja Rubik has been accused of promoting anorexia and starvation after she showed off her skeletal figure in a skimpy white dress at the Met Gala on Monday night.
Anja, 28, walked the red carpet in a daring silk Anthony Vaccarello gown, which was slashed to the waist to show off her prominent hipbone.
In pictures: Shocking human Barbie doll
To make matters worse, the scarily-thin model — who experts estimate has a BMI of less than 16, making her dangerously underweight — deliberately posed with her right leg sticking out of her dress to make her bones even more visible.
Her choice of dress and pose has sparked a storm of criticism, with fashion commentators, eating disorder experts and nutritionists claiming Anja made a conscious decision to flaunt her risky lifestyle.
“In exposing her body we can’t help but think or wonder what she wants us to know about her?” psychotherapist and eating disorder expert Jessica Aronson told RadarOnline.
“Her dress and leg and bone exposure is revealing and it certainly sends a message to women about thinness. And not a healthy message as in order to achieve it someone must go to extreme measures including starvation tactics and methods associated with eating disorders.”
But Anja’s weight isn’t just sending out a bad message to impressionable young women — it could literally kill her.
Nutritionist Dr Fred Pescatore says the Polish model is so underweight she is at serious risk of death.
“This photo is a cry for help. She is putting it out to the world that she is in trouble and doesn’t know what to do because she is clearly not eating,” Dr. Pescatore said.
“She can die from being this underweight, lose her bones, have her heart stop beating, miss periods, become sterile.
“This message from the fashion industry is wrong. I am the first one to stick up for thin people but she is a victim of starvation and that is a bad message.”
Anja is one of the most popular models currently working. She is the face of Fendi and Elie Saab’s perfumes and Karl Lagerfeld’s diffusion line.
In pictures: Tragic anorexic teen model dies in her sleep
She is also one of Victoria’s Secret’s “angels”, and has walked in the lingerie company’s annual catwalk show alongside Miranda Kerr and Heidi Klum.
It’s not the first time a Victoria’s Secret model has been accused of being too thin. South African beauty Candice Swanepoel was photographed looking very skinny last year, but has since put on some weight to achieve a healthier look.
Your say: Do you think the fashion industry should ban super-skinny models from working?
Video: Anja Rubik shows off her bony frame at the Met Gala
