Last year it was only a rumour; today a reality.

Madrid Fashion Week has seriously changed the way they select their models.

In the last week, 3 out of 10 models have been rejected for this week's Pasarela Cibeles, creating shock, outrage and anger among models, agencies, and designers.

And it's not hard to see why. Suddenly, even a small fish like Cibeles, has changed the rules of the game overnight.

With the rise of the English super-model Twiggy in the 60s, who became famous at the age of 16 with her stick-thin pubescent body, the 'obligation' to look ultra-thin began and everyone in the business followed suit.

We all know it's easy to be thin. You either stop eating or take drugs to curb your appetite.

Most women can attest to the fact that from the young age of 10 or 12, we started dieting to look like the girls and women in the fashion magazines.

But unfortunately it didn't end there.

Normal, mature, healthy adult women continue the process they began, even though it's harder and harder to live up to these unattainable standards as they get older, and diet, over-exercise, or engage in destructive activities such as drug use or succumb to eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, which can result in osteoporosis, fertility problems, or even death.

What's more heartbreaking is that in the majority of cases, these addictions are rarely overcome in a lifetime so that what began as adolescent behaviour continues throughout adulthood.

The organizers of Cibeles have courageously taken responsibility for the image of beauty that they portray.

Whether we want to accept responsibility for it or not, fashion is a mirror of what society believes 'is' the standard of beauty with its obvious and predictable results.

At the same time, fashion is a huge money making industry where designers, agencies, models, and the media benefit by continuing these standards and have much to lose if things begin to change.

But no one is to blame. Designers are taught to create their collections on waif-like mannequins where their garments simply 'fall' in the right places, later to be used on models who are extremely tall, flat-chested, have small or non-existent buttocks, hips, and stomachs. absolutely the opposite of normal, healthy women.

Modeling agencies have simply found the 'right fit' for their need and the thinnest models have consequently become the most well-paid in the industry.

And the media has been right behind, on television and in print, selling these unhealthy, unrealistic, and unattainable images for years.

They've fuelled the problem and created a society that accepts these standards and strives to be like the 'flesh and bone' models they see everywhere.

What Cibeles is doing is just a beginning and long overdue. Unfortunately, other leading catwalks such as New York or London haven't shown signs of following their lead.

But I'm heartened to learn that the mayor of Milan has said that she will seek a similar ban for her city's show unless it finds a solution to 'sick' looking models.

I'm still waiting for the day when designers create for women with average but beautiful bodies and where models look like the 'girl next door' because only then, will all women accept and love their bodies free from unreasonable and unnecessary complexes and hang-ups.

[This article first appeared on the Expatica website]