Just under a decade after Tyra Banks crowned her the winner of cycle six of “America’s Next Top Model,” Dani Evans, known on the show as Danielle, slams her Instagram critics after fans allege she not only has an eating disorder but has bleached her skin. On Tuesday, the 28-year-old Little Rock, Arkansas, native responded.
“To all the simpletons who constantly comment with pseudo concern about my physical appearance now, vs 10 years ago — it’s called maturing and gracefully aging. I thought we all learned this basic fact in third grade. So let’s stop with the belligerent comments about me needing to eat and the absurd questions if I’m bleaching my skin,” wrote Evans, who has modeled for Y-3, Baby Phat and more.
“To answer both — I have impeccable genetics and a superlative dermatologist,” she added. Evans ended her message with a warning: “Cease with the foolishness or you will get blocked.”
According to her agent, Vision Los Angeles, Evans who is 5-foot-11 with a 24-inch waist and 35-inch hips, wears a size 2. A size very common for her line of work. But is it too thin?
Evans’ recent controversy follows just days after France passed a law outlawing excessively thin models and threatened to impose fines on agencies and fashion houses who continue to employ them. In compliance with the law, models must present medical proof of a BMI of at least 18 percent in order to book a job. Should any fashion houses and agency professionals overlook the new law, they could face fines up to $82,000 or six months in the slammer.
Unfortunately for Evans, Tuesday wasn’t the first time she found herself under fire over her slim figure. In August 2013, the Skinny on Getting In author addressed similar concerns about her appearance. “In case you didn’t know it is highly rude to comment on my weight as if I have an eating disorder or [am] unhealthy. That would be the same as me telling a fat chick she needs to lose weight because her size is unhealthy. Thanks but no thanks for the concern,” Evans wrote. “All is well.”
Just in case you were wondering, according to Livestrong ” a healthy BMI is anything between 18.5 and 24.9, which translates to 132 to 167 pounds for an individual who is 5-foot-10. And while it would seem that this new ruling would open the door for more “real women,” we can’t help but wonder if it’s too late to alter such a strong precedent in the fashion industry. Do you think fashion houses will comply? Or do they have enough resources (income) to bypass the new regulation?
