Spain to Size Up Fashion Industry

A study comparing clothes sizes worn by models against women's real sizes has been launched by the Spanish government in an attempt to tackle the growing rate of eating disorders among young women.

The initiative was hailed as a blow against the "dictatorship of size 36" (British size 8), which young Spanish women try to squeeze into despite the fact that they have grown bigger. The study will find out which sizes are used by fashion chains in their advertising and try to discover if the industry is helping to drive girls to anorexia or bulimia.

"The aim is to get the aesthetic ideals proposed by the fashion world to be closer to the reality of Spanish society," a spokesman said.

The ministry also hopes to sort out a perennial nightmare for shoppers the world over - the disparity between sizes sold in different shops or by different fashion brands.

The move was welcomed by groups supporting people with anorexia but designers complained that they only sold clothes that fitted their customers.

The Mango chain and Inditex - which owns the Zara fashion chain - have agreed to cooperate with the ministry.