Last updated at 17:37 25 September 2007

This is the latest shock image to

jolt the fashion industry into

action over the problem of

anorexia.

The picture of emaciated

Isabelle Caro, 27, an anorexic

who weighs just 31 kilos (4 stone,

12lb), has been displayed on

Milan billboards as the city

celebrates its fashion week.

Caro, who is French and has

her own blog site, said that she

had suffered from anorexia since

she was 13 as the result of a

"difficult childhood".

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She added: "I've hidden myself

and covered myself for too long.

Now I want to show myself

fearlessly, even though I know my

body arouses repugnance.

"I want to recover because I

love life and the riches of the

universe. I want to show young

people how dangerous this

illness is."

Should size zero models be banned from the catwalk? Join the debate in readers' comments below...

The campaign was paid for by

Italian clothing company Flash &

Partners to publicise a fashion

brand for young women called

Nolita and the photograph was

taken by Italian photographer

Oliviero Toscani.

Flash & Partners said in a statement

that Toscani's aim was "to

use the naked body to show

everyone the reality of this

illness, caused in most cases by

the stereotypes imposed by the

world of fashion".

Many people blame the fashion

industry and the obsession with

stick-thin size zero models for

the rise in cases of anorexia.

Calls for action within the

British fashion industry led to a

full-scale investigation into the

problems by a panel of experts

this year.

The report by the Model Health

Inquiry, which was published

last week on the eve of London

Fashion Week, made 14

recommendations including requiring

models to pass medical checks

before being allowed on the

catwalk and barring appearances

from those under 16.

Unveiling the report, chairman

of the inquiry, Baroness

Kingsmill, slammed the fashion

world for allowing young girls to

be exploited. "Just because modelling is seen

as glamorous, [the industry]

seems to think it is outside

normal health and safety issues,"

she said. "It is time it started taking care

of its workers."

But London has failed to go as

far as Madrid and Milan, where

the authorities have banned the

appearance of ultra-skinny

models on catwalks by forcing models

to carry certificates proving they

are healthy.

The move, which dominated

Milan Fashion Week last year,

followed the death of 22-year-old

model Luisel Ramos, who

collapsed at a show in Uruguay. It

was claimed she had gone days

without eating properly.

Speaking at the time, Tiziana

Maiolo, Milan's city council

official in charge of promoting

fashion, said: "We will work together

with modelling agencies, with

the chamber of commerce for

fashion and with doctors to

ensure that the agencies and

stylists do not favour this

phenomenon of anorexia.

"I don't think men want to see

skeletal women and I want to

say to women who are fuller-

figured there is absolutely

nothing wrong with this. They are

undoubtedly the prettiest

women about and the most

intelligent."

Despite this, fashion designers

in Milan dismissed fashion as

having anything to do with the

illness. Commenting on the poster

Giorgio Armani said he thought

such a shocking image was

'opportune' as a way of making

people face up to the dangers of

anorexia, which he said had

little to do with models on

catwalks.

He added: "Anorexia has

reasons which are not linked to

fashion. Even people who take

no notice of fashion get

anorexic."

Designers Domenico Dolce and

Stefano Gabbana said: "Finally

someone is saying the truth

about anorexia that it has

nothing to do with fashion but is

a psychiatric problem.

"We have always maintained

this despite all the political

campaigns on the argument."

However, Italy's health

minister Livia Turco backed the

campaign and said: "The disturbing

image of Isabelle Caro could

open an original channel for

communication and encourage

people to shoulder their

responsibilities in the area of

anorexia."