“It's Better to Be Skinny than to Be Fat,” Says Model Natalia Vodianova

Even as designers continue to use size 0 (sometimes underage) models on the catwalk, the discussion on whether the industry encourages eating disorders in young girls is heating up. Natalia Vodianova's recent comments have literally poured gasoline on the fire.

The 30-year-old Russian model and various other known faces from the industry were recently on a panel that aimed to establish what models thought of the size 0 controversy.

It took place at the London's 2012 Vogue Festival, the Daily Mail informs – and Natalia made quite an impression.

“It's better to be skinny than to be fat,” she said at one point. “Children [are] taken away from their parents because they are too fat,” Natalia added.

Taken out of context, her comment might seem like a clear case of “thinspiration,” but she wasn't talking about being skinny as a direct consequence of being sick, as is the case with some models, who can't find a better way of keeping their weight down than by putting their body through hell.

During the same discussion, Natalia highlighted her work with the Naked Heart Foundation, an international charity that helps underprivileged children in Russia, but also tackles obesity.

“It's undeniable that models are very thin, expected to be very thin, and thinner than 99.9per cent of the population. What message should you be sending out?” Calgary Avansino, the executive fashion director of Vogue, said.

Model Eva Herzigova too stressed that models are simply born with slimmer physiques, adding that this didn't necessarily mean they had health issues or eating disorders.

They simply maintain their weight by taking very good care of their body and never indulging too much in food, she added, as per the same publication.

“If I eat like a pig, I am going to feel like a pig. Sometimes I have a huge, delicious five-star dinner with my grandparents with seven courses,” Eva revealed.

“In the morning you wake up and you feel like [expletive]. If I feel like that, okay, I am not going to be able to feel good about myself. I respect my body, my body is my temple,” she said.