That's a very stupid thing to say. First of all, there is no need to go to the extremes, every extreme is bad. Obviously a 300 lb women walking on the runway is not attractive because is NOT healthy, the same thing goes to a 80lb woman, they are NOT beautiful because is no healthy. But a healthy, well proportionate woman, is beautiful. Someone like Kate Winslet, Salma Hayek, Jennifer Lopez... should be the kind of woman portrait on the runway; not those super thin girls. By the way the close does not even look good on them.

wooooahhhh. hasn't everyone learned by not to generalize? That is a far out remark that I am sad to say, i wasn't shocked by. He's just kind of a huge pig.

I personally like to see thin, HEALTHY models. they would be brandished as plus size, but when i think plus size i see women who wear plus size clothing, not a size 6.

First, there is a big difference between curvy and fat. They are not interchangeable.

Clothes look amazing on curvy women like J. Lo, Beyonce or Christina Hendricks. Clothes look better on them than the super skinny sickly models I see on the runway. In my opinion, the models do the clothes a great disservice.

I think all that botox went to his brain..for him to make such a statement!! JMO.

This is just ridiculous. Critics of super-skinny models are not asking designers to throw obese or even overweight women on the runway. They're only asking for size 6 to be accepted as normal (yeah, anything over a 4 is plus size). I don't understand why there is such a huge backlash in the fashion world over using some healthier looking girls on the runway. Maybe some girls are healthy at a very low weight, but most are not. This just ends up making models sick and making women everywhere believe that they are ugly, often causing them to fall prey to eating disorders.

Also, Karl and Anna need to shut up. Honestly? Neither of them are much to look at. For them to run around calling everyone ugly is just hypocritical.

Agree Simplyfab! People tell me I'm thin and I'm definitely curvy too. Healthy doesn't mean fat anymore than it means super skinny

Hahaha ... I'm sorry, I cannot look at this guy's face without laughing.

I think it's funny that people are surprised by his comment. Consider the source.

While I think it is a little silly to say that "no one" wants to see curvy women, it's not surprising that Karl would say this.

The term "curvy" is often misused. I hate when magazines label the overweight people as curvy. When I think of curvy I think of someone with an hourglass figure, not a lumpy round person.

Obesity is an issue that should be tackled because it causes so many other serious health problems.

My guess is Karl just said that because he prefers the physiques of teenage boys. Not many women can attain that.

Yeah Karl isn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box. Isn't he the same genius that said his models weren't too skinny, they had skinny bones?

I'm not surprised that Karl would say such a thing, however, I am disappointed that this idea of ideal beauty still exists.

although harsh, hes just being honest.

runway models arent supposed to make us feel better, theyre there to give us an idea of how a dress for example would look on a body. not my body, not your body, just a body.

thats why when you go shopping theres different sizes to accomodate you, runway models are sample size. i dont know what the big deal is.

being fat is not healthy, and i you think it is then youre in denial about your situation.
neither is being like 70 lbs obviously.

Please Mr. Lagerfeld the way you look it makes me want to feed you chips by the bag. I have hips and thighs and don't discriminate against pies. I'm not ashamed to say I'm curvy.

America does have an obesity problem. Obesity isn't simply overweight, it's a disease not because it looks fat or unattractive. The problem is fatal instead of superficial. There are way too many people who munch on an 800 calories meal and then order a diet coke and who don't bother walking to the grocery store instead of driving for the half mile.

Also, considering context that most Europeans, the French for example, are generally thinner and healthier, because their culture involves taking the public transportation and riding their bikes to work, eating appropriate portions and putting in effort to stay healthy. "Curvy" to them might just mean overweight and unattractive.

um, l3tranger, thanks for the social commentary.

I, as an American, am very fit. I bike 150+ miles/ week, run 30+ miles/ week, and swim 6000M+/ week. I'm fit but I am by no means thin enough (leaving height out of it) to be a model.

There is SO much inbetween what Mr. Lagerfield thinks is appropriate (stick thin models) and the morbidly obese. In fact, I think most of us fall inbetween those two extremes.

As many of the posters here said --- curvy does not equal fat.

i see this brings up the usual comments of how "obesity" and "fat" are horrible problems and need to be not tolerated and eradicated from America.
while i appreciate the reminders in case i was inclined to forget, i believe Karl's quote as regarding "curvy" women.

thank you, choco, for summing up when I tried to say more succinctly

Did Karl forget that he himself used to be fat?

What a d-bag.

lol thanks for the picture, thats pretty funny.

I think he's right though (for very different reasons though), models are supposed to be like wire hangers, and not take away from the clothes.

If a woman with a gorgeous figure wears these designer pieces the next morning all the papers will focus on her shape and not the item...look at how models like Naomi Campbell, Adriana Lima, Elle McPherson have transcended designers and its all about how they walked, their perfect curves and gorgeous eyes. Most people see past the clothes and focus on them.

IMO, models should be plain (and by plain I don't mean ugly, I mean generic enough that you can't even tell them apart after they've left the runway...except by describing what she was wearing), rail thin, and basically be a canvas to showcase designer works and hair/makeup creativity.

This comment also rubbed me the wrong way. No one wants to see J Lo or Beyonce? As if.

Size 2 can be very pretty, but it's not the only pretty. I have noticed that many gay men tend to find the most beauty in women with the physique of teenage boys. That's fine, it's his opinion - but I disagree.

I agree that many of the women that hate on models are doing so to justify their own larger weight. But, they're also entitled to their opinion. I think that men, generally speaking, find beauty in a much narrower range of women.

I don't know I think they should put all types of women in the runway thin and curvy. He is just analyzing one side point of view. There is always the "She is too thin" when girls are just naturally thin like that, or hey some people want to look 'perfect' or whatever. But I think healthy people in general would be good. You can't blame someone for being thin and you can't blame someone for being curvy. But yeah pointing the finger doesn't count being obese is another issue, and being anorexic is another issue. What happened with natural shape?

I understand that this cadaver Mr. Lagerfeld may have a professional opinion but maybe one of his yes men could grow some balls and explain to him that there is a huge difference between full figured women with curves and obese women with unhealthy rolls packed around their torso. Sorry if that stung some in defence of others but let's be honest full figured is not a problem unhealthy weight is. Unhealthy weight is not what we see in plus sized models.

I think that what he said was really foolish (due to the generalization of it) however, I've been told time and time again that it's more practical for runway and such to have skinnier models who are essentially all a size 2 or smaller.

On the other side, I don't like how people seem to think that anything over a size 4 is a plus size. I've had an eating disorder since I was 14 years old and it's never gone away, no matter how hard I've tried to get help or put it past me. Comments such as Lagerfeld's are the reason why I started to freak out about my size/weight.

Talk about calling the Kettle Black! He used to be overweight himself and slimmed himself down by literally starving himself. He is a foolish man- just because he makes greart clothes doesnt mean he knows jack squat about life. Ladies of all shapes, sizes and color, do not listen to his foolish words. Just keep on living your life!

I agree that thin models make clothes look best on the catwalk. Thighs rubber together down the runway just aren't a good look and thin frames tend to be able to pull of most looks, while curvier figures only suit certain styles.

Why is anyone taking this man seriously? He's just mad because he's hungry.

sooo...WHY IS HE USING LILY ALLEN AS THE FACE OF THE CHANEL AD CAMPAIGN? Lily had her own problems with her weight and is not a size 0! She looks great and he should think before he speaks, as it will effect some of his friends too.

a little rude, although maybe it was taken out of context.

LOL. I love when Karl Lagerfeld weighs in the on fat debate (no pun intended). It's always so hilarious!

Obviously, I'm in the minority but I think Lagerfeld is correct when he says "nobody wants to see curvy women". Plus sized models have a place but it is certainly not at Chanel resort wear show. Anybody who thinks that "curvy" women have a place in haute couture is seriously deluding themselves. Fashion has always utilized tall thin women to display their clothing so why change it?

Our society is far too concerned about harming young minds and hurting our own egos. People spend far too much time playing the victim and trying to place the blame for their own self-esteem issues on the media. If you wanted to be thin you would put down that bag of doritos and hope on the treadmill.

Curvy is one thing. Fat is another. The modeling industry is a whole other world. I don't think it needs to reflect the average woman necessarily. I don't agree with using models that are so thin they look like they might snap in two, but using plus size models (larger than a size 6) really might not be the best way to exhibit his designs. Haute couture in particular is not designed for larger bodies.

Anomymous said "If you wanted to be thin you would put down that bag of doritos and hope on the treadmill."
Well, I don't eat Doritos and I do utalize the treadmill, and I will still always be "curvy". I've been a size 3 and a size 10 and everything in between and still had an hourglass figure...I think the debate (as many pointed out) was over the term "curvy" being used in his comment vs. the image of "fat" people tend to wrongly associate it with.
As for whether curvy women should be used on a runway, I would say it depends on the clothes being modeled. I personally don't like the look of models that resemble Skeletor, but most clothes do look best on thin(note:thin, not sickly)models. Why not use curvy models for certain designs? Many dresses, for example, tend to look best on women with a little curve.

I would rather look at healthy models with curvy bodies than a too skinny straight figured model with the body of a teenage boy.

I do agree that America needs to address our obesity problem though.

Hahaha great pic Whiplash! I miss Fat Karl

weel since he was a FAT MUMMY once I don't see what his problem is or maybe it's his self hatred coming up. It's amazing how all these gay fashion designers have popularized the skinny, twinky teenage boy look something that's sexy to them and not so sexy to most people ugh. Curvy women are so much hotter than those sickly looking models

Karl used Lara Stone in his Spring 2009 show, and she's curvy. I'm wondering if something got lost in translation . . . sometimes "curvy" gets thrown around as a euphemism for "fat," so I don't think he was using it in the way that many people think he was. I'm not standing up for him; his comment was offensive. But considering his current muse is Lily Allen, I don't think he actually has a problem with curvy women, in the true sense of the word.

i hate the term "real women" so much! sorry i'm skinny, i guess that means i'm not a real woman. guess i should fatten up.

Wow, that guy needs to start walking around with a bag over his head. That is one offensive mug. NO ONE needs to see that!

this is the unfortunate society in which we live, where "real women" or "healthy women" are virtually construed as being "plus sized." what does size have to do with anything, anyway? certainly obesity and anorexia are issues that many face in the US. i feel both conditions deserve to be addressed in the public health arena.

what's being suggested is a healthy model, not one that's overweight or underweight.
as a former anorexic, i know that being underweight is VERY unhealthy, and causes cardiac and digestive problems. being overweight also is unhealthy (duh).
every body is different as far as what's underweight/overweight, but as a whole i think a healthier model would not be the end of the world.

And, he knows what people want to look at, which is why he made himself look like such a freak.