Size zero debate fuels research

It is not often that female models are the subject of business school research and even rarer for that research to receive international recognition. But Ben Barry, a PhD student at the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge, in the UK, has become the first man to receive an award from the Canadian Governor General that honours individuals for their contribution to the advancement of women in Canada.

The research, which Mr Barry is conducting at the same time as running his own modelling agency, centres on the role and relevance of models in the fashion industry in eight countries. His own agency in Canada uses models of all ages, sizes and race to challenge the size zero convention.

Mr Mill’s supervisor at the Judge, Simon Bell, says the study reflects the school’s commitment to a research agenda that combines academic standards with business relevance. “Through his research Ben is able to directly apply his innovative findings to his business and the industry with remarkable success – economically and socially.”

The Canadian Governor General’s Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case Youth Award was set up in 1979 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of women being given the right to be recognised as persons and thus eligible to sit in the Senate.

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