Supermodel Gisele Bundchen says those in the fashion industry are not the ones to blame for the rising problem of anorexia, but parents are.
"I never suffered from this problem (anorexia) because I had a very strong family base. Parents are responsible, not the fashion industry," she told O Globo newspaper in Friday's edition.
The former girlfriend of actor Leonardo DiCaprio said being a model is a question of genetics, Reuters reported.
"Everybody knows that the norm in fashion is thin. But excuse me, there are people born with the right genes for this profession," she said.
After Brazilian fashion model Ana Carolina Reston died last year from anorexia, criticism against the industry for hiring waifish models has been steadily increasing.
In September, Spain banned too-skinny models from fashion shows in Madrid.
Gisele, 26, who was ranked 16 on Forbes list of the 20 richest women in entertainment recently, is a native of Brazil.
She was visiting her home country this week for Fashion Rio, an event that has banned models under 16 and now requires proof of their good health.
Gisele said that as a child her peers teased her for being skinny. They called her names like Olive Oil, the character from the Popeye cartoon, but the fashion industry made her feel accepted.
"I never felt lonely because I always relied on my family."
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