ULTRA-thin is not in, especially so in India. 

Size-zero bodies a la Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor may look good on entertainment spreads, but they are are pushing Indian women towards excessive dieting, and what's more, being 'un Indian', warn doctors and nutritionists.

University of Wisconsin researcher Shelly Grabe and psychology professor Janet Hyde have found that ultra-thin images of actresses and models made women resort to unhealthy practices like excessive dieting.

They analysed 77 previous studies involving over 15,000 subjects.

In India, the media has been starry-eyed about Kareena's lean looks in her recent release 'Tashan'.

This trend is an about-turn from earlier decades when Bollywood prided itself on its well-endowed curvaceous women, the symbol of traditional Indian femininity.

Ironically, France, the place where 'size zero' in fashion originated, is now planning a ban on media images glamourising skinny women after researchers found enough evidence to 'implicate' media role in heightening women's concern about their bodies.

Photograph: Getty Images

In the photograph: A size zero model is still much in demand in international fashion.