In a condemnation of the Tommy Hilfiger fashion show, ("Fashion show at Thon sent wrong message," Feb. 25 letter) the author wrote that "by high school, 40 to 60 percent of girls feel overweight and are trying to lose weight."

He seemed to suggest that this figure is inappropriate, and that fashion shows contribute to the trend. I think it's interesting to note that, as reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Oct. 9, 2002, a mean 30 percent of girls 12- to 19-years-old are in fact overweight or at-risk (in the 85th percentile of Body Mass Index), and sometimes more than that (e.g. about 45 percent for black or Mexican-American girls of the same age).

Furthermore, obesity has been positively correlated with diabetes, heart disease and other fatal health epidemics. The point: If I was one of these girls, I guess I would want to lose weight too.