AS THE most biting judge on TV’s “Project Runway,’’ fashion designer Michael Kors knows the power of well-chosen words. To his credit, he’s now using his voice to try to change the fashion industry’s pernicious effect on body image. At a forum at Harvard Business School this week, in conjunction with the Harris Center for the treatment and prevention of eating disorders, Kors declared that he wants to eliminate the “army of children’’ that abounds in fashion shows and photo shoots. From now on, he said, he’ll no longer hire models who are younger than 16.

As a step toward reform, that seems almost absurdly small. Still, any modest change and the attention it draws will be useful for an industry known for putting immense physical pressure on women and girls. Child stars abound in sports and the arts, but it’s their skills, not their bodies, that count. Models are essentially walking clothes hangers, made to conform to physical ideals that are unrealistic at best and shockingly unhealthy at worst. Many of them suffer from eating disorders, a fact the fashion industry long ignored. Recently, industry leaders have begun to face the problem more directly; three years ago, the Council of Fashion Designers created a task force to look into models’ health.
But far better than a study group — or an arbitrary minimum age — is a newfound interest, among a few bold designers, in using models who better reflect the women who actually purchase couture. During London Fashion Week in February, designer Mark Fast used size 10 and 12 models for his runway show. In fashion shows in Paris and Milan this winter, some models in their 30s and 40s strutted down the catwalks.

As with any change to an insular culture, there will be resistance; a year earlier, when Fast also used “plus size’’ models, his creative director quit in protest. Fast was undeterred, and a trend seems to be taking hold. “Adults are in vogue. What a shock,’’ Kors quipped to the crowd at Harvard on Monday. What’s sad is that real-sized models still are rare enough to be newsworthy boston