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Fans of America’s Next Top Model will see a few twists with Bravo’s new reality show Make Me a Supermodel, premiering Jan. 10.

Hoping to set itself apart from the competition, the show, hosted by supermodels Tyson Beckford and Niki Taylor, includes both male and female models and lets viewers decide who wins the $100,000 prize.

But one thing viewers won’t see are too-skinny models. Judges for the show eliminated one woman who hoped to make it to the final 14 because she was judged to be too thin. And none of the final 14 models are younger than 19. In an interview with ETonline, Beckford said:

“We definitely want to set a good example and let people know that the eating disorder models are not what’s hot. I don’t care what they think. It is not hot to me to be anorexic. And to those designers that are still using them, shame on them.”

Bravo introduced its new series last week with a behind-the-scenes look at its nationwide casting calls and the final selection process. Frankly, I thought more than a few model wannabes – including a few who made it to the final 14 – appeared overly thin and certainly none of the models remotely resemble even the new “plus-size.” And while the judges did say the one woman was too thin, they advised another already-svelte contender that she needed to lose weight.

Of course, we should all keep in mind that weight isn’t always an indicator of an eating disorder. People of all sizes and shapes can be eating disordered, and eating disorders can be serious and even deadly at all weights.

The show seems to be responding to recent changes across the worldwide modeling scene. In September 2006, organizers of the Madrid Fashion Week enacted a new regulation banning models with a BMI of less than 18. The World Health Organization says that a BMI below 18.5 signifies underweight.

The 2006 death of Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston spurred Italian government officials to ban the hiring of models under the age of 16 and to specify that all models be checked for eating disorders.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) thus far have spurned any legislative attempts to regulate the use of models, but early last year did release recommendations targeting healthier models. The suggestions, which are not mandatory, include keeping models under the age of 16 off the runway, educating industry professionals to identify eating disorders, developing workshops on eating disorder awareness, and to require models identified as eating disordered to receive professional help.

For more on recent regulations, read here or here.

Bravo’s new show is hardly the poster show for diversity – of the 14 models selected, only two appear to be non-Caucasian and all models are very, very thin. But while the fashion industry has been glacial in adjusting to a less-thin thin model, the show’s exclusion of an overly-thin model and children in its competition is encouraging.

Change takes time, even in the fast-paced world of fashion. Hopefully other designers take heed of this new and more positive direction forward.