Thinner and unhealthier models treading the catwalk: a societal vicious circle?

“Shrink your belly!”, “Slim body, fat wallet” or “Why don’t I lose weight?”. These are headlines coming from women’s magazine covers. But where does all this nonsense about losing weight come from? Are we all masochists, continually wanting to be thinner and thinner, without really caring for the consequences? A modelling agency gives the world a reference. We want to look like this reference, but it seems that the more we identify to models the thinner they become, far past the healthy line. What role does the individual play in this oh-always-so-thinner society? Is it modelling agencies influencing us or is it the contrary? Where will it stop and shouldn’t we try to do something against it to protect ourselves and our children?

It is very common to see very thin models treading the catwalk and many people think it is bad for teenagers’ body image as these models are in. They are the ones to which young girls identify and forcing a super thin image on the world is dangerous for them.

It is true that some girls seem to naturally be as thin as all get out but most of them don’t and keeping such a thin body is not only really difficult but also very unhealthy. It means that the person should not consume the basic elements needed to be able to deal with a whole day.

Most designers think that clothes look better on thin models and people who see clothes advertized on thin models tend to respond more positively to the advertisement, thinking these clothes will make them look better. But this trend actually started only a short time ago. Indeed, a couple of centuries ago, the tendency was reversed. In order to be beautiful, women needed to be plump. Even though fashion evolved, models from the 1950s or earlier put fuller figures on display without them looking less beautiful. Most fashion models nowadays have a weight that is considered unhealthy for their height but if we have a look at emblematic figures of the past, such as Cindy Crawford or Marylin Monroe, we realize that today’s tendency is getting extreme. Marylin Monroe was a size 12 though she is considered one of the most important sex symbol that enamoured the world and goes on stirring it through her reputation. Today’s size 12 is much smaller than a size 12 in the 50s. The more idealistic a vision we display, the further models have to go to be exceptional and it seems that this vicious circle is going round and round, always wanting more from the modelling industry and always challenging individuals further down the line.

This thin obsessed culture clearly affects public taste and can be harmful as young girls might attempt to drop weight to Barbie’s goals, thus being unrealistic and fundamentally unhealthy. We should really be cautious about which criteria we decide upon as far as beauty is concerned.

The good news is some designers seem to care for their models’ health. As a matter of fact Spain made a clear statement in 2006 that models should have a minimum weight and BMI (Body Mass Index) and this seems to be a trend spreading in quite a few magazines where “normal looking people” have a role to play, where fuller figures are simply another representation of beauty and what’s more a healthier one.

The question is: who draws the line? Models, designers or society? Maybe all three at the same time and it was high time somebody steps out of the circle.

Written by Anne de France.

Labels: modelling agency, models, thin models

posted by Stand Out Model agency @ 01:50   2 Comments