Here are some of the bad things that can happen to you if you are a fashion designer who dares to use non-anorexic models in your fashion show.
Putting “fatties” in her show (woman who were sized 8 – 12) actually got designer MaraJoara blacklisted by Vogue Australia. Here’s coverage by an Australian news web site.
P.S. You’ve just GOT to check out some of these photos of “fat” women!
Erich mentions women's clothing sizes. This topic itself could be the subject of a separate post, but I'll merely point out that while men's clothing is based on actual measurements, there is no standard for women's clothing sizes. Thus, designers are free to slap a "size 8" or a "size 2" on anything they wish. This did not use to concern people, but with the actual dimensions of women becoming ever larger, some designers have resorted to deliberately mis-sizing their clothing, to appeal to women's egos. The theory is that if a woman wears a size 8 of one designer and a size 4 of a second designer, she will prefer the second designer.
It's analogous to the grade inflation that occurs in schools, but that's yet another post. (I wonder how many people know, for example, that a very large percentage of Harvard students graduate "with honors.") Ego can be such a powerful marketing tool….
I'd like to respond in part to both Erich's post and grumpy's comment. Standards keep moving in opposite directions- the rich and famous favoring almost sickeningly thin extremes, and the mainstream aspiring to that goal, but realistically only getting more and more sickeningly obese in reality.
Somewhere in between, you have the most healthy option of all: those uncharacteristically "fat" models. These women not only don't look fat, they look fairly toned and healthy. We continue to have this growing split between unflinchingly thin standards and expanding waists because society emphasizes thinness, extreme thinness, and not actual health. Extremely low body mass indexes have the same kind of health problems associated with it as extremely high ones, because many women smoke or starve themselves to get super-thin. Starving seems more glamorous, I guess, than moderate eating habits and exercise.
Erika's comment reminds me of a Doonesbury cartoon I saw years ago. The strip featured Opus, the penguin, with one of the other characters. In the first frame, Opus says he has found a new diet to lose weight and mentions some bizarre food combination. The other character says, "Why don't you just eat less and exercise?" In the second frame, Opus mentions another diet: an even more bizarre food combination. The other character says, "Why don't you just eat less and exercise?" By the fourth frame, Opus' menu is over the top and the other character is shaking his head and walking away.
I've never understood why so many Americans fall for fad diets. I suppose it's the perennial belief in the quick fix or miracle cure, but it's a mistake that's killing many people. Obesity is now a national epidemic, and is one of the main reason for our skyrocketing healthcare costs. I've heard that buildings are even having to be modified with larger doors, just to accommodate America's plus-sized people. Meanwhile, the disease of anorexia kills young women and steroid abuse destroys young men. And much of this disaster is fed (no pun intended) by profit-seeking "All-American" industries, including soft drinks, fast food, spectator sports, pizza delivery, restaurants, etc. And it all could be largely eliminated with the simple, low-cost cure that Erika mentions: moderate eating habits and exercise.
Those pictures are unsightly. The flab…the cellulite…the spare tires… horror of horrors!
A bit of a follow-up: Madrid bans too-thin models.
Another follow-up: "''I applaud the decision taken by Madrid to ban super-thin models, and urge the organizers of'London Fashion Week to do the same,'; British Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell." See here.
Girls exist that are healthy and thin. Lowering standards to fatter models simply implies laziness from the shows designer. To imply that it's ok for size 10 and up girls to walk a catwalk is stupid, designers whose clothes are valid enough to warrant time on any catwalk, should also be exclusive enough that they can be marketed to a specific type of consumer. If the size of girl that inspires or flatters the work of any designer is not your size, then it is simply your loss, and if it inspires you to take to dangerous dieting, then you have your own instability to blame.
This is something I've always had a slightly different opinion on.
The super thin fashion model came about due to designers basically seeking human coat-hangers. Due to models competing they got thinner and thinner, to the point of looking sickly. But why are these women considered 'beautiful' if they have the bodies of little boys, some are so starved they don't even have periods.
The other skill they developed was grace. Much like a ballet dancer watch one stride down the runway, that is their beauty.
I believe 3 things make women appealing in this order.
1. Talent
2. Gracefulness
3. Good body
I've seen plenty of female musician's who have their pick of men despite looking like a mutant, I've seen women who know how to move get all the guys they want. I've seen superhot women with great bodies not be able to get a boyfriend for their life cause they lack all the socialization and other skills that go with the first two.
The sad thing is that little girls will look up to these paper thin models as role models. They should be looking at 'fitness' models, who have athletic bodies, or dancers who are heavily toned and skilled, not a fashion model.
I applaud the designers for helping young women everywhere think that not being a size zero is okay.