08|13|2009
skin & bones.
Let me ask you something: What do you see when you look at these pictures?
Are you studying the clothing? Are you coveting the shoes & the accessories? Or are you taking note of the hairstyles & the makeup artistry? All of these are common observations, especially if runway fashion is your forte.
But let me tell you what I see in these pictures.
I see bulging kneecaps (that being the biggest part on the models’ legs); I see blatant rib-cages & collarbones; I see super-skinny wrists, & unhealthily lean bodies; I see bodies that are not proportionate, thus giving the models a frightening appearance (their heads seem too large for their bodies).
Those are the first & only things I notice. I don’t care if they’re wearing the latest fashions from Alexander Wang or Marc Jacobs… The models are far too thin, & it’s disgusts me.
& I don’t believe the bullshit remarks that these models have “always been really lanky & thin.” Standing 5′9” & weighing 110 lbs — like model Chanel Iman, who is rumored to weigh even less — is NOT normal for anyone, let alone a supermodel.
It’s pictures like these that keep me firmly responding “No, thank you” to the question “Why aren’t you a model?!”
Perhaps I shouldn’t care about the way their bodies look. After all, models are meant only to be mere canvases. They’re not supposed to provoke much emotion or thought. They don’t have a voice or an opinion on the runway or in fashion spreads in high-end magazines. Models are simply mannequins; posed & painted to showcase an artist’s (the fashion designer’s) work & let it speak for itself; nothing more, nothing less. So perhaps I’m too sensitive to their tiny frames. Perhaps I should just shrug it off… but I can’t. These are human beings, & they are representing women as a species. It’s a slap in my face & I take it very personally.
I don’t want to add to the noise of a subject that is already talked about. This topic is overdone, & there are so many other writers that portray their opinions & thoughts on this matter more eloquently than I do. & even in spite of all of the talk & disgust this topic creates, it’s obvious that nothing is changing; not any time soon, at least.
I suppose the point of this article is this: if these images bothered you as much as they bothered me, take physical action. Don’t buy magazines that have sickly-looking models within its pages. Don’t buy apparel from certain designers who employ these thin models to showcase their work on runways. Don’t post pictures on your blog that brag the latest fashions if the models look like they haven’t eaten in 10 days. Because it’s one thing to thumb your nose up to these horrifying images; it’s another thing to actually take a stand against them.
Realize, most importantly, that being stick thin is just as much of a trend as harem pants & studded tights. Understand the severity of this trend & what kind of effect it has on other women viewing photographs like this. Don’t listen to the irrational, societal-based thoughts that give you the idea that thinness = beauty (because it doesn’t). Pay no attention to the distorted images & dysfunctional models that are seen on runways today, & please… don’t represent or glorify it. It’s a sickness & we don’t have to accept it.
{photos courtesy of atsuii & google.}
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Q: what sort of emotions did those pictures provoke in you?
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 2:34 pm:
My reactions to those images are quite similar to yours, to be honest. And it’s not because I’m a big girl, but because I can recognize unhealthy, at any size. Yet for some reason, our society says its okay to glamourize and glorify the unhealthy when they’re thin, but when it’s the opposite, it’s sickly and scary.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 2:35 pm:
This was such a powerful post and one that I need to re-read with frequency. It’s so easy to think of these girls as the norm and it’s far from the truth. The majority of these girls (since some are naturally that small) starve themselves and it’s not what we should aspire to as women. Thanks for this! xoxo
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 2:37 pm:
For some reason, it’s always the legs that I notice first. Linda, Christy and Naomi didn’t look like that! Bring back glamazons.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 2:40 pm:
Made me sick. You’re right – I didn’t see fashion. And when you pointed out the kneecaps, it’s all I COULD see. Never in my life have I more enjoyed being shaped like a WOMAN should be. And I say “should” loosely, because we’re all very, very different. I’ll elaborate more on this in an email, because I don’t feel comfy yet discussing it here, but… yeah. I’m with you.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 2:42 pm:
Their legs are scary. I can handle the rest of their bodies (because my arms look like their arms [but I'm 5'1']) but their legs are…I don’ have a word for it. :\
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 2:51 pm:
While I don’t disagree that these women are thin.. I think there is danger in painting them with such a wide negative brush – “representing women as a species”. While I believe that a certain connectedness and strength is integral and evident in the bonds and bodies of each sex, I would say that no woman up there represents me as a species any more than a Sarah Palin or an Audrey Hepburn. We are women, but also the singular woman. We’re all so quick to identify with icons, so quick to deride and dissuade women who do this without giving thought to the slap in their own face that such derision must bring. It seems so anachronistic to extole the merits of not buying the magazines, yet stating they represent us all?
Perhaps not an answer, but only more questions.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 3:03 pm:
@ Andrea: I guess what I meant in the terms of “representing women as a species” is that the fashions they are modeling are supposedly for ALL women, not just women who are 5′10” & 105 lbs. When these models walk down the runway, they ARE representing women, or a certain type of woman, depending on the style.
Also, what you said about how we’re all so quick to identify with icons? I feel the same way, which is why I think even MORE so that these models are terrible representatives of what a woman “should” look like. I’ve talked to so many women who look up to people like Chanel Iman (the black model in the pictures) & it’s quite sad, because look at her! When someone says that they “look up” to someone, it’s a huge compliment but a dangerous one, especially if that someone looks like they’re starving themselves.
Not getting defensive, or anything. I just wanted to clarify what I meant, with the hopes that people don’t misunderstand what I’m trying to say. & I hope I’m making sense, because this subject really leaves me inarticulate. This article took me about 3 months to write, because I wanted to be sure I knew precisely what I was trying to convey… I just hope I’m understood alright.
Thanks for your insight!
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 3:06 pm:
I don’t think those models represent women at all – models, eating disorders, life in the fashion world, sure. But you’d be hard pressed to find women like that as a majority outside the world of fashion.
I also think that it’s easier to get DOWN on something, than it is to find and encourage the good that is already out there. For example, I think this photo of models (taken from a Dove Ad) is a MUCH better representation of women:
And I love that Dove went out and got beautiful, gorgeous women, who aren’t super thin with stick-like thighs for their ads.
I think that if you’d like to make change, a REAL change, you need to do more than just snob what you don’t like, but to encourage and support what you DO like.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 3:29 pm:
I too was looking at the knee area and also how these beautiful girls look like lollipops (huge head, skinny bodies)!! I’ve even more shock about Chanel Iman.. I didn’t know that she was so skinny.. look at her legs.
Well… most of us can’t afford the clothes and I’m now buying and reading magazines that are for the older woman… more interesting articles etc…. and also design magazines… Psychologies is a really good and real magazine.
Great post!! I hope that all of us as women will make a stand in our own way and don’t buy into the crap of starving yourself and wishing to be stick thing. I was very skinny and also started putting on weight at 24… But back then, I was dying for the weight and to have a more womanly figure.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 3:42 pm:
@ Elly: I think it’s so good that you’re unphased by these images. That you view them in a sort of “fantasy light” rather than seeing them as the real world. I think that’s a great way of looking at it.
& I totally agree that change starts by harping on the positive, not the negative. But I do think that for A LOT of women, they are so hypnotized by images like this that they can’t really see the bad parts of it. As Cupcakes & Cashmere said: this is “the norm” for a lot of people. I think that negativity can encourage change, especially if the negative energy is used wisely. :]
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 3:55 pm:
These women and models in general represent a small percentage of women. It’s not so much their particular body type (which is frighteningly thin) that bothers me, it’s that fashion deems this body type as the most exalted and limits the scope of what real women should look like.
Fashion needs to be more inclusive with the women they show, not just on the runway, but in advertising and the women they feature.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 4:10 pm:
Well, to answer your question what I see in those pictures are extremely skinny women. It’s part of their job to be skinny. It scares me how thin they are, especially when you pointed out the knee caps and the rib cages, just looking at that took away the whole fashion sense. After reading what you wrote, some of the things you wrote I can agree without a doubt in my mind. It also hurts me that young girls believe that this is what it takes to be beautiful.
But there is just one thing that annoys me. How people think skinny people are ugly, or just disgusting to look at. In reality they are just as sensitive as someone who is obese and just got told that they were too fat to ride the ferris wheel. Me being skinny myself, and not a model. Thank God. It hurts a little to think that people are looking at me saying, “wow, the thickest part of her body are her knee caps.”
I agree that these photos do not represent women at all, but at the same time I take this from a personal level as well.
I also find it wonderful that you are actually doing something about this problem, instead of just complaining about it.
Sometimes I wish I could do something about the things that I believe in most.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 4:18 pm:
The photos made me angry and a little sad. Angry because those models do represent women in a horribly distorted version of reality. Sad because an irrepressible part of me wants those jutting hip bones.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 4:37 pm:
I would like to start by saying that women have followed fashion and aspired to the prevailing idea of what makes women beautiful since the beginning of time.
These photos do not bother me because I know that the garments that actually make it to retail are re-styled suit the market, and that models are merely hangers (clothes look good on them because they have no curves).
Models have always been thin but it seams to me that as we learn more about nutrition our models get more and more skinny. Cheryl Tiegs, Naomi Campbell and other models pre 1998 were more of an athletic build which was what the American woman was aspiring to in those times.
Another point is that these images most likely will not affect the people who read this blog and blogs like this because we recognize what the industry is doing. We are not the ones in trouble. It’s middle America. As, in my opinion, they are not involved in the debate and as such are victims of the images.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 4:39 pm:
My (adult) feelings are not very strong at all towards these images only because I am SO used to the fact that models tend to have a lanky figure. For whatever reason it has become a standard in the fashion world, the same way gymnast tend to be short or basketball players tend to be tall. (of course one could argue that there is more of a physical demand for sports)
My (younger/childhood) feelings towards pictures of models in magazines was extremely sad – I wanted to look like them. I wanted blonde hair, blue eyes, big boobs, pale skin and a pointy nose. I remember trying to scrub the “darkness” off of me! (sad)
Anyways, back to where I was going; this “body type” is a standard and it becomes a sad/dangerous standard when young women begin to form eating disorders or complexes trying to duplicate the model body.
Having said that, I wish these sorts of “standards” did not have to exist. I am a huge advocate of “breaking molds”. I love when shorter basketball players rack up points or heavier dancers steal the spotlight or when the person without the master’s degree climbs the corporate ladder faster than his colleagues.
I guess to put it simply, I don’t get my panties so twisted about it because I’m SO used to it, BUT just because I’m used to it doesn’t make it right & hopefully somewhere somehow, it can evolve back to less “stick figure-like” bodies plastering every page of magazines or billboards in time square and curvier bodies will make a comeback…it wasn’t that long ago that Marilyn Monroe was gracing covers.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 4:42 pm:
Thanks for posting this, hopefully it enlightens some (young?) people who even subconsciously gaze at these in admiration. I had anorexia in high school, to the point of losing my period and being hospitalized. Someone in my school turned me in and the nurses didn’t even have or know of a name for it. It’s at least good to know it’s recognized now. These girls look even heavier on film. If you saw them in real life you would gasp. Some take diet pills, speed or cocaine … it’s a really painful way to live not to mention ugly and unhealthy.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 4:47 pm:
I totally understand that people perceive these images as awful and disgusting, and I’m going to make a comment that is sad but true. It’s the way it is. These are high fashion models, they are not representative of normal people, they are basically walking hangers for the clothes. Another sad thing is if they were a little fatter, the designer’s who employ them would be referring to them as fat cows. Part of the reason they are so skinny is because when you take a picture the image is 2-d so it flattens the person and make them appear fatter than they really are. Should we accept these excuses, perhaps not, but things are changing, a couple years back Italy had put regulations on models’ weight as it had become a concern of how skinny models were becoming.
That’s my handful of pennies.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 4:56 pm:
@ Justyna: Oh sweetie, I am not AT ALL suggesting that skinny girls are ugly. Please believe me. I grew up with the nickname “Stringbean” by my father because I was very skinny as well. (Thankfully, now that I’m in my twenties, I’ve filled out more.) I know the awkwardness of being thin & how most people assume that natural thin = anorexia. There have been MANY times where people asked me about my weight & asked me straight out if I ate anything at all. Many, many times this has happened to me & it was the most discouraging thing for me to hear. & I think that’s why I’m so passionate about this subject, because it bothered me so much that people would associate ME with those anorexic model types. People who actually have REAL problems, you know what I mean?
That is a whole other subject, which I plan to touch on in the future. But I just want you to know that I’m only talk about disgustingly thin women. Women who are obviously very, very tall & have a low BMI. I’m sure that your body looks proportionate & beautiful because you are naturally thin, not forcing yourself to be thin.
<3.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 5:14 pm:
i thought the exact same thing. i saw their skinniness before anything else. it’s so disgusting and gross and i don’t understand how that is fashion or applies to the everyday woman. hopefully the fashion industry will get that memo soon.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 5:26 pm:
Oh my goodness! They all look like bobble heads! Seriously though, its pretty sad to see all these gorgeous girls starving themselves. They would look so much better if they had a little bit more meat on their bones! They are just too skinny. Its sickly and I dont find that very attractive.
The designers that are hiring these models should be ashamed of themselves for supporting this unhealthy lifestyle. Why cant they just make clothes in bigger sizes? Why do they even NEED their models to be a size 00? I just dont get it!
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 5:42 pm:
there’s a few points which i consider on this debate…
one is that most women do not view these images. honestly, only a handful will look to runway shots. the models people are exposed to are those in adverts, and if they read magazines. these aren’t usually this skinny.
also there are models out there and designers who are encouraging of anything non skeletal. the model of the moment is lara stone!
also, think to lists of the most beautiful women that are always in magazines. they are always almost all celebrities who are mothers or singers or actresses, most of whom have bodies that are skeletal.
i don’t think these images represent women at all, as there are so many other fields that women are deemed as beautiful in. runways are only looked at by people who are interested in fashion. models seen by most of society are like i said, in adverts.
i don’t believe designers should hire models who are unhealthily thin, and there are things being done about this. the waif look will come and go. but there’s almost two different sizes to this debate, one for models and one for the people viewing the images of the models. i’m concerned about model health, but if someone will pick up a fashion magazine and base their ideal body image on images of catwalk models, then is it ok to pick up a plus size catalogue and
aspire to look like the models in there? is it ok to admire beth ditto if you don’t admire tiny models? it’s such a deep debate, but i always think straight away that fashion designers are not showing the world that these girls are what beauty is, the media dictates this! the media shows the world that actresses, commercial models, singers and celebrities are what beauty is, and many are not skeletal.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 5:48 pm:
also i don’t think you can assume that models are not ‘normal’ and must have to starve themselves to look like that, until you actually talk to these models or look at their diets. how would you know either way? you can’t assume models would do this as i think it insults many models out there such as lily cole, who will speak out about this subject, and are amazingly intelligent. you can’t assume they have unhealthy habits and surrender to any request for skeletal figuresas in my opinion it’s not giving them any credit. i don’t know either way, but i don’t think we can jump to conclusions without cold, hard facts from every model. if there was some mass model questionnaire then yes, but you can’t form an opinion by looking at pictures of the skinniest models. hope these thoughts are of interest, i’m not out to debate, just wangted to raise a few points i don’t think many consider!
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 7:12 pm:
@ Selina: I definitely appreciate your point of view, & I totally agree that it’s presumptuous to say they have unhealthy habits. I don’t recall mentioning in this article that these models have a problem or an eating disorder. It would be unfair for me to say something like that, because I truly don’t KNOW them; I can only assume. Mainly, I wanted to point out that the models — whether they are naturally thin or forcing themselves to be thin — are too thin, regardless of their habits. & I feel it’s unhealthy for these women to represent themselves on the runway as “everyday women” when they look like toothpicks.
& yes, these are runway looks… but to say that only a handful of people would look at them is a little presumptuous. Only because when pictures like these end up on very popular blogs — as I’ve seen them many, many times before — thousands see them on a daily basis. Yes, they’re on runways, which are highly exclusive, but that certainly didn’t stop me from finding them… you know what I mean?
Not trying to be defensive, not at all! Just putting in my point of view for the record.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 7:16 pm:
its interesting to compare a model in photographs from an editorial, and then the same girl in a photograph from a runway. its amazing how much work goes into touching up editorials to make them look fresh and healthy, but then in runway photos, you can actually see just how thin and gaunt they are. its scary.
i dont particularly want to get into the debate of health and thinness/weight etc. but from looks alone these girls are clearly underweight. and these women do not represent me as a person. and i dont think they aim to represent woman as a collective. they show off clothes, period. they show off the vision of a designer, to a minority of women to can actually afford it (and these wealthy, non-model women are not too much bigger than sample sizes anyway).
BUT – i think the designers have a lot to answer for. i personally cannot understand why sample sizes MUST be so ridiculously (and borderline unhealthily) small. its almost like a belief in the metaphysical, that is just this way it is just because it is without question: models = thin thin thin! maybe they just want the focus on the clothes (after all – models are mere coathangers). maybe they want their clothes or their image to almost be unattainable (which goes against the whole point of their industry really!)… its almost like a type of elitism they’re trying to construct, linking wealth and body image.
either way – i agree ev’yan. they dont look healthy, and its a shame the fashion industry embraces such an attitude. however, i think women have to be strong enough in themselves to not let images of these models affect their own self-worth or health.
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 9:22 pm:
I agree with you, Ev’Yan, that it’s usually easy to tell the difference between someone thin via the means of anorexia/drugs/etc. and someone naturally thin. I’ve known some very thin people, who were naturally that way, but I’ve never met anyone who’s kneecap was the largest part of their leg!
It’s such a complicated, crappy issue. Things like this are why I tend to ignore “fashion” and mostly stick with “style”, because there is just SO much wrong with the fashion world. The racism, the fact that it’s mostly targeted towards women and yet we make up a too-small percentage of the workforce (did you see the recent post at 39th and Broadway, I think it was?), and the treatment of the models. Want to talk objectification? They’re literally referred to as CLOTHES HANGERS! And most people don’t have any problems with it, sadly. Also, yes, someone who is into fashion and knows that these girls are supposed to be “clothes hangers” *shudder* probably won’t unrealistically compare themselves to the models, but a lot of teens don’t know that and just know that these women and girls are being touted as beautiful and glamorous, and will want to be like them.
I’m not entirely sure what the solution is, because (most) designers obviously don’t give a rat’s ass about any of these issues. But I think the hanger argument is kind of a silly one, because a. these girls are GORGEOUS face-wise, so the intent is obviously for them to be looked at at least a little bit, and b. they are so thin it’s distracting. I don’t see the clothes and think “Hmmm I want that jacket”, I see the picture and think “You know, I have a sudden need to go eat some pasta or something.”. I’m not delusional, I know someone my size and shape (5′2″, 135ish, 34G) will never walk down a runway and I am a-ok with that. But could we have some models who at least fall into a healthy weight range? (and not via BMI, as that is terribly inaccurate!) All of the above girls could probably put on 20 pounds and still be much much thinner than average.
Okay – I’m done! Great post, Ev’Yan :)
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 10:44 pm:
My two cents on the issue: I definitely do not support people becoming unhealthily thin for the sake of a ‘beauty” standard.
That being said however, i would hate to think that someone would see me on the street and shudder at what they see because i am 5′8″ and weigh 105 pounds AND MY KNEECAPS ARE QUITE PROMINENT. I have always been skinny and didn’t tip the scale at 100lbs till i was about 19 (i’m now 25). I have never tried to be thin, I just am. In fact i’ve expended a lot of energy on trying to GAIN weight, especially being from a country where being skinny is not attractive.
I have been told many times to become a model. If i were to do so, would i too be judged from a photograph to be unhealthy without you knowing anything more? I’m just saying, be careful of assumptions.
Don’t misunderstand i know many girls are making themselves ill because of a fashion industry that objectifies girls, i’m just saying don’t pass judgement on individual girls without knowing the facts.
sorry about the long comment
on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 10:46 pm:
Also, it hurts when people see you and pass judgement. I will never forget being called anorexic, even before i knew what that meant
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 8:22 am:
I find these images incredibly disturbing. A member of my family has suffered from anorexia for the past ten years and I’m sure all these images of stick-thin women contributed to her insecurity about her body. No matter how hard she tries, it’s nearly impossible for her to go back to a normal way of eating and living her life. I’m all for boycotting designers and magazines who perpetuate this impossible standard of beauty.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 8:33 am:
I’m not sure how I feel about this Apricot.
When I first saw the images, I thought, “Chanel Iman is pretty.” “I like her hair.” “And the first model on the bottom row,…gorgeous hair.”
So, I suppose the clothes didn’t exactly jump out at me first either. But, neither did their weight.
I’ve subconsciously accepted the fact that I would never be able to actually wear anything that is displayed on the runways. Out of my price range and I’m certain none of the pieces are designed for a shortie such as myself;) I know, I’m digressing here.
I think weight/models and what is perpetuated to masses of “real” women in the world will always be controversial.
I guess I’m indifferent to the matter, but reading your fiery post and some of the comments here has started me thinking.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 8:40 am:
@Debbie: Thank you for making me think a little differently about this. However, I still think that it’s VERY easy to tell the difference between people who are naturally thin (like yourself) & people who are forcing themselves to be thin. I’m passing judgment on these girls because it is VERY obvious that they are far too skinny. Their ribcages showing? Their thighs being the same width as their ankles? That isn’t healthy, & I know for a fact that people who are naturally thin don’t look THAT skinny. I’m sure you don’t look like that either.
Please know this is coming from a girl who has been naturally thin most of her life. I JUST started gaining weight (I’m now about 120lbs.). Before, I weighed 103.5 for YEARS. It still says so on my driver’s license. So I know what naturally thin looks like, & I know how ugly the remarks can get from passerby who see my chicken legs & scoff, “Anorexic.”
I’m not trying to be defensive or rude. I’m just letting you know that I’ve been there before, too, & I know what it feels like to be judged by my naturally skinny appearance. I’m not a girl who is snubbing these skinny models because I wish I could BE like them.
Thanks for your input. :]
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 8:49 am:
I agree with you 100%…I don’t see the fashion they are supposedly showing off, all I see is nothingness. I feel bad for them. That’s probably why I skip by ads in magazines, or rarely even read them for that matter. I just think it’s sad that it is that way.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 8:49 am:
Wow. This was really powerful, Apricot.
A few years ago, I was scary skinny. Standing at 5′6″ and weighing 85 lbs (I shit you not), I was in danger of cardiac arrest, stroke, osteoporosis… you name it. When I “put on weight” and reached 95 lbs, I got a few modeling jobs. Note that even at my “healthier” weight of 95 lbs, I was still anorexic… and everyone outside of the fashion/entertainment business could see it. I’m not trying to imply that every model has an eating disorder (that would be ignorant), but it’s no secret that many of them do. What constitutes an eating disorder, anyway? Is it counting out exactly 8 almonds for lunch the day of a shoot? Doing a juice fast for a week? Having cocaine and coffee for breakfast? I have, literally, seen all these things and more, yet the girls doing them claim to be “naturally thin” or “healthy eaters”.
Now, at 25, I’m the same height but have put on a good 20 lbs since those days. But before that happened, I developed osteoporosis, my tooth enamel wore down due to drug use and I don’t know if I’ll ever be 100% comfortable with how I look. This isn’t entirely the fashion industry’s fault, but it doesn’t help that I stopped getting work when I turned 23 and hit 115 pounds.
Sorry about the long comment, but this really evoked so much emotion in me.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 8:56 am:
Standing 5′5″, weighing in around 112, all I could see in those photos were kneecaps. All those kneecaps jutting out of all that skin. In fairness, the blonde one on the bottom looks like she’s been working out (look at the definition in her calves)… but damn.
Then I kind of pushed myself to say, “oh her face is pretty, that design is kind of funky…” I feel like I was trying to overwrite that feeling of “eeeeeeek!” by pushing the oddly skeletal images out and focusing on the clothes. I wonder how many people do that, subconsciously.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 8:59 am:
I’m so thankful you posted this, Ev’Yan. Especially because I know you reach so many people with your writing, and I think that everyone needs to be aware of what an issue these things truly are.
I hate to admit it, but seeing photos of those models make me hate them, but it also makes me jealous at the same time. And then I hate myself for buying into it – does that make sense? It’s awful. It’s a horrible, vicious cycle. I’ve had days where I wish I could have an eating disorder, just so I would have more control over what I look like – but then I hate the fact that I feel the pressure to be so thin. (I haven’t told anyone that before, really, but for some reason you always bring out my honesty.) I think that’s why I want to take a stand, as much as I can – because I know that the emotions I feel regarding these things must be shared my millions.
And if here one more anorexic/bulimic celebrity or model say they are naturally tiny (i.e. Tori Spelling) my head is going to EXPLODE.
You are too precious to be thrown to the wolves of the modeling industry. You are far, far too precious.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 9:08 am:
PS: I know that naturally thin people become defensive when it comes to conversations like this – and I get it. However, it’s one thing to be a rail-thin fifteen year old. When you are in your early twenties, I’m pretty sure you’re be hard-pressed to find any doctor who would say any of these women are healthy, regardless of their eating habits. They may not be starving themselves, but seeing the outline of every single bone is never healthy when you are a grown woman. There is not only any fat on their bodies, there is also no muscle tone.
Okay, I’m done. Heehee. I’m getting riled up. :)
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 9:28 am:
Looking through these comments, I feel compelled to respond. (BTW Hi Ev’Yan! Long time no see! :)
I guess I’m a “naturally thin” girl. Still, believe it or not (and I know you will, because, frankly, all women have self-esteem issues), I am affected by models and their weight. It’s pictures like these that seep into our subconscious and inadvertently influence us to feel like we’re supposed to be *that* thin. I know better, but I still feel like I’m not “thin enough” at times. And it’s because of the media, the culture of television and Hollywood.
It’s an unfortunate reality that we live in. We should be able to look up to actresses or models, we should be able to respect and admire them. Instead we feel inferior, like we need to diet or exercise more in order to be anywhere near their “beauty.”
I think it’s all bullshit and I think women, of all ages, should learn to see beyond it and accept themselves no matter what. I know this isn’t as easy as one would like to believe, but it’s something I work towards in my own life and something I think young women, especially, need to be reminded of.
Great post, as always.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 9:29 am:
@Raquel Valencia: Your comment is so powerful & heart-wrenching. Just knowing that you went through all of those things saddens me. Yet, I think people NEED to hear stories like yours. It’s obvious — based on the comments I’ve received here — that people tend to “overlook” images like these, or sit rather unphased by them. & then some people consider that “the norm” for models. That’s sad. These are human beings. No human — not a model, not a movie star, not myself — should look like this. Ever.
I’m getting off subject, but I really just wanted to tell you THANK YOU. For sharing your story, for your honesty, for your frankness. We need to hear more stories like yours to understand the severity of issues like this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for contributing to this discussion.
<3.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 9:41 am:
There’s so much to be said about these images and these idea(ls) that I know I won’t do justice to them in a comment (or even in a post).
The words “beauty” and “disgusting” are thrown around a lot in these kinds of discussions, but we often fail to look into the actual meanings of the words themselves. Where do they come from? What do we mean when we say them? The old adage says that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” meaning that attractiveness is truly subjective. But who sets those standards? Looking back in history (an old horse example, but it’s valid), flesh was in, bones were out. The bigger you were, the more beautiful; the skinner, the more disgusting. So how did that change? Where’s the history lesson to explain that one to us?
It’s around and it’s long. But it does behoove us as women (and just people in general) to remember that every individual person has the ability to decide what’s beautiful for themselves – if only they can loose their subconcious from the grasp of the etheral “they” who gives us our standards and tells us what’s “beautiful” or “disgusting”.
Talking about this is the best way to combat the tendency to stereotype others based on size. I don’t expect we’ll come up with all the answers in a day, but someday it’ll happen. Thanks to everyone that’s said something on this post, and many thanks to Ev’Yon for the original article.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 9:49 am:
PS – It’s worth nothing that I’m not saying that these models are beautiful or disgusting either way. I’m just trying to make a point about the language we use and how powerful it really is. It’s important to understand how words operate in these discussions. Just food for thought and another (possible) layer to the conversation.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 10:10 am:
It disgusts me … I honestly didn’t even notice what they were wearing.
It saddens me. What happened to women like Marilyn Monroe being ideal?
When (if) I have daughters someday, I hope that they don’t attempt to look like this. It’s not “perfect.” It’s sad.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 12:14 pm:
I guess I’m a little odd for feeling so removed, but it just seems like the inevitable trend for a subcultural folkway to eventually tip out of balance, as its original value is lost, usually within a generation. In this case, super thin runway models used to be a function of a certain paradigm — like you mentioned, thin models were desired to showcase draping. But humans always forget functionality and act out of habit. So before you know it, thinness in models becomes a virtue in its own right, even though it seems as though when it becomes this extreme, it betrays its original function because it steals focus from the clothes.
There’s a story anthropologists use to explain this, where a woman makes this roast for her family, and she always cuts the ends of it off before putting it in the oven. When her husband asks why she does this, she says her mom always did it that way. So they go ask the woman’s mom why she cut the ends off her roasts, and she says “Well, the only pan I had was too small, so I had to chop some off to make it fit.”
I don’t mean to minimize the issue — on the contrary, I don’t think humans are evolutionarily equipped well to deal with the level of fantasy-as-reality we’re confronted with. But I also think that it’s in many ways inevitable. It’s a manifestation of a behavior that humans have carried with them for time immemoriam. Which isn’t to say we can’t do things to make it less potentially destructive — and we should. I guess I guess I just find it easier to deal with when I conceptualize it as unfortunate and natural, rather than indiscernible and malicious.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 1:06 pm:
I’m 20 and standing at a quarter of an inch shy of six foot, I’ve always received the comment of how I should be a model. But I’ve always responded that, “I’m too fat to be a model.” I’ll admit that I’ve bought into the image when every tall person I see in a magazine seems to be much skinnier than I am. Even walking around stores shopping with my mom, every girl over six foot seemed to be “skin & bones.” I’ve often wondered if something was wrong with me.
That was until my cousin, 21, was in the hospital on Christmas day receiving a blood transfusion and was told by the doctor that the only thing that saved her life was her age. She is now diagnosed with bulemia and anorexia. I realized having a “skin & bones” body is definitely not worth dying for. And I have accepted that my weight is normal.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 1:10 pm:
Oh & in response to your question, the emotions that these images provoked were not of jealousy, but of sadness. While sure, some can be “naturally thin” or whatnot, there are many, many models that have anorexia/bulemia, both of which can kill you. It makes me wonder how many models die or land in a hospital each year trying to fit a certain image…
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 4:08 pm:
Yeah, these models are totally out of control. So, so sad. Plus the combination of their stoic, model-y facial expressions = they seem less like humans and more like robotic clothes hangers. Ahhh! Seriously disturbing.
Seems like models are just becoming skinnier and skinnier. Remember the supermodels from the 1980s? I believe they were even like size 8 or 10 or something.
Now supermodels are all XXXXS size -8.
Man. I hope this trend turns around. But it doesn’t look like it is any time soon. I do love that a plus-size model won America’s Next Top Model a few seasons ago! YEAH!
Another commenter mentioned the Dove ads. Those are so great! Love the real girls featured in those ads!
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 4:20 pm:
Oh, I just remembered a story that is somewhat related to your post …
When I was in high school one of my best friends at the time told me, “You’re so tall. [5'9"] If you were anorexic, you could be a model!”
I’m sure my friend wasn’t trying to be mean, but the comment really stung at the time.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 4:39 pm:
When I look at these women’s bodies, I wince out the sheer physcial pain that I can only imagine they are feeling everyday.
As much as it’s physically painful to be obese, it’s just as physically painful to be too thin. Their joints are going to be jello or nonexistent by the time they reach the end of their decade.
IT’S SHAMEFUL and yet, the fashion industry continuously “gets a pass” on this issue.
These beautiful women are being forced to conform to an image of “beauty” for the price of a garment. The way an article of clothing looks is more important than how the actual woman wearing the clothing looks.
I just don’t get it.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 6:17 pm:
I’m not surprised, to be honest. This may come across as offensive and untrue, but this is how I see it: runway models, in high fashion, are basically like elaborate, walking clothes hangers. Nobody cares about them as a person or who they are; their job is to be the thing that makes the clothes look good, and the ideas sell. Considering that, its no surprise models are trying to get skinnier and skinner; its almost as if the industry is trying to make them as physically non-existent as possible, why still managing the same function.
Its disgusting. I feel incredibly bad for those girls. :(
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 7:39 pm:
I have a couple of thoughts on this, one is that two of my friends are getting into modeling: one is incredibly strong in herself, looks like and weighs the same as a normal girl, and is getting billboards in her 4th month of work. She oozes presence and business savvy. One is small, quiet, sweet, and insecure. And she’s already starting to under eat, and I’m praying that this doesn’t go beyond a hobby for her until she’s in a stronger mental place.
What bothers me about blaming the fashion industry is blaming the models for their looks. From what I can gather, the vast majority of a models’ size is dictated by something completely practical: sample sizes. If you can’t fit into sample sizes you cannot work.
I think that if the public and the industry were serious about wanting healthy looking models they would ask shows to mandate a sample size that designers cannot dip below. If that’s a size 2, there will be no models under size 0 because, as is the case now, if they don’t fit the clothes they can’t work.
I think that blaming the models or mandating BMI is a way to go about this issue that makes everyone feel a little righteous and like the issue isn’t systemic. But it doesn’t address the practical side of their work.
As for the images, I look at them and I feel like society’s fixation on this vision of beauty is so narrow it seems like the result of a terrible lack of imagination.
on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 11:33 pm:
“Q: what sort of emotions did those pictures provoke in you?”
To be completely honest, for me, I feel sad. Sad because I eliminate certain food groups just so that I can remain at an acceptable (to me) size and weight and still have to watch ever single ounce of food I put into my mouth. I would not want to be as thin as these models, but I recent how easy they have it in terms of their body type.
on Saturday, August 15th, 2009 at 3:09 pm:
I honestly LOVE how blunt and realistic your personality is, and it really shows in your blog. I loved this post and as skinny as I really am, I look at these pictures and subconsciously want to lose weight weeks later without even realizing the impact of skinny models.
It’s hard to feel 100% satisfied with how you look, especially when these images are being pushed into our minds that *this* is normal, *this* is how you should look. You’re only stronger than the media when you realize that you are at your 100%, but that’s how I feel.
on Saturday, August 15th, 2009 at 11:41 pm:
It’s sad, when we have these models to look up to. Our children having to wake up everyday, thinking it’s all right to look like you haven’t eaten in weeks and you could possibly dying from a deathly disease. We need to change this.
This is an amazing post. <3
on Sunday, August 16th, 2009 at 1:09 am:
their legs look really freakish! i think its weird when thighs don’t touch eachother..
you’re right though, this topic is overdone =/ but i’m glad you’ve written about it here.
on Sunday, August 16th, 2009 at 3:26 am:
great post, thank you for writing it.
yes, the topic has been expounded and rehashed many times but i think it’s important to reread all those points we already know and to remind us to keep that issue at the forefront of our minds.
on Sunday, August 16th, 2009 at 7:43 pm:
well, when you asked that question, “what do you see?” I immediately saw the clothes. I thought the featured pieces were pretty…then I saw the pic of Lindsay Ellingson and realized where this post was heading. I am upset that the industry chooses size 0 (or 00) models over an average sized model. I think Chanel Iman has always been that skinny so to call her sickly-looking might be offensive. I’ve been skinny my whole life and people always tell me to eat more (when I’m already full…) and call me “anorexic” when I’m not! no, thinness doesn’t equal beauty but it doesn’t equal wretchedness either. people should just put body issues aside…in my university, all my hallmates complain about how fat they are and it seems to be a trend…goodness.
on Monday, August 17th, 2009 at 8:11 am:
[...] wrote a thoughtful post about models called skin & bones. Miss Blue [...]
on Monday, August 17th, 2009 at 9:34 am:
Firstly, thank you for this blog. I always find it to be refreshing.
Secondly, just having come back from Japan where being a size 27 at 4′10” is considered to be heavy, I desperately needed something to REMIND me that I am beautiful and HEALTHY. I admire your stand to not pursue a modeling career bc you don’t agree with its portrayal of “beauty” and thus our own views of “self worth”.
Thank you again. xoxo
on Monday, August 17th, 2009 at 8:20 pm:
I want to give them a muffin. Three muffins per day. With luck, in a month these girls might be able to cast a shadow.
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 10:55 am:
I have to agree, those pictures are sick. I don’t know who finds images of women who are that sickly thin attractive. Seriously.
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 4:27 am:
I don’t like the way these women are spoken about.
I have alot of friends that eat a shitload and are as skinny as they are.
I’d understand if you said, women shouldn’t starve themselves to look like models , and that everyone is beautiful in their own right. But people that are too skinny are being picked on, being called disgusting, some people pretend to gag. I don’t like it, a single bit.
just like you would never say this person is obese, they’re too fat, it disgusts you, you shouldn’t say that about women that are too skinny.
you may say that it inspires women to starve themselves, and that is wrong. yes it is wrong. but rather than making fun of a minority , calling them disgusting to make most people feel better. I’d rather someone say, thats who they are , be who you are. and that is beautiful. no matter how much you weigh, what colour eyes you have, how long your hair is. you are beautiful, cause beauty is just a made presumption and anyone can decide what beauty is.
and on a last note.
being morbidly obese is just as unhealthy as being very skinny,
but when we speak about the morbidly obese in the media, we speak in a sympathetic tone. but when we speak about the skinny, we speak in an accusing, mean, harsh tone.
I dont like that, I don’t like that one bit.
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 7:28 am:
omg.. i just came across a “pro-ana” website and its truly disgusting!!
i cant believe people are encouraging each other to be extremely thin!
some are starving themselves for 7 days.. twice a month!
these girls (and guys) need serious and shouldn’t be encouraged by 1000s of others to be thin!
its so sad.. makes me want to cry!
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 10:37 am:
@ Malak: While I appreciate your feedback on this post, some of the things you said in your comment didn’t really sit well with me, which is why I wanted to respond back.
I’ve said this before, & I’ll say it again: I guarantee that your skinny friends don’t look like these models. & if you think they do, you are delusional. I mean, REALLY look at these models. Look at their bodies. They do NOT look like they “eat a shitload.” They do NOT look healthy. They look disgusting, & I have no problem saying that straight away.
This isn’t an attack on their character as people, because I do not know them. But for you to try to tell me that I should say “they are beautiful just the way they are”? That is so ridiculous! Again — look at their bodies!
Please know that this is coming from a girl who weighed 103 lbs. (standing at 5′5”) for most of her high school days. & while I was skinny, I was a healthy-looking thin. My kneecaps were NOT the largest part on my legs, & my ankles weren’t the same width as my thighs. I have yet to see any woman claim they are naturally & healthily skinny while looking like that. & ANY doctor — knowing these model’s height & age — would agree with me.
You have to remember that these women are adults. They’re not 15 years old, still going through puberty & developing in their bodies. They’re grown up, which makes their lanky frames even more disturbing.
If this seems like a direct attack on you, I apologize. But your comment wasn’t the first to say things like this, & it bothers me that people are so blind to something so blatantly obvious.
& also, about obesity. Please don’t presume to tell me what I would & wouldn’t say about obesity. You don’t know me, & don’t know my feelings on a matter that I have never touched on, on this blog or with other. Please don’t generalize me, as I haven’t said a word about the issue of obesity ever. That is an entirely different subject within itself.
Again, I apologize if it seems like I was rude with my response back to you. I truly do appreciate your point of view, even though I don’t agree with it.
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 10:48 am:
Ev’Yan just about said everything I would have said, only more eloquently because she’s awesome like that, but I just have to add…
“being morbidly obese is just as unhealthy as being very skinny,
but when we speak about the morbidly obese in the media, we speak in a sympathetic tone. but when we speak about the skinny, we speak in an accusing, mean, harsh tone.”
SERIOUSLY? What media are YOU watching? Because the media I watch and read says that women who are fat or even borderline overweight are worthless, will never land a spouse (because we all know that’s the height of a woman’s life, anyways), lazy, smelly, ugly, disgusting pigs. I have never once seen overweight individuals and definitely not morbidly obese individuals portrayed in mainstream media with any modicum of sympathy, I see them treated more as sideshow freaks than anything else.
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 10:51 am:
Malak, I’ll challenge your argument about people who are obese being treated sympathetically as well. Have you ever been obese? Because I have. Have you seen PETA’s newest campaign to “get the whales [fat people] off the beach”? Because I have. Have you gone to the doctor for a respiratory infection, only to have the first thing out of their mouths about your weight and how obviously something is wrong with you because you’re over a size 12? Because I have.
Obese people are treated as a monstrosity, and those that are border lining in to unhealthily thin territories get far greater treatment than the obese. If they were treated accusingly, would they be on the runways? Because obese people aren’t. Their bodies aren’t glorified by a nation where the thinner you get the more revered you are by our culture. How often is a beautiful woman like Reese Witherspoon hailed because she lost Ryan Phillippe, lost 15 pounds, and she’s suddenly “looking great”?
You’re right about one thing– being obese and being super skinny are equally unhealthy. Just like within both territories, there are those that are fit and healthy and are naturally that way. But don’t act like obese people get preferential treatment, because that’s fucking bullshit.
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 11:00 am:
@Sara in regards to “pro-ana” websites. back when i was in undergrad i joined one of those sites to try to mentor some of the young girls our of that mind set. it was seriously surreal, their thought process. there was one ring leader of the site i was on that kept egging these girls (mostly 14-young 20s) to starve themselves. “nothing taste better than looking this good”
i don’t think i completely pulled anyone out from the “dark side” but i think i shined a light that hopefully helped them see out of it eventually.
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 11:34 am:
I’d just like to take a sec and maybe clear up something about Malak’s comment.
I don’t think she means that obese/overweight/plussized people are being looked at and treated gently or tenderly by media or the public. I think she’s using “sympathy” in it’s actual meaning of feeling sorry for someone else.
And that, as far as I can tell, is true most of the time. People dress up their biases in terms of wanting to “help” overweight individuals, in “sympathy”, in feeling sorry for them. There’s more than a healthy dose of viciousness that doesn’t get masked in “sympathy” and that’s wrong, too.
I just wanted to get out a different perspective on Malak’s word usage. Always with the semantics, this one.
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 11:52 am:
I agree on that sympathy thing, Jaka. A lot of time prejudice is disguised as sympathy. And a lot of people use that same “sympathy” on skinny minnies – because we think something MUST be wrong with them.
Or perhaps Malak’s comment was referring to the media love/hype etc over Beth Ditto (remember that Love mag cover?).
It hurts to overhear at parties “She’s skinny, we can hate her” just like I imagine it hurts to see that PETA article. Until I was 21, I didn’t start growing meat on my bones and though I’m short, I had people ask if I was anorexic. My response: “That’s insulting. Besides you’ve never seen me put down half a medium pizza by myself.”
As per the Twitter convo, there’s size-ism for EVERYONE because, as Michelle pointed out, women’s bodies are condescended to – it’s still considered property (of magazines, of men, etc).
How about this: Healthy is hot. Either extreme is scary.
For more Real Women love, check out the post I wrote for The Demoiselles, titled “Real Women Come in All Shapes”: http://bonne-vie.net/index.php/previous-work/
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 11:52 am:
You’re right. It DOES represent women. It gives little girls and young women and unhealthy perception of what is beautiful. I’m sorry. I’m 5′2 and 125 pounds. It took me a long time to be confident saying that. I’ll never be 100 pounds. I’ll never be a size two and i’m okay with that.
Seeing women like this, condoning their weight in the fashion world sets a poor example and essentially gives the okay and even the push for women to be unhealthy, to strive for the unattainable.
I’m not saying that people aren’t just “born skinny”, some people are… just like i was born to never be a size 2. It’s just not in the cards for me. I don’t think parading seriously obese people down a runway would set a better image. How about just a size 6? You know? Something HEALTHY. I wouldn’t mind seeing a model fill out her bathing suit. I wouldn’t mind seeing a model with a little muscle definition.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing this up. You my love, are FAR too precious and beautiful to subject yourself to a culture like that. You rock it in your own way. LOVE YOU!
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 11:53 am:
Also, grammar for the win, today. Sorry for my scattered ramble, loves!
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 12:38 pm:
Yeah, I agree with you. It’s an illness and truly sickening. I grew up with a lot of different friends who were different in sizes, shapes, color, and so on…and because of that I never really had a problem with the way I looked. Except for now that I need to lose weight but not too much to that “bony” point.
My mom is currently bony and I can see her bones. What bothers me the most is that she thinks she’s fat and wants to lose weight. It’s sickening! She doesn’t understand that she has flappy skin but that can be toned up but she does NOT need to lose weight. Hopefully now that she quit smoking she’ll gain some weight.
on Friday, August 28th, 2009 at 10:06 pm:
Thank goodness I’m not the only one who thinks they look completely yuckish. Great post!
on Sunday, August 30th, 2009 at 10:50 am:
Something my seventh grade teacher said to my class really was true. “When guys are looking for someone to spend the rest of their lives with, they aren’t going to go for the girls that are stick thin.” There’s nothing wrong with being thin! But that kind of thing? It’s too much, and also extremely unattractive. I put personality over looks any day, but I prefer a woman with some meat on her bones. Eating disorders and the desire to be thin are rampant in this world. Someone really does need to tell young women that looking like those women is not attractive. Any man who puts a woman’s looks over her personality in importance, and who disregards someone because they aren’t society’s standards of “beautiful” is not a real man at all.
on Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 at 5:30 am:
It made me really sad reading this post and some of the comments, as I’m an adult woman that’s suffered from being seen as too skinny my whole life. Yes, i do probably look like some of those models and its not something that I attempt to look like. Its just me. Add to the fact that I’m a “black” girl in the South and I really stick out (no pun intented) among my peers. I’ve spent so much of my life hiding and feeling ashamed of the way I look. I get rude comments nearly everyday from people that feel they have a right to tell me I look sick or whatever pops in their head. I use to make excuses for my weight, go in to long details about my family history or tell how much I wish I could weigh or be whatever size, and then I stopped. The past couple of years, I’ve been on a journey to loving myself. I’ve realized how healthy this skinny body is and how much strength I have given the amount of b.s. I’ve been through. I could give two $hits about how I make someone else feel as its been proven time and time again that people don’t care about how they make me feel. If a man wants to pass on the great person that I am because of my appearance then so be it. If you want to judge me for my size so be it. I just want be joining in your games.
on Monday, September 14th, 2009 at 6:58 pm:
I’m so sick of people dissing skinny girls. I relise that alot of these girls (in the pics) have serious issues, and deffinitly don’t agree with that. But i’m naturally skinny, and I refuse to make myself eat ALL the time in order to be “normal” (esp. when I already eat more than my teenage brother :)) Passing judgement on skinny girls as a whole, or just the body type in general is no different from posting a blog about how much fat people discust you. I don’t see why its okay for a stranger to comment on my weight, but “hurtfull” to tell a fat person how obese they are. The worst part about it is the self-righous attitue people take. Theyre “helping” girls to be their deffinition of “normal”( average hight, average weight). Ive actually had a “modivational” speaker tell me, “skinny isn’t pretty”. Just because its more culturally exeptable to have our body type, dosn’t mean we don’t feel insicure about it.
on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at 2:06 am:
[...] criticizing underweight models and society’s obsession with looking stick thin, I see women angrily stating that they have always been underweight and that no one has a right to call them [...]
on Friday, December 4th, 2009 at 4:12 pm:
That’s stupid how skinny they are. I just went on Wikipedia and looked at Chanel Iman’s page…she’s tiny. It says she’s 5′9″ and weighs 50 kilos…how?! I’m a tall (5′7″) 13 year old, and I weigh 62 kilos. I don’t think I’m fat. I don’t see why the industry encourages this.
on Saturday, December 19th, 2009 at 4:31 pm:
I just stumbled across this blog and this post got my attention because it’s on a subject that was discussed among my female colleagues recently (how a fashion firm was caught red-handed Photoshopping pictures of a model by increasing the size of her head to make her look thinner).
I think it’s pretty ridiculous.
On the other hand, until quite recently, a thin, androgynous body was my ideal, what I wanted to look like. On some level, I still do. But it will never happen, even if I starve myself to death and do 50 hours of cardio a week. My body is short and muscular and I have a pretty wide bone frame.
So I took the other route. I started working *with* my body. I started doing strength training and weight lifting. Ladies, you would be AMAZED at how strong you can get with the right mindset and the right training. And at how much better that can make you feel about yourself. After one year, I wouldn’t trade my muscles and my strength for a 90 pounds body. You can’t frighten your co-workers into submission when you weigh 90 pounds.
*flex*
on Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 8:28 am:
These are human beings who do not represent most of the women as a species. They represent fashion.
It’s not nice for a naturally thin person like me to hear that skinny disgusts you. I don’t go around shouting how I feel about fat or normal women.