Image from CiteCinema.com
Image from MSNBC.com
It is said by the Association of Modeling Agents that a model should be between 5’8” and 6’1”. They should have the measurements of 34-24-34 inches; these are said to have been Marylyn Monroe’s size. This is statement happens to be false, if Marylyn Monroe were to model today she would be considered a plus sized model. This standard has been set for young girls aspiring to fit in. Although nowhere on the website does it say that there is a specific weight requirement, but it is almost implied based on the images and resources available to us. These thin models on the runways or in magazines negatively affect young girls in society. Many young girls have fallen victim to horrible eating disorders in order to attain this perceived look. An article on CBC.ca explained how there should be a weight standard in order for models to walk on a runway at New York Fashion Week. There are many people out there that believe that a woman that is a size 6 is overweight or a plus sized model. This is an astonishing statement but modeling has become a world where people strive to wear a 00 rather than even a 0 or size 2.
There needs to be a change in the way that these models are portrayed to society. It may be a hard road since there are many people that look up to these girls and see nothing wrong with their size. The fact of the matter is that if there is going to be a change it is going to have to come ultimately from people within the fashion industry, someone like a designer may put healthier looking models down the runway for their new collection.
There is the argument that even though these models are ultra-thin does not mean that they are unhealthy. This may be true in some cases; there are women out there that have the genes to be very thin. That does not mean that it is okay or healthy for all models to look this way. There are models in the industry that resort to starving themselves, and in even worse cases they resort to drugs. An example of a model that chose to do drugs because of the pressures that the industry placed upon her is Kate Moss. She did end up losing many of her contracts with people like Burberry, H&M and even Chanel. These companies were not willing to support her behavior. Their actions show that the industry does not want to support any model that is going to harm themselves in that matter just to walk a runway. There was so much scrutiny around this controversy because not only is she a model but she is also a mother. In society we feel that what she did is worse because she is a mother, if she did not have a child we still would think that it was a poor decision but she would not have been scrutinized nearly as much.
There are another blog that also discusses a similar topic. In this blog the author states some statistics about the average weight of a female model. In some respects I agree with this author, models need to be more healthy looking, but there are girls out there that are naturally thin and it may be really hard for them to gain weight. The bottom line is that even though there are girls out there that have trouble gaining weight it does not mean that a whole modeling industry needs be that thin. This thinness tends to make models look a lot younger than they really are just because they are so thin, they don’t have any curves or shape to their bodies.
The image shown below is an extreme case which can occur when a model feels the continuous pressure and takes her dieting or drug intake to a very high level.
Image from CBC.ca
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The change in these women’s image seems to be very important. We need to look past what has been already shown to us and take a stand and make a change. The change has begun to start but it is going to be a slow and steady process that is going to need a lot of support. The change will be beneficial for young girls and will encourage women to lead a healthier lifestyle and will be uplifting to everyone that is involved. Healthier looking models will create a better self image for many young girls and women, models are an inspiration to many females.
