Changing Attitudes Towards Skinny Models
It seems that Madrid's ban on skinny models has started a small avalanche across the fashion industry.
UK cultural secretary Tessa Jowell is also calling for ultra-thin models to be banned from London Fashion Week.
"Young women need role models that look like real women, not stick insects on a catwalk." (src - BBC)Israel has now entered the fray with retail companies refusing to employ 'overly-thin' models for advertisements.
Adi Barkan, a leading fashion photographer, said he had secured commitments from firms that account for 60 percent of advertising volume in Israel to turn away models whose body mass index -- the ratio of height to weight -- is less than 18. (via Reuters)Israel has the 4th highest rate of anorexia in the world.
I think it's important here not to get this out of context (despite the shameless attention-grabbing title of this post!). According to the photographer quoted above, the average BMI among Israeli models is 14. I'm sure most would agree that is very low.
The agreement in Israel is not about state intervention but appears to be a voluntary act from the private sector. Quite frankly, as a father of two daughters (and with a familial history of eating disorders), I welcome any move to "normalize" media portrayal of women.
Sarah White, writing for CalorieLab puts a great slant on the whole debate.
Yes, we should tell our heavier girls that they are fine just the way they are, but we should also let our skinny girls know that they are fine, too. It's hard enough being small, with people teasing you about being anorexic all the time, without having the whole culture telling you you're an unhealthy freak for being so tiny.People do come in all sizes and weights - but the modelling industry is all about looks - and fulfilling a certain arbitrary standard - from within the industry itself.
Who knows, there could actually be a collective sigh of relief among models. As commenter and former model Kbomb puts it "I quit after a couple years. I couldn't subject myself to the constant scrutiny of my body."
Read More
- Required Reading: The Best Nutrition Books (Diet Blog)
- Nutritional Fanaticism II: The Vegan Extreme (Diet Blog)
- Meet Greg, 155 Pounds Down! (DailySpark)
- 2012 Super Bowl Commercial Winners: Oikos and Belvita [VIDEOS] (Diets in Review)
72 Comments
Add Your Comment
Created / Updated: November 9, 2011
"Who knows, there could actually be a collective sigh of relief among models."
Exactly. While some people could be naturally small or have a larger frame, in the modeling industry, the thinnest is part of the resume. I do not have anything against a certain look, but the standards are not realistic. They seem to promote and encourage eating disorders.
ReplyAn average BMI of 14! No matter how flawed the BMI system is, I think it's safe to say that Israeli models must be some of the most unhealthy in the world. Hopefully with these new commitments from the advertisers, the poor girls can start eating again, while still keeping their jobs.
For those who think it's ok to expect women to starve for their careers "because some people are naturally thin" (I get sick of hearing that excuse for the concentration camp victim look on the catwalks), is there any other profession you can think of that asks its' employees to deprive themselves of food and put their health seriously at risk?
Sarah White is right in saying that the BMI isn't a good way to decide who stays and who goes, but until someone comes up with a better way of determining overall health, it is at least a good start.
ReplySo pretty much, naturally thin girls should lose their jobs because some models are anorexic/bullimic? Oh yes, it's the naturally thin girls' fault that people develop eating disorders.
If they have to ban thin models, they have to ban the bigger ones too, because obeseity it ALSO a problem in America.
Replylol, no offense, but in my entire life, i have never seen any obese model before. Obesity is not a trend within our world, it is a disorder, but it is certainly not promoted like the stick, gauntly thin image that walks on our runways. Do not get me wrong, i myself am part of the modelling world, having walked on several runways for gucci, marc jacobs and Dolce and gabana and i can assure you, any model that is "naturally thin" already has a BMI over 18, and those who don't can be safely accused of not being naturally thin ( having said that, it's very rare that i have come across any model that does not suffer from bulemia) I myself have a BMI of 18, but have subjected myself to unhealthy eating habits before. Now i exercise daily, without over doing it, and get a healthy intake of all the nutrients my body needs. Not living in this manner is unhealthy, and the Spanish government is the wiser to make suhc rules. I can hear a sigh of relief for many models. And in response to the accusation that because some models are suffering from eating disorders, all have to be punished; there is a VERY small minority of models who do not suffer from some type of eating disorder, and as i said before, i have never come across one, who's BMI is not over 18.
ReplyTHAT IZ COMPLETELY STUPID.NATURALLY THIN CHICK SHOULD JUZT TRY & GET A HEALTHLY IMAGE I MEAN BIGGER ONES TO BUT SWEET IT'Z REALLY,BIGGER PEOPLE ARE NORMAL PEOPLE.EVERY "NORMAL"PERSON CAN RELATE BECAUSE IT'S COMMON.PEOPLE CAN LOOK UP TO THE BIGGER MODELS,& KNOW IT'S OKAY TO BE THAT WAY BECAUSE IN REALITY,YOUNG GIRLS WHO ARE "AVERAGE"(NOT NASTY STICKS WITH 1% OF SKIN)CAN HAVE HOPE
ReplyI also believe people come in all shapes and sizes and I love that.
ReplyThe world would look boring if we were all uniform.
It’s perfectly fine to be skinny but an 18 BMI is skinny
But when only models who are a size 14 our hired we’re telling society and the models that having a 17 to 18 BMI isn’t skinny enough.
I think the BMI is a good start.
The BMI's flaw is it tells people they are fat when they aren't. A man with muscles would have the same BMI if all he had was fat. Right I turned out to be too skinny at a BMI of 21-22. I had too low of body fat.
So a couple of models might be thinner than they think with a BMI of 18.
...the BMI may be flawed, but it is a start.
ANY starting point to get the industry's and the public's *serious* attention to the unnatural, gaunt, anorexic look as a fashion standard is welcome. Youth needs healthier looking models.
ReplyI'm glad this is happening, and I hope it doesn't just die out like many trends do. My 14 year old granddaughter is naturally thin, but she couldn't consider being a model under the past standards. She has often remarked that she wished she were thinner, which concerns me.
ReplyIm pretty sure all girls wish they were thinner no matter what
ReplyHaving a BMI of 19.5 --no normal person has ever accused me of being too thin or anorexic. However, it I lost 10 lbs I feel I would look too thin, and people would tell me so. There is this natural weight my body likes to stay at, and I would guess that since I have always been active, that plays a part. I doubt that most models work out-- many of them just have that starved, no muscle tone look. A few might do some weight training for their upper arms, but overall, they don't look like they eat enough. A BMI below 19 on a very tall woman just doesn't look healthy to me. There is lean looking and then there is weak looking--and some of these young women look so weak, I'm sure the boots and coats they are modeling can be heavy burdens for some them to move in.
ReplyThen they are forced into that ridiculous 'walk' . I love fashions shows, and would welcome some strong & slim models moving in a more fluid, graceful manner.
Okay, I understand that women come in all shapes and sizes and that we shouldn't discriminate against "skinny" girls any more than "curvy" girls. But I HIGHLY doubt that there are very many girls out there that NATURALLY have a BMI of 14...that's ridiculous. You know that most of the models out there have to watch their diets like a hawk and be freakishly skinny. I also think BMI is slightly flawed, since I have a fairly low BMI of 18, but yet I don't appear anorexic or too skinny. I am also very muscular and short, so my BMI is a little off. My husband's BMI is slightly higher than mine, yet he has almost 10% MORE fat than I do, so he looks "fatter" at the same BMI. I think models should be portraying healthy women of all shapes and sizes, not just be glorified clothes hangers.
ReplyFYI, a 5'10" woman would have to weigh 98lbs to have a BMI of 14 (at 126lbs, she'd have a BMI of 18).
I agree with posters who've said that while some people are naturally very thin, almost noone naturally has a BMI of 14, and I think the point that these women are employees also bears repeating. The level of thiness that's now a requirement for models is irresponsible and insane. Madrid's step sounds a little weird, but I think is the only sensible thing to do. I see it a bit like the government regulation of tobacco commercials on tv, combined with laws to protect workers' safety.
ReplyUntil we as a society say we've had enough, and actually make a decision to do something, skinny models and those they work for will continue to flourish, as they have.
This really begins in the home, especially with young girls and how they're raised. The influences they are permitted to view and the values that are instilled in them. Just to name a couple.
Reply"PLUS" size models should also be banned. One hundred times more people die from overweight than from anorexia.
They should only allow advertising to show people within the "healthy" and/or "normal" weight range.
ReplyAlso, now that I think about it, models with suntans should be banned.
Death rates from melanoma are very high and we certainly don't want to be encouraging people to expose their bodies to the sun or tanning salons.
Reply""PLUS" size models should also be banned. One hundred times more people die from overweight than from anorexia.
They should only allow advertising to show people within the "healthy" and/or "normal" weight range.
ReplyPlus sized models are a size 8 (US), which is healthy.
According to the 'do-it-yourself' BMI calculator for women, I'm 'underweight' at a BMI of just 18.5. But I've ALWAYS been thin, never able to gain much weight or keep it on if I do, and I still have a very healthy appetite and am (as far as I know) pretty healthy too (meaning I have lots of energy to spare)!
I DID manage to get up to 145 lbs. for a short time once, as a teenager, but it was a real struggle just getting there. Frankly, at that weight I looked 'fat' (very 'hippy' with a lot of weight concentrated on the thighs, although unfortunately that extra weight never landed on my bosom as hoped for! LOL.) I also noticed that at that weight I had a far more pronounced 'pear shape' which I didn't find attractive at all. But when I remain at about 125 lbs. (the weight I 'normally' seem to gravitate to), my figure looks much more 'in proportion.' The reason I'm saying all this is, I think it REALLY depends on the individual and her particular 'body type' along with bone structure, age, etc. For me, a BMI of 18.5 is not too thin IMHO. However, I do agree that anything below '17' for a fully-grown woman would probably be WAY too thin!
ReplySo.... why are these adds on this page (on this diet blog)??
Ads by Google
Lose 18Lbs in 4 days
Eating REAL food NO Gimmicks Plan shows you Step by Step
www.18in4.com
Lose 20 Lbs in 10 Days
ReplyThats right, let me show you how to lose 20 lbs in 10 days easily
www.20in10days.com
I don't think the guy who writes this blog has any control over which advertisements show up here.
Reply