Imagine being criticized as being too fat, despite winning a supermodel show.
Jen Hunter (5′ 11″, 154 lbs) won the “Make Me a Supermodel” show – despite being criticized for being too fat.
Many people applauded her win. Last year a magazine writer asked:
Although [Hunter] triumphantly overcame the judges remarks and abuse, can she really break into the fashion world?
Answer: No.
Jen Hunter
Jen Hunter recently quit the agency and joined plus-size agency Excel Models.
“[...] when I went into castings I saw very few size 12 models and came up against the same old prejudice. I just didn’t feel comfortable so I decided to change to Excel Models.” (source)
It seems that Hunter (a UK size 12) was not acceptable for the catwalk.
It’s fairly obvious that despite all the noise about fashion models being too skinny – little has changed. Only certain body shapes are acceptable for fashion modeling.
An attention-grabbing comparison I know, but below is a picture of Marianne Berglund, another finalist in the above-mentioned reality show.
Marianne Berglund
Both women have a right to be the size and shape they wish to be. The issue here is what is acceptable for the modeling industry and how it impacts body image perception as a whole.
If Jen Hunter is plus-size then the bar of “appropriate body size” has been raised so high as to be insurmountable.
Let’s also remember that because of vanity sizing, a size 12 is really a size 16. I hear a lot of excuses to accept being fat here. Sure, many models are too thin. But when I go shopping with my wife and a size “extra small” is big enough to fit me comfortably (6 foot 2 male 200 pounds) there is something seriously wrong. The Victorias Secret models are much better than most runway models. They are not super skinny and have muscle on them. Not everyone can be a (real) size 4, but there is no excuse for being bigger than an 8.
To say that _anyone_ can be a healthy size 4 is as wrong as to claim that _anyone_ wearing size 6/8 or smaller is depriving themselves from food.
That comment made me laugh, especially since the second girl looks like she’d be gasping for air if she had to actually walk down a catwalk. Fitness is way more important than weight, I agree, but to say either of these models looks more “fit” than the other is ludicrous. One looks healthier than the other, but neither looks like they could run a 10k without training.
Yes, and if you’re listening to the 1940′s definition of an “hourglass figure” you should take into account that women wore bustiers and corsets when dressing in those outfits. Even “healthy” people don’t naturally have exact proportions. If we did, everyone would have symmetrical features and PhD’s in rocket science. We all need to stop asking other people their opinions about us and start deciding what we are for ourselves.
People often miss the fact that not everyone is a natural size 4 if they just “take care of themselves.” I’m 5’7 and of German descent. I can’t be a size 4 because the shirts literally won’t fit over my shoulders – my bones are simply too wide too. Or rather, they aren’t “too wide” but a size 4 is too small. I would literally have to starve myself to get below 120 pounds (a weight I have no desire to reach) and get tired of people saying that anyone can be a size 4 if they will just “take care of themselves.” Bone structure, ancestry, and height all impact weight. It will be a great day when 5’1 women who run 5-10 miles a day stop telling women of average height (5’4″) that they can be any size they want if they will just “take care of themselves.”
I’m a size 4 and don’t starve myself at all. I work hard, make smart food choices and treat myself in moderation. It’s about making good food choices and exercise. Take care of your body and it will take care of you.
she is not fat but she is so unfit! there is no tone in her body. there are so many large women who look fit. she just looks flabby like a 70 yr old. yuck!
No. Your waist needs to be 10 inches smaller than your hips and your bust and hips should be equal or within two inches of each other. You are probably a pear.
She looks like a sick person the skinny one. The “plus” size model is actually the normal size for her height. She looks curvaceous and desirable.
Thanks Nic,
Good to see that someone is able to step back and realise that you don’t have to choose the “skinny side” or the “fat side”…
It frustrates me that people are so quick to judge anyone for being too large or too slim…
If you’re “too slim”, you’re not a “real woman”, and if you’re “too large”, you’re considered fat… And in reality, all that matters is that you’re healthy and happy, not whether you are big or small
We are all beautiful
xx
I’m a guy and I’m as skinny as the second woman naturally lol
The “plus size” model looks fantastic, absolutely beautiful with a perfect figure. The other model looks just ghastly.
What is wrong with our society that we believe the thinner gal looks better? Come on people, just look at her! She looks worse than some dead people I’ve seen!
I would take Jens figure any day. She has a perfect figure. There is not an ounce of extra fat on her anywhere.
do i have an hourglass figure?
chest=33
waist=26
hips=35
a little more? more like eat ALOT more!
you can see her bones THROUGH they suit. that is WAYYY too thin. plus she looks ANGRY porbably cuz she hasnt eaten in days!
“Both women have a right to be the size and shape they wish to be.”
Most women probably aren’t the size they wish to be. A good first step in improving body image might be to consistently acknowledge that the size we are has a lot to do with first, genes, and second environment. This article gives a whole new way of looking at things:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/arya-m-sharma-md/canada-obesity-prevention_b_865914.html
As for fashion, who needs it anyway? It’s either an artistic industry that has little to do with reality, or a shallow one. Should we be surprised they don’t _really_ care about women’s body image, but about showcasing their clothing, -which many women can’t afford anyway – on the best “display case”? Instead of trying to break into this industry, more regular sized women should recognize how ugly an industry it is, and it’s hard on the self-esteem by its very nature. Many of the models really aren’t that pleasing to look at because they’re too thin. We’ve been conditioned to think that’s beautiful, and that’s why women still want to be “models”. But really, it’s not beautiful in many cases, where the women aren’t even genetically set up to be that thin without starving themselves. I guess what I’m saying is, let the catwalk world do what it does. Ignore it instead of giving it so much attention. It’s like an alien planet that most of us can never travel to, so learn to love your own planet and look after it instead.