Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.
That is the controversial mantra that model Kate Moss says she lives by.
While some may take this as “thin-spiration,” many people, especially young women, are self-conscious and vulnerable as it is, and irresponsible statements such as this one could encourage them to stop eating.
We live in a society that glamorizes the undeniably thin, and there’s no way to live up to those standards.
Models devote their lives to looking the way they do; that’s their job. They have the time to spend countless hours maintaining their perfect physiques.
They also have the incentive.
If a model is unable to fit into the sample size, which currently is a size zero designed for a woman of 5 feet, 11 inches, the demand for her modeling services will decrease drastically.
Not every woman is naturally that small, nor is it healthy in every instance. Women are not meant to fit into a cookie cutter mold.
Because of those expectations, some models resort to anorexia, and for some their starvation results in death.
According to researched compiled from the BBC, Time, Newsweek and the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the average model was 8 percent thinner than the average woman 30 years ago. Now the average model is 23 percent thinner than the average woman.
The weight debate already evokes a lot of controversy, but untimely, unnecessary and avoidable deaths should throw up a red flag.
The Council of Fashion Designers of America has discussed the issue of unhealthily thin models for years, yet the unobtainable standards remain.
By the fashion industry’s standards, a normal-sized girl still is considered fat.
A select few designers and fashion entities are making provisions to change that mindset, but it’s still not enough.
According to the Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, one in five women struggle with an eating disorder, 90 percent of those women are between the ages of 12 and 25 and at least 50,000 individuals will die each year as a direct result of an eating disorder.
My 11-year-old sister, who is a living, breathing version of a stick figure, has convinced herself that she needs to implement a strict diet and exercise regimen so she won’t break into the 70-pound weight range.
Apparently that is considered fat, too.
Where do we draw the line? Will we continue to tell children and young adults that they are too fat when they are in fact within a healthy range?
Enough is enough.
In a world of skinny jeans and micro-minis, I often feel inadequate. And I know I’m not alone.
An industry that holds such a high place in society should be using its power to fight feelings of inadequacy and stand up against this epidemic.
The fashion industry should make a conscious decision to promote healthy weight rather than a certain size.
If the fashion council were to change the sample size and if designers were to use normal-sized girls, the unrealistic expectations of women brought forth by the fashion industry would diminish.
It’s time we made a change.
Jordan Fry is a Ranger reporter. She can be reached at jsfry@my.actx.edu.
Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.
That is the controversial mantra that model Kate Moss says she lives by.
While some may take this as “thin-spiration,” many people, especially young women, are self-conscious and vulnerable as it is, and irresponsible statements such as this one could encourage them to stop eating." />
That is the controversial mantra that model Kate Moss says she lives by.
While some may take this as “thin-spiration,” many people, especially young women, are self-conscious and vulnerable as it is, and irresponsible statements such as this one could encourage them to stop eating." />
Opinion: Body image forces young adults to starvation
Published: Thursday, March 11, 2010
Updated: Wednesday, March 10, 2010
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