Feature Article Submission 1

Has the media gone too far? Is promoting body image better for the health of our economy or is it strictly the tradition of marketing ploys.

In recent years the model figures that are gracing the covers of our magazines and starring in the movies we watch, have created and immense confusion to the actual definition of a healthy body image. Actresses of such include, Heather Locklear, Nicole Kidman, Calista Flockhart, and Renee Zelwigger. And more are becoming stick sisters as we speak because of the high competition in the industry. But have these stars gone too far? Choosing frailty and fame rather than risk of being criticized for having curves? As quoted from this past years Emmy Awards red carpet, Jennifer Aniston, 30, adds, “My God, these girls make me look fat!” Feeling the pressure much, Jen? This is having personal trainers around the world fuming mad and losing work. Years ago working out was the only health conscious way to lose weight and now drastically reducing carbohydrates in your diet is the sure fire way. Here is the beginning of our serious dysfunctional journey. As the beautiful figures of our time take eating disorders to a whole new level. Diseases of poor nutrition like these can cause infertility and osteoporosis, just to name a few, which can put them at risk for fracturing bones depending on the type of activities they are involved in.

So let the beautiful-yet-emaciated beware. This year Pasarela Cibeles (Spain’s most important fashion event) has barred catwalk models with a body mass index (a weight-to-height ratio) lower than 18. After noticeably starved models took the runway at last year’s event, Spain’s health and women’s organizations as well as Madrid’s regional government pressured organizers to change the look of their shows. With further explanation, the Vice-councilwoman for the Economy in Madrid’s regional government states,
“Our intention is to promote good body image by using models whose bodies match reality and reflect healthy eating habits.”
With these new set restrictions it will prevent 30% of the 50 models that participated in last year’s event to attend in these years Cibeles. The girls must be taking it hard. For an industry that was difficult to get into from the start and traditionally having rake-thin models for hire, it’s making it more difficult for them to keep their jobs. Research shows that being tall and thin boned does not necessarily mean that your sick, but the World Health Organization defines a BMI below 18.5 as “underweight” and the show organizers have made exceptions for the naturally thin. So does this mean that we’ll be seeing models reaching for burgers and milkshakes? Probably not, but anything to gear the woman in the industry away from unhealthy eating habits is a great start.

On the FLIP side …
Jean Paul Gaultier has swapped size 0 models for size 20 models!
To define his comments, Gaultier found his own way to debate the reasoning of size 0 models by putting a larger model down the catwalk to show off his clothes. A somewhat amusing sight but the message was clearly made. The plus sized model dwarfed the other models in their place. Being a size 20 made the controversy known to all his viewers but at the same time, is it fair to say that overweight women should have the same opportunities as a thin women in this industry? Or is more of an exploit? In Gaultiers show the model was clearly overweight, and that could easily be considered an eating disorder as well. So, with plus-sized models gaining ground, what are the fashion insiders saying about this? Fashion, although having Health Ministers on top of height-to-weight ratio standards, cannot be regulated. Fashion cannot be regulated it is an art form. To many in France, they laugh at this controversy and feel super skinny will always be in. But in Countries like Britain and Italy obesity is becoming a larger fact of life. In the Haute Couture world plus-sized models are a rarity and we have yet to see more designers take advantage of the “real” women as their models. They tend to be sectioned off for ready-to-wear.

Who knows were this is going to lye in ten years from now, but the main message is to promote healthy eating to all those that are figures to our children. Actors and Actresses, Models and Singers, Mothers and Fathers, your roles are more important than you think. When huge corporations and field events are planned out, there is always over seen thoughts on the “what ifs.” But in the Fashion industry there is still and most likely going to always be snob appeal to this art form. There was an original form of the female body that we consider sexy and we all know that sex sells. There just comes a point when a higher decision has to be made when something could possibly be crossing the line. Women and men see themselves with their own eyes whether they are distorted or not, but there should be a line that people can understandably know is being crossed especially when it comes to being healthy. Majority of the people who suffer from eating disorders are proven to look up to a certain figure that they admire because of their insecurities. In an eating disorder such as obesity there tends to more depressed thoughts of themselves because of certain figures that they cannot imagine to posses in themselves. These thoughts come from trying to fit in to the norm. Everyone out there should know that they are the norm, they are beautiful and we all should see that in ourselves. In the Fashion industry the beauty should be held in the styles and medias we use to express feelings and emotions and not with the bodies underneath the art. And a person/body is what they make of it. You are what you make of yourself!