Should Size Zero Models Be Banned Essay

(HELGA DITTMAR, 2004) The National Eating Disorders Association reported that twenty years ago, the average model weighed 8 percent less than the average woman (129 pounds vs. 140 pounds). Today, the average woman is 160 pounds and the typical model weighs 23 percent less (123 pounds). (National Eating Disorder Association, 2009) This may not seem like a huge jump, but for a 5'10" woman (a typical model height), 129 pounds equals the 18.5 BMI cut-off and 123 pounds is underweight. Keep in mind that these are averages; the unsaid reality is that young women in the industry are often encouraged to lose "ten pounds." Go on “starvation diets” undergo surgeries. Too often young women in the industry shrink under insecurity and pressure to maintain an ideal size that is not realistic for their own bodies, it is even worse as they mature because agencies want them to maintain the same body weight they had at age sixteen which should not be. Research has shown that more than 72 percent of women in the United States alone wear a size 12 and above. (Corrigan, 2013) Fashion brands are supposed to project a more accurate image of what women look like, why are we still using size zero models to advertise products? If the customers on average are bigger, brands should use more realistic, diverse looking models.

If it isn't bad enough that the media only shows fashion models who are much smaller than most of the women in our society anyway, the new trend is for the images of these women to be digitally retouched and airbrushed so as to make them appear even smaller than they are in real life. Not only

For many years there has been size discrimination amongst the fashion industry. Some companies want to say that women are too big or too skinny. Yet this may be true in some cases, this does not mean that their assumptions should affect who can and cannot model. When fashion industries are picking models, they should consider that not every woman is the same size and their weight, if healthy, should not affect their chances of becoming a model.

Multiple research studies exist regarding the issue of how the ideal body portrayed by the Fashion Industry affects women and their body image. The purpose of this paper is to address the negative effects that these slender-figure standards have on women. The following will analyze some of the factors that contribute to negative body image and low self-esteem, the analysis will begin from how the ideal body has changed through the years; from being possible to attain in the past until reaching the current point, where it is unattainable without having to use unhealthy behaviors. By analyzing and interpreting these factors the intention is to answer the question about “What are the negative effects that “size” in the Fashion Industry has on

Models are the ones being directly affected by this epidemic. Modeling is hard, so models will do whatever they need to succeed. When you're a model, size zero is what's in demand, what the designers are looking for (Lee). Most models think that it is required and expected of them to have to be hospitalized because they don't eat enough. One model says, "No, no. It is my job not to eat." Some have resorted to extreme measures, "A couple of the others have resorted to eating tissues. Apparently they swell up and fill your stomach" (Clements). No one should ever feel like they need to eat tissues so they can be beautiful. Beauty is relative and just a concept we've made in our heads, so it can't even be defined.The common size of models, a size zero, "requires the waist measurements of twenty three inches, which is the average size for an eight year old" (Size Zero). Why is this the standard?

While it’s fashion week in London, the size “zero” models start to prepare for the big show by purging to be as thin as possible. Most models starve themselves in order to achieve the “waif”, stick-thin figure; it becomes so addictive, almost like second nature that it further leads to serious eating disorders. From recent studies, today’s model weighs about 23% less than the normal woman. Clearly, most models do not depict the average woman. Men and women all over the world follow the influences that the fashion industry provides. They believe that the fashion industry depicts on what society should be acknowledged as, picture-perfect thin.

Laine Sterbenz, a student from the University of Kentucky and popular blogger on Odyssey, concludes that skinny models give girls and women motivation to live healthier lifestyles in a way no other body type could. In her post, she argues that models have that skinny body that is desired by every girl, the ideal to work to attain. She then continues into saying that if overweight models were to be used, or even average sized ones, then women wouldn’t actually have the motivation to want to eat better and live a healthier life, because they would already be satisfied with how they look. While Sterbenz brings up valid points, she weakens the argument by contradicting her own statements, and unwittingly promoting unhealthy eating habits and

The fashion industry plays a huge role in portraying bad images of ideal beauty, which in turn affects today’s society perception of their own body image. Not only are women affected by what is seen and heard about how the perfect body should appear, children of young ages are now feeling insecure and obsessed with their bodies before they reach teenage years. This ‘ideal image’ the fashion industry continues to enforce only focuses on very thin models who seem to be in shape and are very healthy. Furthermore, many people think of the influence from the fashion industry as being human representations (models). Because of the rising problem with the image of beauty within the fashion industry, it is shown that even mannequins and non-human representations (mannequins, dolls, photoshopping) of bodies play a significant role in women’s body image; which causes problems to the individual. (Anshutz & Engels, 2010). Body image and self-satisfaction, eating disorders and non-human representations all can cause harm to the individual, if prolonged.

In today’s society, the media is very influential when it comes to their standards on the size and shape of models, especially with women according to Modeling Wisdom, NP. In America, women models have such an abundance of standards they must meet in order to stay in the industry. For example, the typical age is 16-21 years old.  Models can be younger than this, but many agencies will require models to be at least 16.  Likewise, models can be older, but agencies and clients tend to like their models looking younger and more youthful; alongside age, a model’s height is typically between 5’9″-6″, bust is between 32″-36″, waist is between 22″-26″, and hips should be between 33″-35″ (Modeling Wisdom, NP). Although the average woman cannot meet

When as a society we glorify these models that are underweight we are telling others that this is the body image that is acceptable and if they do not match this body type, then they feel inadequate and then wish to change as well, and the easiest way to do so is to mimic what they see. They mimic how “the media coverage of feminine thinness is demonstrated as a token of beauty, with diet as a tool to achieve this” (Lacoste).  If underweight models were banned, like they are in France, we are accepting that being underweight is unhealthy and that other weights can be just as beautiful and can be glorified. Having other weights seen in ads and on the runway shares the message that anybody type is okay, and society should not pressure people to change the way they look based on social acceptance. Models like Tyra Banks and Ashley Graham are two people who are breaking the silence of societies narrow body image acceptance. The two models promote self-love and they are not the typical tiny models seen, but they are helping to eliminate social standards because they know the harmful effects of the media on self esteem. The bigger picture of these two bands, is the fact that as a society we are praising unhealthy standards and were telling people that being unhealthy and having an eating disorder is okay because you get be beautiful. We should not be worshiping

The article highlights the issue of body-shaming and the issue of fashion companies using stick-thin mannequins to model clothing. Many people feel that the use of these mannequins promotes an unhealthy lifestyle and an unrealistic image for young girls, which can lead to eating disorders

Fashion magazines and the media are filled with beautiful women that appear to be extremely thin. Every time someone turns on the television or looks at magazines they see some kind of advertisement for fitness programs or some method of dieting. There is a strong emphasis on dieting and maintaining some ideal weight. Looking at these ads full of “skinny” women gives other women a sense of insecurity about themselves, making them think that thin is the way to be. Society in general tends to think that all women are supposed to appear to look like these surreal images that we see on television and in magazines. You hardly ever see plus size models on TV or in magazines advertising a product. It seems to me that if you are not a Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banks, or Naomi Campbell then you don’t have a chance of succeeding in this fat phobic world.

In today’s society, having the perfect body has been a growing issue for women for a very long time but now, more than ever, women are expected to be skinny but have curves “in all the right places”. This mentality can lead to self-esteem issues as women grow up, even if they are a healthy weight. When women are larger than the size of models that they see on billboards and magazine covers, they think they aren’t pretty enough or not thin enough and this can trigger eating disorders or mental illnesses. All of this is just because most women do not fit into society’s idea of “perfection”. Recently, clothing shops like Debenhams have been introducing “plus-size” mannequins (sizes 16-18) in their advertising campaigns as opposed to the usual

It does seem rational to think that size 0 is as extreme as size 24. People are allowed to have preferences,that's totally fine, it's in human nature. This becomes a problem though when there aren't fair representatives for all shapes and sizes, whether they be size 2 or size 18, in things such as the media (just as long as the body’s healthy). However, I do understand that many skinnier models have been deemed, as you say, unhealthy and malnourished, while bigger models have been deemed as ‘too fat’. Which is very problematic because not only do the words ‘too fat’ sound patronising but it also begs the question ‘too fat’ for

These women we see in the media and in magazines are models. People see models as gorgeous women, who they should want to look like. People think models have it so easy because all they have to do is take pictures, walk down a runway stage, and ultimately look stunning all the time. The truth about models are they have to keep that thin body image or they could become jobless. Nona L.Wilson, and Anne E. Blackhurst say, “Those researchers who have acknowledged the importance of social and cultural factors in the development of eating disorders have focused primarily on the cultural norm of thinness. This approach has highlighted the role of the media and other cultural forces in promoting a "thin ideal" that is unattainable for most women. To date, the most