Lethal fashion trend of skinny models-- Should it change?

Chou Toshio

Chou Toshio

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I am sure most are aware of the growing problems with weight and eating disorders globally, especially in first world countries.

Young girls and professionals alike, pushing the limits of thinness, and often with life-threatening and tragic endings. I'm sure a number of you have had a friend, a cousin, or a sister who has dealt with eating disorders... or are perhaps dealing with it yourself.

Today though, I found this awesome video article:

http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c4#/video/world/2012/03/27/chance-israel-underweight-models.cnn

Apparently, Israel is going to ban all models with a BMI (Body-Mass-Inxes) less than 18 from the magazines and runways (WOW you can see the difference in the girls before and after--the "fatter" girls obviously being more attractive; looking healthy that is). BMI 18 is the minimum to fall within the normal healthy range.

To me, this sounds like a fantastic good that can only benefit fashion enthusiasts and the models themselves. I'm sure in time, such a move could change people's view on fashion, beauty, and make the world better for women (and men?) in and out of the industry.

Obviously, I'd want America to do this too!

I thought this was more interesting room for discussion than just posting a headline which is why I made the thread.

Do you think this BMI reinforcement should be brought to your own countries? What do you think of the effects of the fashion industry, or eating disorders on society? What cons are there to having "fatter" models (I can't think of any-- I've always hated really skinny women)?
 
ooh ooh here's one why do we force skinny people to not be models???

i'm not saying that it's healthy to want to be craptastically skinny, but i think it's just as unfair to force one view of fashion as another even if the one is in interest of public health. Furthermore, i'm with you, the prettiest girls are never the skinniest (jennifer lawrence mm)
 
Go Israel :)

But yes, I do believe that it is taking a step forward in the right direction. Pwnemon, we would not so much be banning them or forcing them to stop being models simply because they have an eating disorder. Rather, we'd be preventing them from being in the public eye as the standard of beauty and preventing them from being role models, albeit negative ones, to impressionable people (females especially).
 
what? how can you POSSIBLY ban someone from doing something because they are too thin? is it fair to ban an obese model because she "promotes overeating disorders"? this is a step in the WRONG direction.

with that being said, eating orders are really awful. they can ruin your life and health. but i do not think that it's fair to regulate the job market based on BMI.
 
Certainly a step in the right direction, but I don't think it'll have much of an impact on the beliefs of everyone else. Unfortunately it'll take much more to undo all the psychological damage that has been done to our culture along these lines.

It's too bad too. Most men already think the right way (skinny=gross, healthy=sexy), they're just for some reason hesitant to express it. Not sure what's keeping the attitude from changing on its own on a larger scale to be honest =/
 
I don't entirely agree with you Bad Ass, but I think you have the right idea. No matter how you legislate this issue there will still be some sort of silly ideal getting promoted. Even if there are no anorexic models, the fashion industry will still promote a certain type of beauty. Women (and men) will still become afflicted with disorders pertaining to not living up to such a standard of beauty.

That being said, I don't find anything particularly wrong with saying that models should maintain a certain level of fitness and health, lets be real: models are also negatively affected when they are expected too be thinner than is healthy.
 
It's a stupid trend really. Pretty anyone with a thinking pan knows that the sexiest women have curves.

LOOK AT CHRISTINA HENDRICKS. I honestly have no idea why this trend even exists. I don't think they should even be banned, it'd be like a banning Pikachu from OU, it doesn't stand a chance ♪

EDIT: Blurgh
 
how about we just love all body types and not say that any one weight is better than the other


people think that saying "yeah well curvy girls are better" makes them better than the people who only like skinny chicks but in reality they are just as bad haha

the pressures put on people (especially women) to look a certain way is disgusting in all forms


so yeah saying "wow skinny girls thats so gross" is so counterproductive and anybody who is saying this should probably take a step back so they can see exactly how hypocritical and retarded they look

oh and ps the BMI scale is a terrible indicator of health
 
Its not "this weight is better than that" or "this weight is more attractive than this weight."

Its "If you weigh this little, there's a high chance you're going to get/already have an eating disorder which will majorly affect your health, and there's a chance you can die as well."

I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather have curvy models than dead ones.
 
I agree with NJ.

There will be pressures placed on people by Fashion and Media.

Everywhere now, we're being told, albeit rather sublminally that "This is what Women should Look like" "This is what men should look like"

The super skinny look has sort of passed by now with a bigger emphasis from the media that curves are healthy. However in Celebrity magazines (which I think are an abomination of western culture), there are constant reviews of which celebrities are too skinny, who have put on too much weight. Often on the verge of downright slander.

Now Yes, I agree that people in the public eye, have a small responsibility to set an example, especially as they are idols and role models. Despite this, the amount of opinion that dominates these magazines and is depicted as the "right" opinion is what is the big problem.

Men's mags, the internet, fashion shows, big Celebrity parties. Relentless images of "beauty," "the perfect look," "the ideal body." These are the things that cause teens, especially young teens who are very impressionable to become obsessed, and more often than not, displeased with their body image. Leads to Self-Esteem issues and/or eating disorders.

Back to the matter in hand. I think High Fashion isn't so much the problem any more, as it effects fewer people than mainstream media does, and I believe that Mainstream media offers just as much pressure to look "good" as the fashion models.

Imposing a Ban on BMI is ridiculous, as Nasty said, it's an awful way of telling whether someone is healthy or not. Rugby Players are almost always classed as Clinically Obese, especially prop forwards. However to qualify for Rugby Union teams, they need to pass more rigorous fitness tests than Premiership Footballers. On the low end of the BMI scale it's a little more difficult to defend. However every person is different, and depending on build and height (note almost all Catwalk Models push 6ft tall), BMI isn't a reliable method of Classifying people.

An alternative would be for models to do regular health checks to make sure that they were healthy, eating correctly and the such like. If someone is neglecting their health, and purporting a negative attitude towards health in the public domain, then I think that it is justifiable to not allow them to do their Job. You can't go into work if you've got a highly contagious disease. Eating Disorders have become a contagious problem through Media pushing opinions of body image.

Sorry for a rather jumbled argument, but I'm tired
 
this thread is retarded and so is banning based on BMI.

my BMI is under 18. i do not have an eating disorder. i eat a small breakfast, a snack in the afternoon (or multiple smaller snacks spread out), dinner and dessert. i am also not about to keel over from starvation.

like both my grandmothers, i have a very thin, petite build. i also just don't gain a lot of weight. the only time my ribs have ever been highly visible was after i got my wisdom teeth out and just ate mashed potatos/cottage cheese for a week coz my mom is ocd so i dropped a few pounds.

if a woman looks her best at a very thin weight, without looking like she is malnourished or starved, stfu. if she looks better with more weight, then ok.

the only time anyone should have their body type called into question is if they are morbidly obese coz that's just disgusting.

plus super curvy women just get terrible back problems from their oversized breasts.. i can't imagine why anyone would be happy to be rail thin with DDDs.. enjoy your spinal issues lol.

there will be men who have fat fetishes (vomit), like curvy women, like thinner girls, like short girls, tall girls, tiny waisted girls, etc. saying one body type is what "men" like is a horrid generalization because i am pretty sure the only thing straight men universally agree on is "she must have a vagina."
 
Yeti said:
the only time anyone should have their body type called into question is if they are morbidly obese coz that's just disgusting.
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If you're having a go at this thread, and Israel for saying that thin people are unhealthy then that's fine. Don't use a hypocritcal counter-argument.

Some people think that having a BMI under 25 is disgusting. There's no question that being Morbidly Obese, and 30 Stone or what not, is a poor decision in terms of health. You're in no place to tell someone that they're disgusting. Judging people on their body weight is part of what's being discussed, and the general consensus is that the problem is people being told they're disgusting.

I agree with you on the fact that not all thin people are unhealthy and that BMI of 18 is a stupid cut-off point. But I don't agree with insulting people for their weight. If people are unhealthy, due to morbid obesity, chances are they already know. Many people who become that fat, do so because of poor body image, and their outlet for those depressive emotions is comfort eating. Chances are they'll agree with you if you told them they're disgusting. Chances are they'd feel shit for the rest of the day as well. I know plenty of people with Bulemia and Anorexia, and that's a terrifying and very saddening ordeal to watch someone close go through. But I've seen a good friend who was in the pits of depression, put on 7 - stone before their doctor put them on a diet regime along with Anti-Depressants and some Pain relief for Joints.
 
Banning skinny models not only reinforces the idea that skinny people are more attractive, it codifies it in law. Passing a law like this implies that skinny models are so much more attractive that they have to be banned from modelling because other people can't compete. No matter what your opinion on modelling is, making laws about this is absolutely the worst possible avenue for fixing this "problem"


Chou Toshio said:
Do you think this BMI reinforcement should be brought to your own countries?
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Fuck no, we already have too many fat people as it is, and BMI is a completely bullshit way of measuring how healthy someone actually is.

Chou Toshio said:
What do you think of the effects of the fashion industry, or eating disorders on society?
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It's a self-driving bullshit machine. "The fashion industry promotes skinniness as attractive, so I have to be skinny or else I won't be attractive to the fashion industry".

Guys don't care what brand of purse you're carrying or what name is on the label of your dress. Most guys I know couldn't even name a single name-brand fashion magazine. This entire issue is something that only girls would make a big deal over.

Chou Toshio said:
What cons are there to having "fatter" models (I can't think of any--
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Other than promoting eating disorders, nothing. It's funny to me that you make a sweeping assumption that skinny girls are all unhealthy and have eating disorders in the OP, and then immediately go on to say that fat people should be accepted as standard instead.

Chou Toshio said:
I've always hated really skinny women)?
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This makes you worse than the people who hate fat women. Your opinion is based off of what I assume is jealousy (the most evil motivation in the world), which is infinitely worse than the people who are just happier when they look at skinny people.
 
us ladies will never be at the perfect weight. we will always be too fat or too skinny to someone no matter how much we weigh or how little we eat.

i choose to gorge on food that tastes delicious and people can think what they want.
 
I believe that if you're unhappy with the way you are. Only you can change it. Conversely Only you should be the one to decide whether or not you should change. Don't let what other people think affect whether or not you're happy with yourself. If you're not happy, regardless of what other people think then it's time for a change.
 
cons to having fatter models: less eye-candy; more fatties

also why are we supporting obesity thats kinda stupid!!!!!!!!
 
WaterBomb said:
It's too bad too. Most men already think the right way (skinny=gross, healthy=sexy), they're just for some reason hesitant to express it. Not sure what's keeping the attitude from changing on its own on a larger scale to be honest =/
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The problem is the fashion industry. They basically choose models who complement their clothes. The more curves a model has, the more they detract from the clothes themselves, therefore, less curves = more $$
 
No Model Left Behind. Seriously, that's what it sounds like.

Though I think people are just coming to the conclusion that Israel is trying to make models fat when they actually want to make them healthy. Only thing is that you can't force someone to change, it's not as easy as banning models from competitions or putting healthy food in vending machines, they need to want to change first. If we want to actually do something about this, we need to change the fashion industry's ideal that their models need to be a skeleton to show off their clothes.

So I get what they are doing, but I think it's just misdirected.
 
I agree that some models are unhealthily skinny, but this is certainly the wrong way to go about it. If you wanna promote awareness and encourage healthy eating habits, go ahead. Assigning an arbitrary cutoff number that doesn't mean anything only makes the problem worse, as there are people under the cutoff that are perfectly fine and people over it who should probably be on life support (slight exaggeration, but you get my point).

tl;dr the fashion industry is bad and they should feel bad
 
Nastyjungle said:
how about we just love all body types and not say that any one weight is better than the other


people think that saying "yeah well curvy girls are better" makes them better than the people who only like skinny chicks but in reality the are just as bad haha

the pressures put on people (especially women) to look a certain way is disgusting in all forms


so yeah saying "wow skinny girls thats so gross" is so counterproductive and anybody who is saying this should probably take a step back so they can see exactly how hypocritical and retarded they look

oh and ps the BMI scale is a terrible indicator of health
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All of this post. Every fucking word.

Every single woman is beautiful; the only difference is some get told, some don't.
 
it's not about every woman being beautiful. it's about every woman (AND MAN) being different, and having different tastes. just because someone doesn't meet your standard of beauty, absolutely does not mean that they don't meet someone else's.

so sure, chou, you personally don't find every woman beautiful, but that is your opinion. actually saying that you "hate" really skinny girls is completely stupid, and a generalization that I wouldn't think you either too bold or too foolish to make. for the most part, every person has total control over their own body weight and their level of fitness. there are those with genetic dispositions that may leave them on the chubbier side OR the petite and much skinnier side - and who are you to say what they should be otherwise? one of the most important things that makes a person beautiful is their confidence. so many girls and boys would feel a lot better about themselves if they didn't feel the need to measure up to stupid, arbitrary standards of beauty.

banning women from fashion shows/magazines for not meeting a shitty standard of weight/health determination is completely stupid. it doesn't SOLVE any problems. it really, really aggravates me that some people think it's best to just slap down a new law/rule on an issue to nip it in the butt instead of trying to fix the same issue by starting at the root of the problem. obviously in this case, it's not that easy to start advocating following the food pyramid and portion controlling appropriately, but hopefully you get the idea. banning those women with a BMI of 18 may keep them out of the public eye and save impressionable girls from yearning to be so thin - but you're also telling THESE particular women that they also do not live up to a certain standard. no one is winning. young girls are still being told that they shouldn't look the way they are, and even more seriously, cannot be considered beautiful because of it.

regardless of what type of woman you think is beautiful, men and women alike all have fucking feelings, and how dare anyone consider it all right to condemn certain women and praise others based solely on their weight or BMI. a goddamn number. all this ban is doing is creating ANOTHER arbitrary standard of beauty. healthy or not, imagine a bracket of weight considered beautiful on a number line - all you're doing is moving it slightly to the right.
 
I'm not sure how I feel about the banning of "too-thin" models... it seems to me that both sides have made reasonable points in this thread, so i'm reserving judgement on that issue.

The one thing I will point out has to do with the "arbitrary numbers" so many people seem to be unhappy about. And I agree that it is a number, and weight and BMI do not necessarily tell you if a person is healthy or not. I think the point is that it is a guideline, and they want to put a specific law that applies to everyone. In much the same way, you could argue the age at which people are allowed to drive, vote, drink, consent to sex, etc. is arbitrary. Certainly there will be people who are mature enough to engage in these activities at a younger age, just as it is likely that some people really are not mature enough to handle the responsibility that comes with these priveleges when they come of age. And yet we accept this age because we need some sort of guideline; it's easier than trying to measure maturity in some other way. So I think that what they are aiming for with the BMI cutoff is much the same thing. Again, I'm not sure I agree with it, but I think the "arbitrary number" argument isn't something that should really be focused on.

What I find interesting that people haven't talked about as much thus far in the thread the other part of the law, which requires disclosure of whether photographs were digitally altered. And this is something that goes beyond the scope of modelling into advertisements and other media which the average person is more likely to come into contact with on a daily basis. Is there just some sort of consensus that this is bad and that is why it hasn't been brought up?
 
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