There are multiple types of eating disorders that affect girls, women, boys and men alike. According to the National Eating Disorders Association an “eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder include extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues”(Anorexia). The many health consequences that go along with each eating disorder vary, but they all have potential life threatening conditions that should be treated with professional help. For instance, Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder caused by starvation for long periods at a time. People who suffer from this eating disorder refuse to eat. This causes the body to have serious consequences such as “abnormally slow heart rate and low blood pressure, which mean that the heart muscle is changing. The risk for heart failure rises as the heart rate and blood pressure levels sink lower and lower. Reduction of bone density (osteoporosis), which results in dry, brittle bones. Severe dehydration, which can result in kidney failure”(Health Consequences).
Many girls and women, myself included, are affected by what we see on television and in fashion magazines. We see images of women with extremely thin bodies and one would have to be hiding under a rock in order to avoid watching these girls being portrayed as beautiful and sexy. “Girls today, very young ones, are bombarded with the message that they need to be super skinny to be sexy, says psychologist Sharon Lamb, co-founder of Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters From Marketer’ Schemes” (Hellmich). Models on the runway are and always have been thin. Lately the models are looking thinner and thinner, to the point that their knee caps look bigger than their thighs. I have repeatedly seen these waif models plastered on ads for many top designers that I’ve worshiped for years. Why are they casting these unhealthy girls to walk the runway? It seems that the culprits are the same designers that we admire, and by purchasing their merchandise, we are requesting such models. “We are minutes away from catastrophe,” said David Bonnouvier, the chief executive of DNA models, which represents many of the top faces in the business. In an interview, Bonnouvier said designers and model bookers were encouraging extreme thinness, so much so that several of the models he represents, when asked about their weight, have refused to seek medical attention for what are probable eating disorders” (Wilson).
As a result for such a demand to be thin in order to get work in the fashion world it is no surprise that girls are fainting during auditions due to lack of nutrition and even dying from complications of eating disorders. A young 21 year old Brazilian model died from an infection caused by anorexia. According to MSNBC, Reuters “Reston weighed only 88 pounds and was about 5 feet 8 inches tall. Doctors consider this weight normal for a 12 year old girl no more than about 5 feet tall.” This issue was given significance after another death a few months back of an Uruguayan model, Luisel Ramos, of heart failure caused by anorexia (MSNBC, Reuters). According to the National Eating Disorder Association, “In the United States, as many as many as 10 million females and 1 million males who are currently fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia and bulimia. Millions more are struggling with binge eating disorder” (Statistics).
After the deaths of these two young models caused by eating disorders, there are only a few countries that have set guidelines to prevent more deaths. “The outcry over these deaths led to a move in September by government officials in Madrid to ban models with a body-mass index of less than 18 from performing in city-sponsored fashion shows” (Mundell). After Madrid made the first move, Milan and India have followed suit to create similar guidelines. These countries want their models to focus and project an image of beauty and health. Yet not everyone has joined the bandwagon; other countries are not enforcing such guidelines to fashion shows that are taking place. “But in London, whose Fashion Week also gets under way Monday, organizers are shying away from a ban, arguing that ultra-thin doesn’t necessarily mean unhealthy” (Super-Thin Models). In the U.S., the Council of Fashion Designers of America have issued minimal and voluntary measures to create a healthy atmosphere for these models. There is also great pressure from the fashion designers to have extremely thin models to wear their haute couture clothing on their runways. “Karl Lagerfeld has said overweight people need more treatment than underweight ones, and Giorgio Armani has blamed stylists and the media for the fashion industry’s obsession with ultra thin women” (NY Fashionistas). The standards of these great designers are different than for the rest of us. They prioritize their fashion creations first, rather than the health of these extremely thin models. They choose to have super waif models because their garments drape and flow better on a thinner body walking on the runway than a voluptuous curvy body that may alter the look of their garment.
The controversy of super thin models on the runway will continue. It is no surprise that other countries are not joining countries like Spain and Italy in setting guidelines to prevent models from being super thin and falling victim to an eating disorder. After all, there is a huge demand for this “look” and there are millions of dollars behind it. Putting a ban is just putting a band aid on this issue and will most likely fail, as it does not include psychological help for these models. These models will continue to fall under the grasp of an eating disorder. This problem will not only affect models, but ordinary people as well. We look and admire what we see on television, especially with reality shows like The Next Top Model and the huge ads in magazines and billboard ads of the waif model whose clavicle and ribs are protruding through her skin. This is made to look sexy and beautiful. This is the message that is being conveyed through these shows and advertisements. A large percentage of people have fallen victim to this and have a warped body image. The problem is not going to be solved, as long as this look is being requested by the biggest designers in the world. These aspiring supermodels will keep on falling victim to an eating disorder without getting help. A value system should be implemented for designers to maximize the health of these models. Models are fainting and dying because of the current unforgiving system. Designers need to set the model’s health as a top priority and until they do, the deaths of these models will be on their hands.
Works Cited
Helimich, Nancy. “Do Thin Models Wrap Girls’ Body Image?” USA Today, 26 September 2006. 22 February 2007
Mundell, E.J. “Furor Over Anorexic Models Hits U.S. Fashion Week.” Yahoo News, 2 February 2007. 22 February 2007
Wilson, Eric. “When Does Thin Become Too Thin?” New York Times, International Herald Tribune, 21 September 2006. 22 February 2007
“Brazilian Model Dies From Anorexia.” MSNBC, Reuters 7 February 2007. 22 February 2007
“Super-Thin Models: Controversy Grows, Spanish Fashion Show Bans Them; British Counterpart Doesn’t.” CBS News, 18 Sept. 2006. 22 February 2007
“NY Fashionistas Weigh In On Too-Thin Model Flap.” Reuters, 12 Jan 2007. 22 February 2007
“Statistics: Eating Disorders and their Precursors.” National Eating Disorder Association. 22 February 2007
“Anorexia, Bulimia, & Binge Eating Disorder: What Is An Eating Disorder?” National Eating Disorder Association. 22 February 2007
“Health Consequences of Eating Disorders.” National Eating Disorder Association. 22 February 2007
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