Models too skinny?

[Mr.Canada]

I just came across this article that speaks about Lindsay Lohans new fashion line. it comes complete with pictures of the models or model walking down the runway wearing Lindsays new duds.

Now the woman modelling is sickly looking and far too skinny. I thought that the fashion industry had taken steps to avoid this sort of situation as it was causing problems with young teens and anorexia. This model doesn't look healthy at all and isn't attractive to me at all either.

More than that I worry that young girls will see these pictures of a model wearing Lindsay Lohans clothing line and think that they too need too look like this as well. Which could be damaging to girls self esteem and in the long term her psyche and body.

Does anyone have some knowledge of the fashion industry and whether this was or is being curbed, I'd be interested to know.

Edit- There isn't one mention of the malnourished state of the models either in the article. I really thought a few years ago the fashion industry was talking about curbing this practice of using ultra skinny models...it's really sad.

Edited October 5, 2009 by Mr.Canada

[GostHacked]

I like my girls thin, but they still need a bit of fat on them. Everyone does. A little fat is good for you. Too much and not enough are definately really bad for you.

Also, that lady you see in the magazine or on the billboard, once you take all the makeup and photo editing and touch ups you would not even think it is the same girl. It is all about image and not substance.

Give me a girl that looks good without being drug chic, and without all the damn make up. Give me a naturaly beautiful woman.

There was a lass who posed to a shoot on Europe, she had a little puch on her belly, which after a couple kids is expected. This woman was a natural beauty, eventhough most in the fashion/model industry would consider her a fatty fat fat.

[Sir Bandelot]

The anorexic heroin-addict look has become "fahionable" these days, thanks to the degenerate liberal arts and media groups. This is to the detriment of impressionable kids, among whom eating disorders is becoming an epidemic, both boys and girls.

[Mr.Canada]

It's really sad. More pressure needs to be put on these fashion people. Pressure from the governments involved and fines for not complying. This is socially irresponsible we need to protect our children from these images that can lead to eating disorders in the young and even death. Sad.

[kimmy]

Yeah. The picture accompanying the article does not exactly look like a healthy body image for the typical young woman.

There's nothing new about this, though. "High fashion" models have always looked like trainwrecks, and I don't think these sorts of productions actually have anything to do with what real people wear. They're some kind of weird performance art for the interest of the people in the industry, not the buying public.

However... ever since Jennifer Lopez made it big, people have come to recognize that scrawny is way overrated. A lot of the biggest sex symbols right now-- Beyonce, Scarlett Johansson, Kim Kardassian, Rihanna-- aren't exactly waifs. To some teenager struggling with body image, I think seeing Kim Kardassian on magazine covers probably means more than seeing these emaciated-looking models dressed in crap that nobody would wear at some fashion show nobody cares about.

-k

[Bryan]

I know people who are very healthy and have great appetites who are stick thin. These people naturally exist, it's not necessarily an issue. They also happen to have the look fashion designers are looking for. So what?

[kimmy]

I know people who are very healthy and have great appetites who are stick thin. These people naturally exist, it's not necessarily an issue. They also happen to have the look fashion designers are looking for. So what?

Sure, they're out there.

But if the typical girl on the street tries to get her body to look like the girl in those pictures, she's going to make herself sick and depressed.

I don't wish to call the girl in the picture an anorexic or a freak, but her physique is at the very least a rarity. The concern is that holding up such unusual specimens as the ideal, the fashion industry gives people a warped idea of what women actually look like, and for young women, sets an unrealistic model to emulate.

I'm not convinced they will, however. Honestly, does anybody find the girl in the picture attractive?

By the way, I don't think men are immune to this sort of thing either. I have heard that a lot of young men who don't compete in athletics at all still spend an absurd amount of money on muscle-building supplements and even illegal steroids, trying to emulate the look of top athletes or movie tough-guys.

-k

[Mr.Canada]

I think it would help if models and people from the fashion industry spoke out about eating disorders and the dangers of trying to become to thin. However profits seem to trump social responsibility in the industry. It's a self absorbed culture with no room for having civic responsibility. It's a shame as it's our young people and our social system that if left to pick up the pieces left behind.

Perhaps a class action law suit from the victims of eating disorders would change their minds.

[BubberMiley]

Pressure from the governments involved and fines for not complying.

You want sandwich police? Wow, I thought left-wingers were the ones calling for a nanny state.

[Shakeyhands]

can't believe I'm replying to this....

The 'Waif Look' or 'Heroine Chic' isn't a new look, in fact it's been around for nigh on 50 years.... It peaked in the early 90's (I blame Mulroney and Reagan :-) ) and has been an area of focus since. The fashion world has taken up the issue of unhealthy models for some years now, and even went as far as to introduce a BMI scale to disqualify some models from working at some shows. It's a well known issue and is being looked at by all concerned.

Imagine a CPC cheerleader calling for Gov't intervention... hilarious.

[Shakeyhands]

You want sandwich police? Wow, I thought left-wingers were the ones calling for a nanny state.

funny... that line was later edited out.

[GostHacked]

However... ever since Jennifer Lopez made it big, people have come to recognize that scrawny is way overrated. A lot of the biggest sex symbols right now-- Beyonce, Scarlett Johansson, Kim Kardassian, Rihanna-- aren't exactly waifs. To some teenager struggling with body image, I think seeing Kim Kardassian on magazine covers probably means more than seeing these emaciated-looking models dressed in crap that nobody would wear at some fashion show nobody cares about.

-k

Most models look like anorexic little girls, and they lose all their shape . Women like Lopez are fit, but have curves and well, you can tell she is a woman and not a girl. She has always taken care of herself and that reflects in the way she looks and how she carries herself. Girls need role models, not fashion models.

[Disillusioned]

So its okay to bash people who are naturally thin, despite their best attempts to gain weight, but its wrong to bash people who are fat from over eating and lack of exercise?

Any woman who is thin has an eating disorder? Or is depressed? Or on crack? That isnt a generalization based on nothing more than jealousy ? Which it is IMO

Therefore one can only conclude the only "acceptable" look for a women is to over weight, not thin and pleasining plump?

All the women in my extended and immediate family are naturally tall and thin and I for one am tired of fat women seeing nothing wrong with making rude remarks to our faces, whereas if we dared to say to them "you're too fat, do you have an eating disorder?" they would be outraged and screaming in rage at being "insulted". Doesnt seem PC to me to judge a group of people based on their appearance.

[Mr.Canada]

You want sandwich police? Wow, I thought left-wingers were the ones calling for a nanny state.

I personally don't find young girls starving themselves or purging themselves to look like the models they see on TV to be a laughing matter. It's quite serious and disheartening to witness. Someone needs to hold the fashion industry to account, force them to work with and fund programs to help young people with eating disorders which almost always have to do with image and what is portrayed.

As I said I fail to see t he humor in young girls with eating disorders which sometimes lead to death...it's very sad.

[BubberMiley]

Someone needs to hold the fashion industry to account, force them to work with and fund programs to help young people with eating disorders which almost always have to do with image and what is portrayed.

So you are opposed to the idea of a nanny state, except for pet projects where you feel like being a nanny?

[Guest American Woman]

Edit- There isn't one mention of the malnourished state of the models either in the article. I really thought a few years ago the fashion industry was talking about curbing this practice of using ultra skinny models...it's really sad.

You may be interested in this timeline:

The Move to Ban Thin Models From Advertising and Fashion Shows

[Mr.Canada]

You may be interested in this timeline:

The Move to Ban Thin Models From Advertising and Fashion Shows

That's excellent, thank you.

Voluntary laws aren't good enough, I don't think they'd be followed or enforced vigorously. We should look st hard laws to make it illegal to have anyone too thin from being a model period and if the show did use models that were extremely thin they could be fined and have the money collected go towards helping young people with eating disorders. It's sad butthe best place to hit people in in the pocket book, it's the only thing many people understand, the bottom line.

[charter.rights]

It always amuses me how hypocritical Conservative quacks can be.

While calling for less government interference they at the same time call for more regulation. What a quandry it must be to not know whether to suck or blow......

[M.Dancer]

It always amuses me how hypocritical Conservative quacks can be.

Fixed

[BubberMiley]

Fixed

Nah, you didn't fix anything. That sort of hypocrisy is found only among the rightwing folk.

[M.Dancer]

Nah, you didn't fix anything. That sort of hypocrisy is found only among the rightwing folk.

...if so then hysterical myopia is an afflication of the left.

[Sir Bandelot]

I got glasses

[PocketRocket]

I have no problem with educating people.

I do have a problem with legislation dictating what the acceptable size of a model may be.

If the models are the problem, then the solution, as I see it, is simple. Consumer-driven objection.

As long as the population at large buys the products/magazines/etc which are using these malnourished waifs as promotional tools, the trend will continue unchanged.

Stop buying these products and changes will be made.

IOW, like anything else, it's a case of supply and demand. You keep buying COSMO, and COSMO will continue using the same old formula that is generating sales.

[Mr.Canada]

I have no problem with educating people.

I do have a problem with legislation dictating what the acceptable size of a model may be.

If the models are the problem, then the solution, as I see it, is simple. Consumer-driven objection.

As long as the population at large buys the products/magazines/etc which are using these malnourished waifs as promotional tools, the trend will continue unchanged.

Stop buying these products and changes will be made.

IOW, like anything else, it's a case of supply and demand. You keep buying COSMO, and COSMO will continue using the same old formula that is generating sales.

That's just not good enough. Children are dying sir. This is the second post that you're against the safety of children. Why do you seem to hate protecting children?

We need to enact strong laws in order to ban the use of these anorexic models which is then fed into our young people.

We ban pesticides that hurt our environment and it seems sad to think that some plant is more important than a human being.

We have laws in place which protect pedophiles but none to protect our children from the carelessness of the fashion industry.

Sad.

[Guest TrueMetis]

That's just not good enough. Children are dying sir. This is the second post that you're against the safety of children. Why do you seem to hate protecting children?

If your kids are dying because of this you fucked up as a parent.

We need to enact strong laws in order to ban the use of these anorexic models which is then fed into our young people.

Or we need parents to do their fucking job.

We ban pesticides that hurt our environment and it seems sad to think that some plant is more important than a human being.

Banning those pesticide have resulted in the deaths of millions. It was a horrible Idea to ban most of those pesticides. Strong laws 0.

We have laws in place which protect pedophiles but none to protect our children from the carelessness of the fashion industry.

Once again that's the parents job. Do you really want the government telling parents how to raise their kids?

Sad.

Ya parents now suck at being parents really sad.