Slim Chance
This article appeared in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal* It relates the experience of an 18 year old, 6′2″ aspiring model who, despite drawing attraction from agencies and even America’s Next Top Model (don’t get me started), she’s told to lose weight if she wants to make it.
This is what I fear if Alice gets into this in a bigger way: The pressure toward thinness despite what is physically and mentally healthy. Alice was blessed with genes and models of good behavior that have helped her body, hair, face and the rest be what it is (we’ll leave the rest of who she is aside for just now). If she wants to concentrate more on her diet or on her exercise as health measures within the scope of reason, fine. But to be told that she needs to be thin beyond the point of reason, beyond what is natural and healthy, and to do this for an extended period of time that places risks of long term damage to her body and/or her mind and spirit I object to. I’ve seen the effects first hand of body and food obsessions for women and I will tell you its a terrible waste of one’s life, time and energy.
Some of you may remember a book from years ago called Fat is a Feminist Issue. It was aimed at women who formed unhealthy obsessions with their weight, their eating and the bodies and reminded them that many of the messages aimed at women about their bodies came from a patriarchal, misogynistic society (including the fashion and cosmetic industries) that preyed on women’s insecurities. The message was for women to feel good about their bodies rather than trying to to conform to unrealistic images (again maintained by the image-oriented industries). I find it ironic that even young women whose bodies are among the 2% usually eligible to model are told and are trying to fit their bodies into even less realistic sizes and shapes. I guess the message is global and intensifies the closer you get to the source.
I value Vision for its healthy attitude toward their models’ bodies and health practices. Yet I wonder if those from the agency who really ‘make it’ are those who have to sacrifice and conform.
She’s not being told she needs to be thin beyond reason. She’s beyond told she needs to be thinner…if she wants a successful career as an international model, which is quite probably a truthful assessment of the industry.
Is this any different from an already big guy being told he needs to get even bigger to make it as a tight end in the NFL?
bl1y said this on April 23, 2009 at 3:28 pm