THAT FASHION models tend to be underweight and overly thin compared to the general populace and subject to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are criticisms frequently leveled at the fashion industry, and with good reason. At issue is not only the health and well-being of the models themselves, but that of ordinary women and girls constantly confronted with this impossible standard of beauty in the mainstream media.
While the foregoing images hammer home that important point, they do so deceptively, however. Each photo has been digitally altered to exaggerate the models' emaciated appearance (for comparison, the original versions of several of the photos are available for viewing on Snopes.com). We don't know who manipulated the images (which have been circulating online since 2003), or for what purpose, but they're probably best interpreted as satire.
The powers that be in the fashion industry have begun to get the point. In February 2011, the Council of Fashion Designers of America issued a statement pledging its commitment to "healthier standards" for models.
"Although models are key to effecting change, they obviously cannot do it alone," wrote CFDA president Diane Von Furstenberg. "Everyone in the fashion industry — designers, casting directors, agents, fashion-magazine editors, show producers — need to join forces. The bottom line is the importance of healthy, fit models whose well-being can in turn promote the development of positive body image and improved self-esteem in all girls and women."
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Sources and further reading:
Do Thin Models Warp Girls' Body Image?
USA Today, 26 September 2006Should the Fashion Industry Regulate Underweight Models?
About.com: FashionHealthier Standards - An Op-Ed by CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg
Council of Fashion Designers of AmericaEmaciated Models
Snopes.com, 26 November 2006
Last updated 05/24/12
