The Emaciation of Women

Over the past few months I have observed the newest double standard making its way into the fashion world. The fashion industry is filled with hypocrisy, but none that equals the terminology used when describing a young woman who is not a sample size zero. Despite the “movement” in the modeling industry towards “healthier” looking models with “athletic” builds, the message is clear – skinny is always the agenda.

While reading the April 2010 and June 2010 issues of Vogue recently (the April issue being the "shape issue"), I came across a story in each magazine that not only contradicted each other, but proved to be uncomplimentary to the modeling/fashion industry as a whole. The first article in the April issue, co-written by Sally Singer, described the rehab process through the eyes of Kim Noorden. Miss Noorden is a very successful European model who has graced hundreds of runways and became the face of Stella McCartney’s 2009 lingerie line. A few months before she modeled Stella’s lingerie line she checked herself into a rehab clinic for women struggling with eating disorders. Kim said herself that she never really saw her eating as “disordered,” but came to the conclusion that even that statement proved to be a byproduct of the disorder of her relationship with food. Upon checking herself into the clinic, the staff told Kim that she would be expected to be fully committed to the program, one of the requirements was that she gain a pound a week – Kim has been modeling since she was fifteen. She is ‘5”11 and weighed 110 pounds – naturally that sent her nerves into a frenzied state. In the article, Noorden describes her shame in not only checking herself into the clinic but the shame of stepping looking into a mirror and trying to figure where she would want that first pound added.

I blame the industry. Model scouts demand that the new models they recruit be at least a size zero. The size itself is ridiculous and unrealistic giving the impression that it is “normal” to be that skinny. I’m calling this blog post “The Emaciation of Women” because that is what it has come down to. The industry has become so intense and competitive that it is “be skinny or don’t be a model.” What I find most offensive is that anyone that does not fit into these impossible sample sizes is deemed “athletic” or “healthy” (two words a high fashion model never wants to hear from anyone).

In the June Vogue issue that I mentioned earlier there was an article about Lara Stone. Stone has gone from waif like to a size four – almost a crime in the modeling world. The article highlighted her bravery to come out as a size four. "Bravery" really? Does one have to be "brave" to be a size four - I was always under the impression that it was normal to be a size four. Lara is a talented model, but unfortunately her new size may cost her some jobs. Regardless of the effort to the "accept" girls who are not sample sizes, the girls with a size zero jean size will be the ones to get the jobs. Only for the sake of the modeling industry, I hope that they eventually own up to the fact that they carry a double standard when they go to hire models.