Real Skinny.

Real Skinny.

Beauty is not restricted to skinny. The modeling and fashion industry has created a fad that has led many women as well as men to believe that being thin is appealing and attractive. Hence the youths who have dreams of joining the fashion industry are continually starving themselves so that they fit into the fashion standards. ( Czerniawski 127). In this essay we use, an article by Belinda Luscombe as a reference to emphasize that skinny is beautiful, but being malnourished is not attractive.

The article Real Skinny opens with a startling revelation of a South American model who dropped dead just after she stepped down from the runway. (Belinda 494). The author of the article reveals that the model died of malnutrition. The incident is a pointer of the dark side of the industry; this is just one of many thousand cases that go unheard. The fashion industry glamorous as it may appear has some inhumane conditions. The modeling agencies in charge of dietary advice to the models adds salt to the injury. They inform the models to stuff their diet with nicotine, arugula, and fame. This is against all the rules of nutrition.

The report sheds more light on why the models have to strain to standards they found set. The designers come up with the required outfits. They don’t design clothes that fit the models somewhat; the models have to find a way to fit into what is already finished. The model maintains her position in the agency by checking of her weight at all cost. (Belinda 493). As if that was not enough, the photographers also have a set of standards that the models must adhere to during the photoshoots, not forgetting the stylists too, who also have a share of command in the whole modeling agenda. So it appears that the models are some sort of robots or dolls that are subject to the controls of other people’s desires, which shouldn’t be the case..

The diminishing artificial appearance of the models does not only affect the way they live, but also the society’s perception has been under attack. It is more about the feeling that these models give to those who view them. A lot of body shaming and weight bullying has been on the rise because of how society perceives the thick girls. Lots of people in the community have become anxious just at the thought of gaining more weight. Many are making extremely strenuous effort to go to the gym just to protect them from gaining weight. All because thin is glorified as perfect while thick is considered a result of carelessness. This thought has led to many adverse conditions in society, such as Depression, Anorexia, and Bulimia, all because members of the community have bought into the fad of fashion.

Lack of unemployment for the plus size women is as a result of the artificiality in the modeling industry. In the media and film industry, talent is overlooked for thin. Rarely will you find news anchors and actresses of a plus size. Mostly you will find a talented person is underrated because they are not as slender as models. ( Czerniawski 128). The lead characters are given to less talented actresses because “thinner is prettier”. Some have been laid off just after child delivery because it was followed by a sudden almost permanent gain of weight. Therefore it would be better if there was a change of perception on the image that a vast majority of models present to the world. The medical fraternity has also suffered many consequences as a result of motivating malnourished models and improvised body curves. The world knows that so many models have had to go for plastic surgery just to maintain their job. They are convinced that they have to appear in a certain way. Hence they look for alternatives to trim their bodies only to lose weight. Most models have admitted having had a facelift surgery to maintain their ratings in the industry.

Models have a high profile on social media and hence a considerable following. Young ladies have followed some of these artificial models and endeavored to be like them. As a result, they live a life full of lies. The young ones are lured via Instagram, for instance, which is one of the most popular social media platforms,it has influenced how young people live. Most of the fashion trends are shared on this platform. The youths are exposed to a life of glamour in slenderness that they can’t naturally keep up with, hence compelled to participate in risky diet trends, so as to meet the standards of the glorified models. (Gruyz 482).For instance, Kim Kardashian, one of the most celebrated models, has a massive following on Instagram. Consistently the photos of her perfect body are shared with her followers who strive to be as curvaceous, slender, and perfect as she is even though it’s beyond the reach of some. Little do these young followers know that what she is living up to is a standard set by her designers and her photographers who have glorified thin as beauty, which is not valid.

A change is needed urgently. Considering all factors affected by the fashion fad, there is indeed a need for change. It starts by embracing our own natural size and appreciating natural models as they are. ( Czerniawski 129 ). Also, Belinda Luscombe points out to the importance of questioning the standards of designers, photographers, and the perpetrators concerned with diminishing the models. She emphasizes that we have to embrace the truth that the fashion industry tries to water down that not all models have to be thin. The society should act and in defense of models, most especially and celebrate every move that models take towards being real and natural. The society should also encourage the notion that there is beauty in a plus size.

Work Cited.

Barnes, Dottie M. “Are Female Television News Anchors Still Judged by Their

Appearance: A Study of Gender Bias in Relation to Female Television News Anchors

and Their Perception of Age and Appearance Discrimination.” (2005).

Belinda Luscombe. “Real Skinny” New York Times (2006): 493-494.

Czerniawski, Amanda M. “Disciplining corpulence: The case of plus-size fashion

models.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 41.2 (2012): 127-153.

Gruys, Kjerstin. “Does this make me look fat? Aesthetic labor and fat talk as emotional labor in a

women’s plus-size clothing store.” Social Problems 59.4 (2012): 481-500.