"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels"

It is not hard to believe that dieting and staying thin would be part of a models lifestyle. They are pressured everyday to be really thin. Using any method to achieve skinniness, some even start to develop dangerous eating disorders. Although it may not be a surprise to us that models go to extreme lengths to stay thin, we don't normally see models admitting and supporting that being skinny is the perfect way to live. One of the world's top models Kate Moss was bashed and criticized for a bold comment she made during an interview. Moss was asked what where some mottos she lived by, Moss replied by saying: "There are loads of mottos. There's 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels'. That's one of them." A lot of people were outraged by her comment. As if it is not hard enough for young girls to love their own body seeing images of really thin models everyday, comments like those makes it more difficult for women to accept their body. There are a lot of young girls who look up to Kate Moss and her comment makes her look like a bad role model and is setting a bad example because young girls view that and feel that it is okay to live that way.

                                                    

 It is estimated that eight million Americans suffer from an eating disorder, millions of young girls aspire to be like Kate Moss, and with that comment she made I am sure it will cause more eating disorders. Pro-Anorexia websites always adopt slogans likes these and go crazy for quotes like this.

Pro-anorexia advertisers went as far as to making t-shirts out of this motto as a slogan for young little girls to stay thin. The t-shirt which read "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" were banned by the Advertising Standard Authority. The statement clearly promotes and influence children to strive for an unattainable lifestyle of staying extremely thin. It is unfortunate that Kate Moss is considered a role model to millions of young girls and is supporting such behaviors. She has been in the industry long enough to know what the impact of her comments would have on young children who look up to her. There are 1.1 million eating disorders in the UK alone, and her statement are likely to contribute to more.

The children t-shirt that were sold on the Zazzle website before being banned. 

It seems as if the most influential people in the fashion industry either does not realize or care about their impacts on society. Kate Moss is one of the most sought after super models there is. But even the most influential designers can be quite shallow. Top designer and creative director of Chanel and Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld also made a statement on which he was condemned for. During his participation as a guest editor at Metro World News in Paris, when asked about singer Adele he was quoted saying "the thing at the moment is Adele. She is a little too fat.." After feeling the displeasure from Adele's fans and other critics, Lagerfeld then apologized to Adele by issuing a statement claiming that his words were token out of context. He goes on to say "I lost over 30 kilos over 10 years ago and have kept it off. I know how it feels when the press is mean to you regards to your appearance." Models, designers, photographers; regardless of their occupation and their relations to the fashion industry, should realize the importance and influence they have on youths. They are the role models for young girls today and with eating disorders being such a huge issue, people of the fashion industry should promote a better lifestyle.

Designer Karl Lagerfeld and soulful singer Adele

The effects of the Fashion world

In the fashion industry it is clearly not a secret that thin is in. From the pages of every magazine, billboards, commercial ads and more all you see are images of thin models projected to the audiences. The fashion industry portrays barely developed models with almost no curves at all as the face of their brand. Their target audiences view these images and feel that these body images are normal when in fact they aren’t! Has the fashion industry gone too far and are negatively influencing people to starve themselves, create unhealthy diet habits all to achieve this image and can either risk or develop an eating disorder such as anorexia and bulimia and can cause death. Although the fashion industry cannot be the only blame for the distorted images of young girls, as pro- ana websites and bad food industry can play a big role as well, I feel that the fashion industry has one of the biggest influences on women and adolescents today.

When thinking about fashion today, I feel that models and the fashion industry goes hand in hand. When you see advertisements of products whether viewed through television, magazines or any other source of media, models are almost always the main source to selling their products. It is hard to imagine not seeing really tall and thin models walking down runway shows. It seems like the thinner the better in this industry. When will the fashion industry realize that too thin is unhealthy? Was the perception that people should be that skinny always in the fashion industry’s standards and when did this new ideal image began? Woman like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor were once considered beautiful for their natural body. Today their image would be seen in the “curvy” section in magazines. Years ago their body image would have been appreciated and accepted because it was relatable to real average women in today’s society, but the standard for beauty has definitely changed. When was it appropriate to decide that thin was more beautiful?  While reading a blog I came across, I have discovered some interesting facts about the difference in weight and size of the average model twenty years ago from models in present day.

Marilyn Monroe

Elizabeth Taylor

-Twenty years ago the average fashion model weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today she weighs 23% less.

-Ten years ago plus-size models averaged between size 12 and 18. Today the need for size diversity is still questioned.

-Most runway models today meet the body mass index standard to have anorexia

It is frustrating to discover that the idea of beauty has changed and that thin is seen as beautiful compared to images of average beauty that real people have. It is really clear judging from statistics that models do not depict average women. Most models are not at the weight they should be for their height, which is not healthy. A huge factor contributing to the affects that fashion industry have on women are the way that magazines, designers, stores, and photographers portray women in the industry.  Many influential people in the fashion industry support the use of really thin models in fashion shows and in magazine ads. Top designer of Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld is known to be quite open about his belief that those who have an opinion about models being skinny are fat and jealous. Lagerfled was quoted during an interview with Focus Magazine saying "these are fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television, saying that thin models are ugly". His fashion, and his success as a top designer may have a huge influence on women and his open beliefs can encourage women to want to achieve the same image.