Do people find underweight, frail bodies to be attractive? No. Yet, these are the types of women we see strutting down the runway. There seems to be a false belief that high-end designers find to be true: the skinner the girl, the better their clothes will look. Unfortunately, this is sending the wrong message to young girls all across the world.
Girls are willing to take desperate measures to achieve the “perfect body”. They have a set image in their head of the women they see on the runways and the celebrities they see in magazines. The media can have an overwhelming impact on girls’ body image, as I read in an article by Associated Content. Attempting to achieve the body of their dreams, often leads to a form of an eating disorder. This can often take a toll on many girls’ self esteem, which can ultimately lead girls to self-hatred or even engaging in self-harm.
Laws need to be passed forcing models to have a certain body mass in order to continue with their modeling careers. We need to turn to Spain as a prime example. In 2006, underweight models in Madrid were not allowed to walk the runway due to unhealthy body weight. Reps for the fashion show explained they wanted promote the idea of a healthy body image. I truly think this is the best thing that has ever happened in the fashion world. I believe fashion magazines need to recognize the issue of unhealthy body weight and ban skinny models. Finally, we need to put a stop to the belief that what you see on TV is realistic because it’s not. The media needs to put more effort into promoting the idea that curves are beautiful and that they are something girls need to embrace, rather than hate.
Caitie, I agree with you how unfortunate it is that the media perpetuates the desire for an unattainable image of beauty on teenage girls today. This, of course, leads to a lack of self esteem and the feeling of never being good enough. However, the media is only part of the problem. In order to promote a world wide healthy body image, we need to address another origin of the problem: Mothers need to be healthy role models for their daughters, not enablers for their eating disorders. Growing up in LA, I witnessed a good friend of mine struggle with her weight for years. She was not born with the same body type as her mother. She had big boobs and hips whereas her mother was naturally slender from head to toe. I once overheard her mother say, “You can’t buy a new top until your arms get thinner.” My friend tried every diet and exercise plan out there to seek her mother’s approval, but it was never enough. My friend’s mother should have been her daughter’s best ally, not her worst bully. The greatest gifts a mother can give her daughter are unconditional love and acceptance, healthy guidance and encouragement, the wisdom that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and the importance of inner beauty.
ReplyDeleteI agree with "Brooke Reagan" and you as well. Although we do feel bad about the images of these skinny women blinding us... it's what our media has built up. It's cool to be super skinny, and not cool to have curves. People see skinny as the "blank canvas", the person without any imperfections, pure. Which is totally and completely false. Now, we must work toward educating our children on what's healthy and what isn't because of the media. It's extremely sad.
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