SUPER SKINNY MODELS – ARE WE SENDING TEENAGERS ON A RUNWAY TO ILL HEALTH AND PERCEIVED ‘PERFECTION’?
Models
are iconic for some however they might just be too iconic as it seems. As
images of models are plastered all over billboards throughout almost every town
and city, the lack of confidence among teenagers condense within a short space
of time. This major yet controversial issue regarding the vast majority of
young people in the UK is encouraging teenage girls in particular to pursue a
certain image in order to fit into society. This unrealistic image labelled ‘perfect’
is what teenage girls idolise. The airbrushed and flawless face, skeletal
figure, defined jaw line and fragile legs are reasoning girls to develop eating
disorders.
Sarah Wilkins, a
mother of two teenage girls raised this issue when one of her daughters, aged
16 was diagnosed with anorexia last year. Sarah Wilkins holds modelling
agencies liable for this due to the constant publicity of skinny models, implying
that this look is what every female should shadow. Not long after the issue was pointed out, a
significant amount of parents from all over the UK who could relate to this concern
stepped in. With the saying being “thin is always in”, the CEO of the popular
clothing brand H&M have said “some of our models have been too skinny. That’s
not ok”, however some girls claimed to have been turned away from modelling
agencies for simply being ‘too big’ to recruit.
A young size 12 woman aspiring to be successful
in the modelling profession was turned down by several leading model agencies
for being her size however has successfully beaten approximately 200 girls in a
tough competition to be crowned ‘Miss London’. In this case, a
young woman has overcome being rejected and not changed her appearance in order
to fit in with the requirements of modelling agencies. However, there are still
many other girls in the UK are struggling to fight against their unhappiness attributable
to magazines, television shows, websites and every day advertisements displayed
on places where it is to be seen all the time e.g. bus stops. But how can we
stop this? This is an ongoing and almost non-negotiable as companies would
argue that their models are not too skinny and that they are simply advertising
their products, benefiting themselves as a company and the public. Vogue could
argue against this point as the company have claimed to "not knowingly
work with models under the age of 16 or who appear to have an eating disorder"
and they also request their casting directors to verify identification at any
of the castings that take place. But even though eminent
modelling agencies are introducing new policies for recruiting models, is our
issue resolved?
The parents of these aspiring models or
simply fashion lovers who look up to these models as an inspiration are also
suffering. While these teenagers are willing to maintain a ‘perfect’ image,
their personalities change as well as their diets as they try to be someone who
they are not, this is something parents find hard to control.
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