Laura Peterson

Professor Mary Miles

Revolutionizing the Fashion Industry

Abercrombie is only interested in people with washboard stomachs who look like theyre about
to jump on a surfboard. The uproar that Mike Jeffries, the CEO of the clothing retailer Abercrombie
and Fitch, received after uttering this controversial statement, among others, was incredible. People were
furious that the popular clothing brand was so publically participating in fat shaming and demoralizing
people based on their size. Unfortunately, along with Jeffries is an entire industry subtly endorsing the
idea that individuals who dont fit into shirts below a size XL arent as cool or worthy as their stick-
figured counterparts. It is no secret that the majority of the fashion industry has, over the past few
decades, become obsessed with waif-like figures, thus encouraging disordered eating and thinking. Up
to 24 million people in the U.S. alone have eating disorders (Eating Disorder Statistics). In order to
combat this along with a wide variety of other issues introduced by the fashion industry, there should be
a limit as to how skinny models can be.
The most concerning thing about severely underweight models lies not with their weight, but
instead in the measures taken to attain their dangerously low weights and stick-figures. While some
models are indeed naturally thin and genetically destined to become models, others turn to extremes.
Fad diets, such as the cotton ball diet, in which models eat cotton balls soaked in orange juice in order
to fill their stomachs, are common practices. It is no secret that over-exercising and anorexia are rampant
behaviors in the fashion industry. And it doesnt help that skinny is in increasing demand by designers;
today, a size 6 is considered plus-size, and a size zero is considered the norm for an average model.
According to Chris Gay, the president of the Marilyn Model Agency, the desired model size is shrinking
due to an increase in the number of younger models. The younger ages, coupled with already hazardous
behaviors, is detrimental not only for models, but also for the youth who look up to them. People are
much more impressionable when younger, and if they are constantly shown images of skeletal bodies
deemed beautiful, then they are much more likely to follow the extreme measures endorsed by
models.
Shockingly, most models today qualify for anorexia. Models weigh 23 percent less than the
average woman today, versus just 8 percent less twenty years ago (Most Models). More than half of
American women are above a size 14. The gap between models and real women is outrageous. The
modeling industry is no longer catering to the average woman, but is instead misrepresenting the
population and encouraging unrealistic ideals for young people to look up to. Not only is this dangerous
for the models themselves, as it puts their health in danger, but it is absurd for the population to look up
to. If young men and women only face images promoting skinny bodies and are not reminded that
healthy and fit is beautiful, there is a far greater danger that they will face self-image issues as well as
potential health issues such as eating disorders.
The influential people of the fashion industry are aware of the dangers placed on models and the
target audience, but the measures being taking arent enough to effectively change the situation. In 2006,
Madrid took one of the first steps to promoting health in the fashion industry by setting a higher weight
limit for its models during fashion week. Using the BMI as a standard benchmark for measuring models
bodyweight, all underweight models (those with a BMI lower than 18) were banned from the catwalk,
angering designers, models, and viewers alike. It was estimated that about 30% of the would-be
participants were turned away from fashion week due to their weight (Madrid Bans Waifs from
Catwalk). Models and designers alike were outraged by the restrictions placed on weight, arguing that
they had a right to choose the aesthetic figures they desired. Meanwhile, the Council of Fashion
Designers of America, or CFDA, has established guidelines to protect models and their health. These
measures alone, however, are not enough to change the modeling industry and the detrimental effects it
has had on the health of young men and women. For instance, some of the rules outline how models
should not be hired under the age of 16, and that models under the age of 18 should not be able to work
past midnight. Furthermore, breaks should be provided. Alcohol should be prohibited, areas should be
smoke-free, and seminars should be attended in order to educate and promote healthy behaviors. While
the policies do promote healthier practices, these rules are relatively lax, vague and subjective. Just two
years ago, Marc Jacobs came under fire for hiring two underage models. The CFDA was upset by the
move, but lacked the power to crack down on the designer for ignoring CFDA standards. This ability for
designers to have complete disregard for regulations is dangerous, especially for the young models sent
down the runway.
More recently, following the eating-disorder related deaths of two models in Uruguay and Brazil,
a law in Israel was recently passed banning all underweight models from the runway. Models will not be
able to have a BMI under 18.5, and airbrushing to make models look slimmer than they actually are has
been banned in an effort to promote healthy body-images and tighten up on dangerous behaviors
practiced by models. If similar standards were followed in the United States and across the globe, an
inevitable change would take place in the younger generation, resulting in a lower prevalence of eating
disorders, as well as a greater amount of body acceptance.
Avoiding the unrealistic standards set by the fashion industry is almost impossible. Each day we
are bombarded by images of incredibly thin models, advertising that skinny is sexy, and that one has
only to lose a little more weight in order to be beautiful and adored. The messages sent to young girls
are extraordinarily damaging to their self-esteem. It is essentially impossible to look as flawless as a
model on a magazine cover because she doesnt really exist. The measures that are taken, from
retouching using Photoshop to going so far as to use different body parts from different people, the
fashion industry creates an illusion that is, unfortunately, believable to people of all ages. To begin
strengthening body-image and reducing the vast number of eating disorders, we should set a higher limit
on the weights of models. Teenagers and other young people imitate what they see on the catwalk, and if
painfully thin models are setting the standard for beauty, teens are more likely to develop the same
unhealthy behaviors.
In order to combat the onslaught of pictures of perfection, the fashion industry should encourage
images of more realistic girls. In other words, models should vary in height and weight. Designers
should base images on girls of all sizes and promote models that are healthy. This isnt to say that there
should only be plus-sized models walking the catwalks. However, instead of hordes of sickly-thin
women, designers should start choosing girls with more rounded, normal figures that more closely
resemble the average Americans. By using a more rounded-out figure to design clothes for in the first
place, skeletal girls shouldnt be the only ones that can wear clothes well to the designers standards. By
creating more realistic images of women and setting a more attainable standard of beauty, women will
be positively impacted. Over time, girls will be more able to accept themselves and their bodies as they
are and hopefully be less likely to develop harmful eating disorders.
There is no doubt that the fashion industry dictates how many women feel about their bodies.
With greater restrictions placed on models weights, it would follow that there would be fewer eating
disorders because there would be less pressure to conform to an unrealistic size. In order to promote a
healthy change, it is imperative that measures be taken and that the standard of beauty we see today is
altered to fit the real women of today.



Works Cited
"ANAD." Eating Disorders Statistics National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated
Disorders. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. <http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-
disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/>.
BBC News. BBC, 13 Sept. 2006. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5341202.stm>.
CNN. Cable News Network. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/09/13/spain.models/>.
"Most Models Meet Criteria for Anorexia, Size 6 Is Plus Size: Magazine." ABC News. ABC News
Network, 12 Jan. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
<http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/01/most-models-meet-criteria-for-anorexia-
size-6-is-plus-size-magazine/>.