Marine Snow

What’s the skinny on Models?

Is media coverage of underweight fashion models the cause of eating disorders? The subject of the media’s role in the development of ED’s has been highly publicized of late, and was recently covered in one of my regular reads, Fractured Ideals. I just wanted to share it on here, because I think it’s really important. I want to try and shed some of the myths surrounding eating disorders, and this is one such belief which I seem to come into contact with frequently, in fact, far more often than I’d like. I can’t speak for everyone who has an eating disorder,  but for me its not all about image. I don’t think that I am a particularly vain, shallow or image obsessed person. I am not doing this because “society dictates that I should be slim” *

According to data from the National Eating Disorders Association, the average BMI for top models is 16.3. To put that into context for anyone not totally au fait with The Body Mass Index, the recommended “Healthy weight range” is 18.5-24.9. However, there is a slight conflict of opinion on the lowest weight. This varies (Very helpfully) depending on which source you go by. 18.5 is the lowest weight according to the World Health Organisation, so I’m going by that.** Anyway, I could ramble on forever about the perceived pros and cons of the Index, but I won’t. If you’re interested, Wikipedia covers it Here.

That’s a pretty big jump from 16.3 “model BMI”, up to 18.5. Especially considering 17.5 and below, you are fitting one of the diagnostic criteria for Anorexia, and if you are 14.9 and below, the WHO consider you to be in a state of starvation. Obviously they aren’t going to airlift you some supplies, so don’t expect to wake up to a back garden full of presents. However, the doctors would probably start muttering about hospitals etc.

I’d say that the media had little to do with the development of my ED. If I was to have aimed for the looks displayed by many of the magazine stars when I was growing up, then I’d have aimed for Pammy Anderson, or Jennifer Aniston (Circa 1996 when she had curves and I was impressionable). When my opinions on “Beauty” and body image were forming I paid little heed to glossy magazines anyway, I was out in town drinking cheap vodka and smoking. I can honestly say I never really gave models much thought until when the media started claiming that they were the root of all evil.

So this common misconception that we are all attempting to obtain model status in society, seems a little ungrounded to me. Lets just say that there will be no visit to my house by a talent Scout from a Milan modelling agency. I am not doing this to myself to become beautiful. In reality, I don’t think there is a great deal of media glamourization of sagging breasts, stretch marks, rotten and yellow teeth, or girls falling over into a heap of bones on the floor.

There’s been a fair amount of research into why some people are more prone to developing eating disorders than others, and there appears to be considerably more to it than “I saw a model now I should be skinny”. I know that pro-ana girls do use skinny pictures, or “Thinspiration” as they call it, to trigger themselves into restriction, or drive them to exercise, but all this hype over pictures “Giving girls eating disorders” appears blown out of all proportion. The words “scare” and “Mongering” spring to mind. Taking skinny models off the catwalk seems an extreme action.  If you are taking the route of branding the media as the bad guy, then it seems insufficient action to ban skinny models from the catwalk. If these issues are to be addressed, surely it needs to cover the whole spectrum of the media as well. Normal sized models in advertising, magazines, pop stars and backing dancers need to be screened, average sized mannequins in shops please, and what of the sports and the arts? Ban skinny Gymnasts and banish dainty ballet dancers? And don’t even get me started on Barbie!

Although any number of outside influences can affect the development of eating disorders, they are not the sole cause; eating disorders are complicated.  While the media can impact self-esteem and self-image, media influences are not a direct cause of eating disorders. This concept of weight and image doesn’t even touch on the title of the disorder, Eating itself, and in that, the food.

I think the media is very good at publicizing its role in the promotion of ED’s because it brings about yet more contraversy, meaning, yes, you’ve guessed it, more publicity for the media. It gets more pictures of models and clothes in the press, and it gives consumers something to gawk at and shake their heads in disgust. “Gosh isn’t it terrible how thin Mary-Kate was in last weeks Heat magazine!” they say, rushing off to buy this week’s issue, to see if she is dead yet.

Perhaps society’s time and money would be better spent addressing these other factors, such as promoting a healthy attitude towards the self in a holistic manner, thus improving on low self-esteem. Maybe schooling “the impressionable youth” on interpersonal skills or coping with relationship difficulties? Or is that too difficult to manage, or too expensive to fund?

Just my two cents worth. Good Thoughts

Lola x

*(Another classic Mother quote there, really need to stop Mother bashing, but she’s a prime example of what not to say!)

**However, just to confuse matters, The British Nutrition Foundation states anything under 20 is underweight. I’m going to hazard a guess that this discrepancy is for one of the following reasons:1) To account for women of Oriental descent; 2) To make the ever increasing average weight of a British Citizen look less dire.Actually thats not entirely fair – the BNH haven’t changed the top bracket, so it might not be to “fiddle the figures” (Bad Pun, sorry)