Catwalks: Too Thin, Too Tall - Essay Example

30 March Catwalks: Too Thin, Too Tall Hearing that some children suffer from obesity and diabetes is troubling, but reading about children wanting to look very thin and sexy is equally alarming. When kids as young as ten years old extremely worry about their body image, because their favorite models are thinner and taller than they are, it poses a question on the “ideal beauty” that these children are being exposed to. When girls, as well as young and adult women, read magazines or watch catwalks where models are ultrathin and feature long legs, some of them would feel dissatisfied with their bodies, even when they have the right body size for their age and height (Sides-Moore and Tochkov 439). These affected women forget, however, that these models are not the norm and that many of them actually fall below their own ideal body mass index (Preti et al. 86). This paper explores the drawbacks of using extremely thin and tall models in catwalks. Catwalks should not be only for tall and skinny girls, but also for petites and big women with curves, because using the former types of models warps the ideal body image for women, results to eating disorders among girls and women, and affects women’s emotional health. As waiflike models dominate catwalks and other media channels, it sends the wrong message that being extremely thin and tall are the ideal beauty features, and consequently, it warps women’s and children’s body image. In “Does Size Matter? The Impact of Model’s Body Size on Women’s Body-Focused Anxiety and Advertising Effectiveness,” Halliwell and Dittmar study the effects of using different kinds of models on women’s anxiety about their bodies and the effectiveness of advertisements using these models. Findings show that portraying skinny girls in the media makes women feel that ultra thinness is the ideal body image for women. Because of these images, participants feel less satisfied with their bodies. In her article “Do Thin Models Warp Girls' Body Image?" Hellmich suggests that skinny models are depicting inaccurate body image that is not representative of women’s bodies in general. She notes that using anorexic-looking models in the media result to women feeling and believing that this thin size is the best and normal size for them too. These women overlook, however, that these models are often underweight and do not represent the wide forms of body images that fit different women. The fact that young girls, as young as ten years old or below, worship these models is also distressing (Hellmich). These children become absorbed with concepts of thinness and sexiness, when they should be focused on more appropriate concerns for their ages. Body-image researcher Sarah Murnen, professor of psychology at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, stresses: “The promotion of the thin, sexy ideal in our culture has created a situation where the majority of girls and women don't like their bodies” (Hellmich). Models with waiflike bodies, often 20% below their ideal weight, distort women’s body images and influence girls and women to follow these unhealthy body types (Halliwell and Dittmar 119). Very thin models in catwalks also encourage unhealthy eating behaviors that can result to eating disorders. Preti et al. in their article, “Eating disorders among professional fashion models,” have cited that skinny fashion models have a greater risk of eating disorders in order to maintain their size. They also cite past studies that showed the connection between consuming media that shows thin models and experiencing eating disorders. In their own research, they conducted a study on skinny models and compared them with other girls of the same age and status. Results showed that 54.55% of the skinny models had a Body Mass Index of less than 18, which means they are not at their ideal weight for their height. For the other girls, there was only a rater of 12.7% of girls below the ideal weight for their height. In addition, 5% of the models were diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (Preti et al. 90). This article demonstrates that catwalks showing only thin models create a negative impression on women. Women and girls consider that they have to be as thin as these models, without recognizing that the latter may be naturally thin or are below their ideal body mass index. As a result, they practice harmful eating habits that push them to eating disorders, such as anemia and bulimia. Thin models in catwalks also affect the emotional health of many women. In “The Thinner the Better? Competitiveness, Depression and Body Image among College Student Women,” Sides-Moore and Tochkov study the role of competitiveness and depression in experiencing body image dissatisfaction. They presented college student women with the image of a thin, beautiful model. After comparing their own body shape to the woman in the picture, participants expressed considerably higher negative feelings about their own body image than the control group. These findings indicated that competitiveness and depression are important causal factors to the development of body image and shape dissatisfaction. Halliwell and Dittmar cite research from Jacobi and Cash, and Stice et al., who both conducted studies on 1994, where their findings showed that the proliferation of thin female models in the media has affected how women see their bodies and resulted to increased cases of eating disorders (Halliwell and Dittmar 105). Through the snowball sampling strategy, Halliwell and Dittmar employed 202 women in the United Kingdom to study the effects of thin models on women’s perceptions of their bodies. Findings showed that viewing thin models resulted to internalization of cultural attitudes about thinness that produced body-image anxiety among high-internalizers and that the model’s beauty, and not her body size, affected the effectiveness of the advertisement. These studies demonstrate that thin models can make women and girls feel depressed and anxious about their own bodies. At the same time, it shows that body size is not the main feature that makes advertisements effective. It suggests that using petites and big women with curves can also be effective in attracting market segments. Supporters of using thin models argue that these models can actually have a good impact on people, since the former influence the latter to think about controlling their eating habits. Krahe and Krause study the effect of seeing thin models on eating habits, in their article “Presenting Thin Media Models Affects Women's Choice of Diet or Normal Snacks.” Their findings show that media models of thinness resulted to restrained eating patterns. Women consumed less snacks after seeing these thin models. They were pressured to eat less, which is good for them if they are overweight. The problem with this effect is that women may develop inaccurate ideas about beauty and health. They might develop the wrong reasons of getting thinner, such as being thin because it is beautiful and sexy for society, instead of having the right health reasons. Being thin will then become a shallow goal in pursuit of the so-called ideal body image. Others suggest that these models are thin, but fashion designers are not interested in or promoting thinness, but more of using these models to have their products stand out. Stephanie Schur, designer of her own line, Michon Schur, had her first runway show in New York in 2006 (Hellmich). She stresses that runway models are similar looking, which is exactly the effect that fashion designers want: “They are all pretty girls, but no one really stands out. For runway it's about highlighting the clothes. It's finding the girls that make your clothes look best” (Hellmich). Modeling, however, has become a precedent for eating disorders and emotional problems about body image. Lamb, a psychology professor at Saint Michael's College is concerned that girls and women believe that thinness is good for them. She says: “Girls are being taught very young that thin and sexy is the way they want to be when they grow up, so they'd better start working on that now” (Hellmich). Very thin models act as poor role models of body image for many impressionable women. Not all girls and women also strive to achieve these models’ bodies. Schur stresses that she does not think that many young girls seek to follow what they see in runways (Hellmich). She argues that they are more likely to think that actresses have the ideal body image (Hellmich). These beliefs are unsupported, however. In this article, “The role of the media in body image concerns among women: A meta-analysis of experimental and correlational studies,” Shelly, Monique and Shibley explore the relationship between the depiction of media and the ideal body for women. They suggest that exposure to media concerning the ideal size and figure of women has disturbed many women concerning body image. Their research seeks a correlation between ideal body dissatisfaction among women, who are exposed to media concerning issues of thin models. Their research concluded that the depiction of skinny models as the ideal figure has a direct relationship on women’s concerns about their bodies (Shelly, Monique and Shibley 467). This study is only among many which established that using very thin models has a negative effect on women’s self body images. Extremely thin women in catwalks can cause negative behaviors and emotions among girls and women. They warp the idea of a healthy body image, produce negative emotions, and increase the risk for developing eating disorders. These women should not be the main models for catwalks and other media channels. Instead, women of all sorts of sizes and heights should be used, so that society affirms a more realistic showcase of beauty and dispels inaccurate and unhealthy body images that harm women’s self-esteem and confidence. Works Cited Antonio, Preti, Usai, Ambra, Miotto, Paola, Petretto, Donatella Rita and Carmelo Masala. "Eating Disorders Among Professional Fashion Models." Psychiatry Research 159.1/2 (2008): 86-94. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. Grabe, Shelly, Hyde, Janet Shibley, and L. Monique Ward. "The Role of the Media in Body Image Concerns among Women: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental and Correlational Studies." Psychological Bulletin 134.3 (2008): 460-476. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. Halliwell, Emma, and Helga Dittmar. "Does Size Matter? The Impact of Model's Body Size on Women's Body-Focused Anxiety and Advertising Effectiveness." Journal Of Social & Clinical Psychology 23.1 (2004): 104-122. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. Hellmich, Nanci "Do Thin Models Warp Girls' Body Image?" USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. Krahe, Barbara and Christina Krause. “Presenting Thin Media Models Affects Women's Choice Of Diet Or Normal Snacks.” Psychology of Women Quarterly 34.3 (2010): 349-355. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. Sides-Moore, Lauren and Karin Tochkov. “The Thinner The Better? Competitiveness, Depression And Body Image Among College Student Women.” College Student Journal 45.2 (2011): 439-448. 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