When the world thinks of skinny models the first ones that may come to mind are Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner etc. However the first skinny model that comes to my mind is Twiggy. Literally given her nickname for how thin she is Twiggy shaped the modeling industry in the 60s-70s and was ultimately in my opinion the model that started the idea that all models needed to be very skinny. With or without knowing it Twiggy gave unrealistic body expectations to young girls since the 60s.
Wigg, David. “Twiggy Goes to War on Obesity: She Was the First Superskinny Model and Claims She Ate like a Horse, but Here She Says Our Bulging Waistlines Are a National Tragedy.” Daily Mail Online. October 17, 2014. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2795365/twiggy-goes-war-obesity-superskinny-model-claims-ate-like-horse-says-bulging-waistlines-national-tragedy.html.
The brand Aerie is known for their representation of realistic body expectations and not retouching their models which I think is very important in the current day and age we are in with images being PhotoShopped to unrealistic expectations left and right. Through Aerie making it very clear and obvious that they are not retouching their images they are sending a positive message out to young girls of what “normal” bodies look like and that we all do not need to be a size 0 to be beautiful.
“An Open Letter to Aerie and Their #AerieReal Campaign.” The Odyssey Online. November 12, 2017. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://www.theodysseyonline.com/open-letter-aerie-and-their-aeriereal-campaign.
When thinking about how the fashion industry restricts what kind of body types model their looks it is also important to see how celebrities, such as singers and actors are restricted to these horrible lines as well. When looking towards singer Bebe Rexha she has said in a recent interview that various designers refused to dress her for the Grammy’s because they said that her being a size 8 was too big to represent their brand. When thinking about how Bebe Rexha, a women who is the size of an average American women, was denied representation of a brand because of her size is truly disgusting. However; the way the Rexah responded and stated that she does not want to be associated with brands that do not want to dress women who are not a size 4 and below, sends out a good message to young girls.
Bonner, Mehera. “[UPDATED] Bebe Rexha Slams Designers for Refusing to Dress Her for the Grammys.” Cosmopolitan. February 11, 2019. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/a25986734/bebe-rexha-designers-grammys-size-8/.
In the campaign for Dove Beauty they are showing a wide rang of diversity from body type to race and highlighting that there is no such thing as a perfect body but that we should all love the body we have been given.
Bahadur, Nina. “How Dove Tried To Change The Conversation About Female Beauty.” The Huffington Post. December 07, 2017. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/21/dove-real-beauty-campaign-turns-10_n_4575940.html.
On the left hand side of these images are showing what the “Perfect Body” looks like for both men and women while the right side shows what the average American’s body actually looks like. When comparing the perfect female body to male there is a huge difference. The perfect women body is seen as skinnier with a larger chest; while the only visible difference between a mans perfect body is the size of his arms.
TodayShow. “See What the ‘perfect’ Body Really Looks like for Men and Women.” TODAY.com. March 31, 2016. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://www.today.com/health/ideal-real-what-perfect-body-really-looks-men-women-t83731.
This image is showing just how skinny some models get to the point where they are quiet literally skin and bone. This can be threating to their health and sends young girls the message that they need to be this skinny to be beautiful.
“The Fashion Industry (Still) Has an Image Problem.” The Business of Fashion. March 18, 2013. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/right-brain-left-brain/the-fashion-industry-still-has-an-image-problem.
This campaign is very controversal because it is sending the message to women and girls everywhere that the perfect body is only a size 0-2. Through this ad each model can be seen with the perfect toned stomach and small thighs – this is not realistic for everyone therefore it should not be deemed as “The perfect body”.
SHAW BROWN, GENEVIEVE. “Victoria’s Secret ‘Perfect Body’ Campaign Draws Social Media Outrage.” ABC News. October 29, 2014. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/victorias-secret-perfect-body-campaign-draws-social-media/story?id=26540192.
This cover is very important to cover because it shows Ashley Graham as the first plus size model to be on the cover of Vogue. However, Ashley’s body is being covered by the other models and her hands on her thigh as a way to distract from the fact that she is plus size.
Chabbott, Sophia. “Ashley Graham Becomes First ‘Plus-Size’ Model to Grace Vogue Cover.” WWD. February 10, 2017. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://wwd.com/business-news/media/vogue-features-first-plus-size-model-ashley-graham-on-march-2017-cover-10781777/.
This photo is important because it demonstrates how skinny Kate Moss was in the 90s and how she was the ideal body type during this time. This photo was shot by Corinne Day who in an interview stated that she liked to photography Moss because she liked how skinny she was.
Hutchings, Lucy. “Kate Moss – Style File.” Vogue. March 19, 2018. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/style-file-kate-moss.
This photo shows a size 8 model trying on Brandy Melville’s one size fits all skirt. As stated because a size 8 is the average size for a women in the United States, so the fact that a brand that claims to be one size fits all is selling clothes that actually only fits a size 0-4 is a outrages.
Susie Coen For The Daily Mail. “Brandy Melville’s Tiny ‘one Size Fits All’ Policy Slammed.” Daily Mail Online. July 28, 2017. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4741234/irresponsible-selling-unrealistic-tiny-clothes.html.
