::Moving Toward a Healthier Future::

Many popular magazines that young teens and young women read are also promoting a healthier body image and providing clothes and tips for every size and shape. Women look at fashion magazines all the time and these magazines are a strong source of persuasion on what the average women should look like. In the past only thin, skinny, boney models that ruled the pages of the fashion magazines but lately the wind has blown in another direction to magazines promoting every size and shape. Women can feel comfortable picking up one of these magazines and finding an array of different sizes and tips on how to flatter each and every body type.

Glamour, a fashion magazine, has started incorporating a lot more body consious articles and tips on how to be healthy and look good while being healthy. One of the articles that is a usual occurence is "Fashion: Dress Your Body." This article includes a bunch of different body types and shows what type of shorts for example would fit and look good on those body types. It shows the readers that they do not have to be stick thin in order to look good but there are clothes out there that will flatter there bodies. In Glamour's recent photo shoot for their July 2010 issue, models were used in all different sizes and shapes. It caught be off guard at first flipping through the magazine and saw an average body shape. I was surprised and happy that they have moved to showing a variety that their audiences could identify with. Not only do they show different body sizes, they also found really cute clothes for cheap that fit every single body type and flatter curves as well. These articles show that you dont have to be tiny to be beautiful, but you just need to embrace what is unique about yourself.

Other magazines are also creating articles to have the same effect. Cosmopolitan has an article entitled "Styles That Flatter Your Bod," and guy testimonies on why they think curves are sexier.

Shape's new cover model is Kim Kardashian who definetly has some curves. She is quoted by saying "I'll never be one of those skinny girls, so what?" And the whole article is about how she got her curves and exercises that women can do at home to get curves as well. I think this is a very powerful way to show women that you dont have to exercise to just be skinny but you can also exercise to build curves.

One of Marie Claire's new articles is called "Size Matters: Big Girl in a Skinny World." Every issue Ashley Falcon, a curvy plus size women, discusses how she lives in the 'skinny fashion world' and how she finds clothes that fit and make her feel beautiful. In her new article she talks about glam gowns in all shapes and sizes and where to find them. She tells the readers her struggles, her successes, and how it feels to live in a world where it is a hassle to find clothes that actually fit her. The other article that I feel does a very good job at celebrating everyone's uniqueness is the article entitled "What I Love About Me." This article goes to a different state every issue and asks real women what they love about themselves. Their pictures are taken and the reader has the chance to see that people do love their curves and the unique things about themselves. It is easier to use personal testimonies to teach people to love themselves and this issue does a really good job at perpetuating a healthy body image.

More and more I see designers, runway shows, magazines, and fashion advertisements incorporating a curvier model. I like the direction the fashion industry is headed and people are catching on that super skinny is not valued as much as loving ourselves and the way we are.

::Pictures are worth a thousand words::

While the fashion industry is slowly moving toward using curvier models in runway shows and advertisements, it is important to look at the progression from where it started, to where it is now. A picture is worth a thousand words, so instead of lecturing on and on about the much needed move to curvier models, pictures are all the words I need to communicate the much needed change.

This is what was usually seen on runway shows before many banned this skinny of a model. Protruding ribs, thin arms, and emaciated faces were all too common in the fashion industry a few years ago.

It perplexes me that designers would want to use a model that looked like this. It lookes like she might fall apart right on the runway. For someone to see this and allow and influence models to look like this should be ashamed.

This is an America's Next Top Model winner and also a model that many young girls look up to. How are young teen age girls supposed to emmulate someone they look up to when they are slowly withering away. America's Next Top Model is a show that influences society and teen age girls, and to have the winner of the show have an eating disorder is not sending out the right message to teens and women in our society.

This picture is past the point of okay. It is even hard to look at. The one question that I have to ask is why no one else around her is having the same reaction as I am. How is this desirable, beautiful, or healthy? It is none of the above. I do not see how this model can walk around backstage in front of so many people and then be allowed to walk the runway like this. Maybe send her to the hospital anyone??

Even though the fashion industry has been critisized time and time again to stop using super thin models, many companies such as Dove and magazines are presenting all body types and urging their audiences to love their bodies and to be comfortable in their own skin.

In Italy's Vogue, many models have spoken out about the negative outlook on curvier bodies and speak their voice that they do not want to be a victim of the fashion industry and the eating disorders that often come along with it.

Marie Claire and many other magazine such as Glamour are moving to incorporate body issue articles and providing photo shoots with celebrities and models naked and without any touch ups or makeup. They are also providing pages with clothes that fit all body types and ways to dress to flatter each different body type whether slender or curvier. If more and more magazines represent the diverse body types that exist, than women and men will know that being a size zero is not the standard for everyone.

Dove is one of the leading companies to start the wave of body image campaigns. It promotes every body size and ethnicity that are melting pot of a country has. This was the first real promotion for women to accept who they are and love their bodies.

The Body Shop introduced a barbie that represented the average American female. Women around the world are not unexplainably thin like the Barbie we grew up with. I think this promotional tool was a very good way for people to look around at mass media and what we are subjected to. Should young teens be influenced by the classic Barbie that we know so well or should there be a bunch of different body sizes and ethnicities to promote a healthy and beautiful outlook?

Nike also jumped on the band wagon to promote a healthier body image and to love what you got. In this advertisement, a girl is talking about her butt and all the things that she loves about it. I think this advertisement will establish a common ground with many women because many of us have that one part of our body that we would like to change, but instead we need to learn to love our bodies.

From where the fashion industry started with models that could possibly be blown away with a slight breath of air, to companies promoting a healthier image, the fashion industry has started to use curvier models in their fashion shows and advertisements.

Crystal Renn defeated her war with her eating disorder and wrote the book 'Hungry.' Since she learned to love her body and started promoting a healthier image, her carreer has soared and is happier now than where she was as a young model. For a personal testimony like hers, we can see the terrible tragedies the fashion industry inflicts on its models and its audience and see how there is a way to fix it.

Curvy models such as models from Victoria's Secret were used in Louis Vuitton's 2010 spring fashion show, and many other designers are following suit.

From where the fashion industry started to where it is going now, is a miracle in itself. I am glad that the fashion industry has had so much commotion about the use of stick thin models who are dying from various eating disorders and was pushed to use curvier models that represented the average women in America. I think by using curvier models, it would help people be comfortable with themselves and reduce the amount of eating disorders that have been on the rise for years now. I think the fashion world still needs to push toward the healthier body image and keep on moving toward it.

::To Eat, or Not to Eat?::

Young teens and society are not the only ones suffering from the fashion industry’s love for their standard size zero, models are pushed to be thin for success and end up with eating disorders and sometimes even death.

According to Medical News Today, as many as 40% of models are currently suffering from some kind of eating disorder (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/76241.php). There is so much pressure to be stick thin and fit into the designer’s clothes, that most of these models will do anything for just a glimpse of success.

“Ana Carolina Reston, who weighed just 40 kilograms, or 88 pounds, when she died in São Paolo on Nov. 14, was the second model in recent months to succumb to an eating disorder. In August, Luisel Ramos of Uruguay died of heart failure during a fashion show, prompting Madrid to ban severely underweight models from the city's fashion week this autumn.” http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/20/world/americas/20iht-models.3604439.html

Honestly, who would want to look like this? These models look more like skeletons than real human beings. More and more cases and deaths in the fashion industry are accumulating and the move to use healthier models is the focal point to fixing this problem. Designers such as Giorgio Armani are urging designers to quite using ultra thin models in response to the recent deaths. If this is not a wake up call for the fashion industry to change its ways, I don’t know what is.

Former model Crystal Renn, author of the book ‘Hungry,’ struggled as a young model with an eating disorder. Her book ‘Hungy’ is a memoir about her life and how she learned to love herself and her curves. She hopes that with this book other models and women dealing with body issues will learn to love who they are and provide a common ground in order to help them with their issues as well.

In an excerpt from her book she states: “I was hardly alone in my descent into weight obsession and madness. Five to 10 million Americans have eating disorders. Even women without clinical eating disorders spend a heartbreaking amount of time obsessing about their weight, hating their bodies and thinking that if they were only thinner; their lives would be richer, fuller, and happier.”

Although she identifies with the people who have eating disorders and she has experienced an eating disorder herself, she came to a self actualization and fought through her tough times.

“Here's the strange part: Call it crazy or ironic or simply perfect justice, but when I stopped starving myself, my career took off. That was when I shot five international editions of Vogue and the covers of international editions of Harper's Bazaar and Elle. That was when I starred in Dolce & Gabbana's ad campaign. That was when I worked the runway as the final model in Jean Paul Gaultier's prêtà- porter show in a gauzy, breathtaking, form-fitting fairy-tale dress covered in an explosion of tissue-paper-thin silk flowers. That was when I appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show ." That was when I became the highest-paid plus-size model in America. That was when I became a favorite model of the man who took that amazing picture of Gisele in 2000: the great Steven Meisel. And I did it all at the weight my body wanted to be.”

Renn thought that to be successful she had to be stick thin and be a size zero in the fashion industry, but when she started respecting herself and loving her body her career started to blossom.

Former models that have had eating disorders need to speak out and share their stories. With so many models suffering from eating disorders and society’s want for a smaller waist, there needs to be someone out there telling them that it is unhealthy. More models and people telling younger women that it is more important to be happy with yourself is what the fashion industry needs right now.

Katherine McPhee is another celebrity that has talked about her experiences and tells that there are other ways to lost weight without the use of an eating disorder.

“The more I focused on my weight, the worse my bulimia got,” says the American Idol runner-up, 25. “Now I’m more easygoing. I stopped fighting myself and became more forgiving of my body. Ironically, the weight came off naturally through exercise but no dieting.”

The fashion industry needs to step up and start educating and making sure that their models are healthy. Not only will banning stick thin models help reduce the amount of eating disorders, personal testimonies from models who have changed their ways and became healthier will have a positive affect on the way society perceives their bodies.

“We hope that by issuing health guidelines to designers, the American fashion industry is finally beginning to acknowledge the dangers of extreme thinness in female fashion models, as well as the negative impact on perceived body image among those who look up to these models. There is still much more the American fashion industry can do to ensure the protection of young women and men who model; for example, models should be required to pass a physical examination before walking the runway to make certain they are in proper health form, while designers should include models of various weights and body types in runway shows and fashion magazines to show that different body types can look good in a variety of fashions.”

::where's all the curvy girls?::

The fashion industry swears that the tables are turning and curvy models are making an entrance into the fashion world, but is it just an appearance? Will the media and society really accept plus size models? What is the point of lingerie, to just be sexy? Or actually be comfortable in your own skin? These are just some of the questions soceity is faced with today. Lane Bryant, a women's retail company for plus size clothing, launched their new commerical for their lingerie line which was banned from ABC for "too much cleavage." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvdU2xpgvdk&feature=player_embedded

This commerical looks no different than any of the other lingerie commericals seen on t.v. The only difference is that a curvier, plus size model is presented instead of a thin model we usually expect. This commercial was banned because it was "too racy" and "too much cleavage" was presented, but what about Victorias Secret? How can you say one thing is okay to show on t.v. and the other is unacceptable even though they both show the same amount of skin and both are selling the same products. Victoria's Secret is known for its commericals that are beyond racy and show way more skin. Their main goal is to sell "sexy", "be sexy", and try to convey to their target audience that to be sexy they have to buy their bras and panties. Why not sell being sexy and comfortable in your own skin? If this is so important in society today, to be comfortable and see yourself as sexy, why is Lane Bryant being scrutnized for a commercial that gives the average woman something to be pround of? And why is there so much controversy even though Lane Bryant's commerical is much like the ones from Victoria's Secret?





There is obviously a bias in the fashion industry, and the media is not representing the average american female correctly. Victorias Secret makes it known that their company is about representing every woman's body size, but are they really succeeding at this?

“Here at VS, we always embrace women’s curves and each individual’s shape and that’s why we have so many different types of swimsuits and bras to flatter each individual's body shape,” model Miranda Kerr told Pop Tarts while promoting the 5th Annual VS “What is Sexy” list at the label’s store in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

While the companies aim is to "embrace curves and individual's shape," plus size models are not even presented in their advertisements, commericals, or their annual Victorias Secret fashion show. How are they embracing the average american woman if they are not even being shown? Victorias Secret's mission statement is flawed in the sense that they "try" to embrace every body shape but are not actually presenting them. Looking at the Victorias Secret's website, almost all the models shown are thin or size zeros. Although these women do have curves, they are still thin and do not represent the average american female. How are females supposed to feel comfortable purchasing lingerie from them if they do not feel like they are represented?

“Victoria’s Secret's girls are so tiny and so thin. It's so interesting because they have a wide variety of ethnicities but considering this is a company that is based on body and lingerie, you'd think they'd have a bigger variety of body shapes,” Bloch said. “Where's the model with a little junk in her trunk? They have a very narrow vision and they need to expand.”

Most of their models are size zeros and even though they are respected for a varitey of nationalities, curvy models are not represented at all. If Victorias Secret wants to appeal to the average woman and make them feel sexy, how can they do that if they are not representing every size and shape?


Many companies and magazines are using curvier women and having columns dedicated to these women. I believe a company such as Victoria's Secret need to actually embrace the average woman and her curves and start showing various body shapes. At the same time, the media needs to give curvy models a chance. The companies that are actually trying to represent these women and allow the average women to feel comfortable in their own skin are being turned away. But why? Because no one wants to accept that this is what the average american female lookes like? We are always told to be comfortable in our own skin, but if we are constantly being shown women who look like they are wasting away, how is being comfortable in our own skin possible?

::something tasty::something healthy::

College life: pizza, beer, coffee, snack foods, and the dependency on the microwave. Looking for food that is healthier instead of being loaded with calories, sugar, and fat? Springing into looking fit for summer? Instead of going to regular grocery stores and stocking up on conventional food and products, why not try a local food co-op? Its organic and locally produced foods are a good place to start when looking for something nutritious and tasty.

Most people have misconceptions and stereotypes about organic foods and products. Too expensive, not worth the money, and not having any benefits are just some of the misconceptions that people have about organic foods and products.

While prices of organic and locally produced foods tend to be a little more expensive, only usually a dollar more than conventional type foods, the benefits and quality of organic food outweigh the price difference. The difference in price is because of a greater labor input, organic food is limited compared to demand, and crops are relatively small. Environmental enrichment and protection, high standards for animal welfare, and avoidance of health risks due to pesticides also contribute to the higher price for organic foods.

Many people do not know the benefits of organic and locally produced food that a local food co-op offers. Growing organically allows local farmers to decrease the dependency on nonrenewable resources, conserve energy, improve biodiversity, and help minimize the greenhouse effect and global warming.

“Health, social, and environmental benefits are some benefits to buying organic foods,” said Carol Spurling, Moscow Food Co-op’s outreach and ownership coordinator. “Pesticides and herbicides are poisons; their use destroys the viability of the soil, they cause cancer, they cause other health and environmental problems such as global warming. If all agriculture worldwide became diversified organic agriculture instead of monocultural industrial agriculture, it would greatly reduce global warming and provide and a decrease in unemployment. Rural communities would be revitalized all over the world, small scale farming would become a viable way to make a living, and farmers' dependence on expensive toxic chemicals completely eliminated.”

A local food co-op offers many organic and locally produced products as well as community events and programs that people can utilize. Many of the services provide students with the ability to eat healthier and consume produce that has more nutritional benefits and a higher quality. Organic foods might be slightly more expensive but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

“Every dollar we spend is a vote for the kind of world we want to live in,” said
Carol Spurling. “We eat three times a day at least so the food choices we make can really add up to significant change. I'm not saying that chain grocery stores are bad. I think that Co-ops are an alternative kind of business - democratically organized and locally-owned - that can reflect your values. Shopping for organic and sustainably-grown food at a Co-op is a way of being an activist for environmental and social justice every day. Not everybody has the means to buy only organic foods but if you start changing over one particular item that you consume often, such as milk, yogurt, eggs, apples, or even ramen noodles or coffee, to organic, that is a great start. Sometimes it won't even hurt your pocketbook at all.”

When comparing chicken nuggets that were organically made to regular conventional chicken nuggets; the organic product is healthier. The conventional chicken nuggets contain 320 calories, 20 grams of fat, 60mg of cholesterol, and 15 grams of carbohydrates. The organically made chicken nuggets contain 180 calories, 10 grams of fat, zero cholesterol, and five grams of carbohydrates. Comparing both of these products, the organic chicken nuggets have cut half the amount of calories, fat, and carbohydrates that the conventional chicken nuggets contain. Although chicken nuggets are not the healthiest pick when choosing a healthy alternative, purchasing an organic product is healthier and nutritionally beneficial.

Changing from conventional to organically made products just one product at a time, can help maintain a healthy and beneficial way of life. So instead of going to your regular grocery store, stop by a local food co-op and see what healthy benefits they have to offer you.


For more information about local food co-ops in your area please go to http://www.localharvest.org/ or http://www.coopdirectory.org/

::Curves Ahead!::

The fashion industry has undoubtedly been criticized for using super thin models for a number of years, but recently there has been a shift to curvier and healthier models. A majority of runway shows use super skinny models creating a misrepresentation of what women are supposed to look like and what they should aspire to be. Even as a young teen or adolescent, societies pushing needs to be skinny are very apparent and even warp their perceptions of being beautiful. Although the majority of models who are thin infest the runway shows, high status designers such as Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton are using curvier and healthier looking woman (http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/03/curvy_adult_diverse_models_wal.html).

When a person thinks about the fashion industry in society today, pictures of skeleton, skinny models come to mind. What is wrong with a curvy, healthy woman? Why do most models in the fashion industry not represent the average woman and make clothes to fit every body? These are just some questions that women face today. The average woman is not super thin and does not look unhealthy, but instead most are curvy and very healthy. Only representing the skinny world in the fashion industry causes women to see themselves in a negative light if they do not fit the stereotype of the pictures they see in magazines and the models on the runways.

Another issue about super thin models is the influence it has on young teenagers. Young female teenagers are constantly surrounded with media concentrating on the idea of “if you want to be beautiful, you have to look like a super skinny model.” These teens are subjected to expectations that cannot exist creating a yearning for perfection, when it cannot be achieved. These young female teens need to be subjected to values that expose inner beauty and the idea that every race, body shape, and personality is valued and is seen as beautiful.(http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-09-25-thin-models_x.htm)

Although this issue had been slow to fix, many popular fashion designers are shifting toward the curvier, healthier model. In a recent fashion show in Paris this year, fashion designer, Louis Vuitton, used models of all sizes and ethnicities. Hopefully in the future designers will follow suit and represent all shapes and sizes that its public can identify with. We need to push for a healthy and true representation of the women in our society and value everyone's individuality to make the fashion industry understand that everyone is not super thin and everyone cannot fit into a size zero. Not only will it share values of all different kinds of beauty, it will show women everywhere that they can be happy and beautiful in their own skin.