Experts are divided on whether fashion contributes to body image issues within society. Photo: Danielle Arbaci
Fashion – It’s beautiful, it’s diverse and everyone has their own individual sense of it. Yet, fashion experts are divided over whether or not the pressure of looking hot is turning our ideas of what ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’ body images are, upside down.
Fashion shows are held all around the world, in big cities such as Milan, New York City, London and Paris. They’re electrifying, stunning and extremely exclusive. They showcase the hottest designs and latest collections by high end fashion designers. But the question is who parades down the runways in the designs? Most of the time it’s painfully thin girls.
With more access to the internet, teens are constantly bombarded with image-related messages that display what society has defined as ‘beautiful.’ The problem with these images is that they aren’t realistic. Not every young woman has a body like these models unless it’s in their genes and they cannot obtain these bodies without extreme risks to their health. But if skinny bodies are the predominant shape within the fashion industry, what does that do to the confidence and self-esteem of young teenage girls who do not have that shape?
The overflow of programs and ads that focus solely on losing weight, staying youthful or bettering your looks have become the norm for both day and night-time TV. No wonder attaining ‘perfection’ rather than health is a subconscious goal for many young people today.
Sandra Symons, award winning writer and editor, believes that the fashion industry holds the key to promoting a healthy body shape but instead, chooses to do otherwise, she says, “The fashion industry is largely responsible for the fact there is a lack of variation in shape and size – images that are presented offer unrealistic images of what beauty is, and subconsciously inspire women to seek what they then perceive to be an ideal body image.”
The constant promotion of super-skinny models on runways has created the prevalent belief amongst women, that to be sexy is to be super thin. Ms Symons says, “Despite the furore in recent years about the use of emaciated models in fashion magazines, advertisements and on catwalks, super slim models are still used. Look at photographs from the European collections; the models are unrealistically thin and members of the audience reflect this – there is never a plump person in the front rows.” Perhaps the reason for this is marketing purposes; statistics have repeatedly shown that if you place a beautiful skinny girl on the cover of a magazine you sell more copies.
There’s no compelling evidence that using skinny models in magazines, ads and on runways is the cause of anorexia among young women, but it does provoke it substantially. Australian Youth Minister Kate Ellis says “eating disorders are affecting children as young as six and the insidious problem must be tackled.” The use of skinny models changes the perception of beauty, encouraging teenage girls, who are extremely vulnerable, self-conscious, and the most susceptible to eating disorders to chase an illusion of an unattainable body shape. “Such advertisements shake the confidence of women, reminding them that they simply do not measure up,” Ms Symons says.
Calvin Chong, editor of online fashion blog, ‘Vanity-Press.com’ believes that fashion is essential in society. He says that it is a powerful form of self-expression and identity, whereby each individual expresses their personality through their unique style.
“I think society sometimes judges fashion too harshly on what is a healthy message to promote”, he says. “There are unhealthy issues going on in the industry but if you see from the Health initiative and CFDA’s efforts, things are changing.”
Although Mr Chong agrees to some extent that the fashion industry does promote an unhealthy body image, he also sees a different side to it. “Fashion in media like magazines, provides an escape from the reality for most. A way to detach themselves from the daily life and indulge on what they think would be the perfection – in a very similar way to how novels or literature works.” So while some people choose to bury their heads and take their imagination for a ride by the means of a book, others prefer to delve into the glossy pages of a sophisticated Vogue magazine, taking in an eye-full of the hottest furs, patterns and colours of the season.
When it comes to trends and style, Mr Chong believes it’s about the individual. “The key is to identify yourself and wear the trend instead of the trend wearing you,” he says. “Your own style is the ultimate trend you should follow.”
The perception of beauty, like fashion, is never fixed on one look; instead it changes all the time. Like Yves Saint Lauren once said, “Fashions fades but style is eternal.” The true essence is to embrace, love and be grateful for what you have. Fashion is not a representation of reality and we must be consciously aware of that.
