Loading ...
« Anna Sui & the Garment Center | Home | Thank You From 39th & Broadway! »
Fashion Industry & Skinny Bitches
By admins | April 28, 2009
Skinny bitches. We hear that term all the time in pop culture and in the fashion business. Often times it is even used as a term of endearment or maybe a back-handed compliment. What is going on with our culture’s sick obsession with being so thin? And why does being skinny automatically make you a bitch? It’s one of those annoying terms that are often thrown about jokingly in the industry but which we’d be happy to never hear again.
The fashion industry and weight have had a long and dysfunctional relationship. While fashion models have always maintained tall slender proportions it seems that the standard has become so nauseatingly thin. Fashion models have gone from slim, to thin, to unnaturally skinny, and finally to eyes sunken in, ribs sticking out, malnourished skeletons in stilettos! Its not just models either, celebrities are disappearing before our eyes. Just over a decade ago you’d have the occasional bag of bones celebrity, aka Alley Mcbeal, where as today it seems that every third female celebrity is hiding a possible eating disorder. What does it say to women and young girls when the models in fashion magazines are literally withering away and celebrities’ popularity grows exponentially according to their weight loss? For example, Mary Kate Olsen received more attention when a backless gown revealed her bony frame than her achievement in becoming the eleventh richest women entrepreneur in entertainment at 19. As celebs like Rachel Zoe (pictured above), Nicole Richie, and Lindsay Lohan know the fastest way to the cover of a magazine is to dip below 100lbs. Last week, the Miss Universe contest in Australia, which claims to “promote healthy, proportioned, bodies”, saw Stephanie Naumoska (pictured above) through to the finals. According to health professionals, Naumoska has a body mass index of 15.1, the benchmark for male nutrition is under 18! What is happening in the fashion and beauty industries right now is very dangerous and it’s time to stop looking the other way.
What is even more confounding is that as our celebrities and fashion models are becoming skinner than ever, the average American woman is fatter than ever before. The average American woman is now 164 lbs and barely 5′4″. We have become a country obsessed with dieting, from Atkins to the Master Cleanse with health clubs and yoga studios popping up on every corner while at the same time diabetes and childhood obesity have reached epidemic proportions. Many believe, it is partly our push for women to reach such unattainable weight standards that make them over eat in the first place. The basic premise of this theory is, “I could never be that thin, so I may as well have that double cheeseburger. Okay, now I’m really far away from that goal. So, give me that package of Oreos and a Big Gulp because it’s too late now…”
So, how culpable is the fashion industry in all this? According to model Kate Moss, who was notorious in the 90’s for her heroine chic uber-skinny body, we are to blame. Moss claims that she was not allowed to eat on photo-shoots and she was forced on such a tight travel schedule that she was unable to eat. Hmm, too busy working to eat? Well, that could be said by many working women in a variety of professions, personally we think all that cocaine was the cause of Kate’s boney figure. But seriously, the fashion industry needs to get over its weight issues. While the majority of fashion industry professionals, in the business of designing and manufacturing, will never even hire a supermodel for a show or photo shoot. It is a small percentage of people hiring these sickly models for their runway shows that give the rest of us a bad name. Let us not forget the fashion publications as well, it’s usually the high fashion magazines, filling their glossy pages with uber-skinny supermodels who perpetuate this extreme image. It’s generally not your clothing catalog or advertisements that are the problem, commercial models tend to have a more “normal” physique.
So what should the industry do? Perhaps we need to follow the lead of Spain and even France by implementing health and weight restrictions for fashion models. What do you think, is the fashion industry culpable for our weight issue, fat or thin? What can fashion industry professionals do to resolve this situation?
Here is more related scoop;
Topics: models, size, trend | 30 Comments » 
Email This Post
April 29th, 2009 at 4:40 am
yeah… skinny… you do look better in clothes when you’re skinny… i do at least. but it’s been a struggle for me, and i’m not even anywhere near 164lbs.
to tell the truth, i’ve been hesitant lately to show photos of myself because of my age/weight. it’s becoming more of an issue… just because so many young women wearing a xxs get so much attention, it’s hard to be in the same arena as them. i try not to compare, but it’s too hard.
April 29th, 2009 at 8:36 am
Jennine, no! You look amazing in all of pictures, and I mean that. To be honest, it really freaks me out when I see bloggers who are an XXS posting. I see how their leggings gather around their knees, because they’re too small to fill them out, or how their belt is too big on the tightest notch…and it’s not attractive. J, you’re NOT in the same arena as them– make that your strength, not a weakness!
Though I do understand where Jennine is coming from. When I was in the range of a size 10-14, I would have been comfortable doing clothing shots of my outfits— but now that I’m larger, I feel too self-conscious to do so. I love seeing blogs and e-zines that promote a healthy body image, and more of them seem to be popping up… but it’s still a struggle for the average woman.
April 29th, 2009 at 8:43 am
This point is very salient:
The basic premise of this theory is, “I could never be that thin, so I may as well have that double cheeseburger. Okay, now I’m really far away from that goal. So, give me that package of Oreos and a Big Gulp because it’s too late now…”
A lot of people are caught up in this mindset, which is partly the fault of the media, partly the fault of the person.
Also, people tend to say that clothes look better on the rail-thin supermodels, but it’s because the clothes are designed for rail-thin supermodels; if I designed a dress to fit a 130lb. woman, it damn well better look the best on her rather than someone 100lb or 160lb. The problem, of course, is that designers still insist on making clothes for the hyperthin, when those aren’t their actual customers (99% of the time).
April 29th, 2009 at 9:59 am
I can honestly say that I never have thought that the clothes actually DO look better on these super skinny models. I can never see the clothes, all I can see is bony elbows, thighs that are thinner than their knees and sunken eyes. It makes me really sad to hear Jennine say she feels uncomfortable posting outfit photos, and the same with Ashe.
I always prefer a few curves and I think the fashion industry needs to be aware that promoting this super skinny body image is just as dangerous as promoting obesity as ideal. If you are selling fashion and you state the idea that clothes look better on the super skinny then you are also selling that body shape as an ideal.
I wrote a post about body size a while ago after a friend of mine emailed Next concerned about one of their models and received a reply that they don’t normally use models under a size 10!
http://www.retrochick.co.uk/retroblog/2009/01/21/youre-the-one-for-me-fatty/
April 29th, 2009 at 11:22 am
What can the fashion industry do? Well, that’s a silly question, isn’t it?
Design clothes on real women. No, settle down, I’m not even saying “make clothes for fatties”. Design clothes for women who are size 6, and size 10. Design clothes for women who are 5′4″ instead of 6′. Design clothes for women with pear shapes, or women who climb rocks or mountain bike and have broad shoulders and muscular thighs.
Then SHOW them on those women. Like whatsername, the Canadian designer who used a range of ordinary women as models for her last show – and got sneered at, I noted, by several fashion bloggers who “like a little fantasy in their fashion.” Granted, fantasy was most certainly not what that particular designer was selling – but why the hell not? Why can’t you build a fantasy on, for instance, me – five foot three of hourglassy goodness – and float THAT dream down the runway?
As long as clothes are intended ONLY for a near-impossible ideal that maybe 3% of women can actually achieve, and maybe another 15% (who are genetically too short, but are skinny enough, or can starve themselves skinny enough) can approximate, then there is going to be this disconnect, and no amount of regulating the BMI of models is going to help.
It’s my opinion, as a designer and seamstress myself, that half of this “clothes look better on skinny women” argument from designers is pure, pure laziness. It’s easier to design on a figure with no curves, people. Less of that troublesome shaping and darting and fitting. I was an anorexic size 2 for a while, and it’s true. So? Make an effort. Learn. Expand the creative process.
April 29th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Jennine – Aw don’t let the BS fashion/media image get you down. You are gorgeous and have a fabulous figure. At the end of the day we just need to love ourselves big and small.
Ashe – It would be wonderful if healthy was the new standard instead of a certain height or weight. Feeling healthy and secure is what makes you the most comfortable in your own skin.
Barry- Thanks for that. Although we have to disagree about designers actually designing for the hyperthin, who really does that? Do consumers believe that, because that’s who is on the runway in high-end fashion shows?
Retro – The old premise was to use these girls because they would fade into the background and serve as “walking hangers” letting the garment take center stage. But we agree with you, these models are so grossly skinny that it is frightening to watch them and actually distracts from the clothing.
Katherine – We are a little confused by your comment that we should design for size 6 or 10 women. Don’t we? As a designer, you should be aware that the industry standard sample size is a size 8 in the women’s market. And the standard inseam of 32” would never even fit a 6 foot tall model. Not sure who you are referring to but designing clothes involves a full size scale and always includes curves. The clothing found at your local boutique or mall was designed to sell to the consumer not to supermodels. We do totally agree that the industry needs to show the average women in the product. That is the disconnect we see, since most clothing is designed for the consumer but the image that is publicly portrayed is uber-skinny unhealthy models.
Thanks everybody for your comments. One thing we would like to clear up is that designers and manufacturers are not using these runway models as their standards for actual production garments. In the industry we use “fit” models, body forms, dummies etc to develop our products. For women the usual size in the US is a 7/8 and 5’6” tall. The exact measurements are based on that brands market research of their customers nationwide. The super thin models mentioned in the article are only used as the media image and representation of the brand, which is really the problem in our opinion.
April 29th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
I understand why designers use a standard, slender model for showing clothes. But the sizes of these girls now is way beyond thin, and unfortunately a sad and perverted reflection of our obsession with skinny. I remember seeing a chanel show years ago and being shocked to see a scary skinny girl on the runway, and thinking it was unconscionable for Lagerfeld to have her represent his line. unfortunately, that’s now the norm. Enough lip service, this needs to stop.
Perhaps we start making statements with where we spend our money? I don’t see the industry changing until society’s standards change, or they start loosing $$!
April 30th, 2009 at 7:08 am
[...] week I’ve noticed a few posts on the theme of body size issues, with 39th & Broadway asking whether the Fashion Industry is to blame for our skinny bitch obsession, The Curvy [...]
April 30th, 2009 at 8:05 am
[...] week I’ve noticed a few posts on the theme of body size issues, with 39th & Broadway asking whether the Fashion Industry is to blame for our skinny bitch obsession, The Curvy [...]
April 30th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
[...] 39th & Broadway – Is the fashion industry responsible for our weight issues? [...]
April 30th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
[...] 39th & Broadway – Is the fashion industry responsible for our weight issues? [...]
April 30th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
I thought twice about posting on here because, well, I think I may be one of the “fatties” that designers shouldn’t make clothes for. I’m a UK size 16, my BMI is in the overweight category and I happily admit that I love food. But, I work out, I walk everywhere (I don’t own a car) and I have a waist-to-hip ratio of 69% (70% is optimum).
Interestingly, I’ve found myself writing posts on the subject of weight a lot lately. Christina Hendricks is the new curvy-gal’s role model, Kate Moss has been labelled “fat”, David Gandy was unable to get work for ages because he had a waist above 28 inches – the topic has been everywhere.
Some people are naturally thinner, some are naturally fatter, some are curvier, some are boxier – the fashion industry should not be hailing one shape as superior to another, but instead idolising what is healthy. Surely that is the material point.
April 30th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
[...] week I’ve noticed a few posts on the theme of body size issues, with 39th & Broadway asking whether the Fashion Industry is to blame for our skinny bitch obsession, The Curvy [...]
May 1st, 2009 at 12:10 am
[...] 39th & Broadway – Is the fashion industry responsible for our weight issues? [...]
May 1st, 2009 at 7:07 am
[...] week I’ve noticed a few posts on the theme of body size issues, with 39th & Broadway asking whether the Fashion Industry is to blame for our skinny bitch obsession, The Curvy [...]
May 1st, 2009 at 8:31 am
[...] week I’ve noticed a few posts on the theme of body size issues, with 39th & Broadway asking whether the Fashion Industry is to blame for our skinny bitch obsession, The Curvy [...]
May 1st, 2009 at 11:05 am
[...] 39th & Broadway – Is the fashion industry responsible for our weight issues? [...]
May 1st, 2009 at 11:51 am
Oh my God! Its horrible!
xo xo
May 1st, 2009 at 12:47 pm
[...] week I’ve noticed a few posts on the theme of body size issues, with 39th & Broadway asking whether the Fashion Industry is to blame for our skinny bitch obsession, The Curvy [...]
May 1st, 2009 at 6:16 pm
[...] 39th & Broadway - Is the fashion industry responsible for our weight issues? [...]
May 2nd, 2009 at 10:33 am
[...] 39th & Broadway – Is the fashion industry responsible for our weight issues? [...]
May 3rd, 2009 at 12:07 am
[...] 39th & Broadway – Is the fashion industry responsible for our weight issues? [...]
May 3rd, 2009 at 4:09 pm
To put it bluntly…yes.
May 4th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
[...] week I’ve noticed a few posts on the theme of body size issues, with 39th & Broadway asking whether the Fashion Industry is to blame for our skinny bitch obsession, The Curvy [...]
May 4th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
[...] week I’ve noticed a few posts on the theme of body size issues, with 39th & Broadway asking whether the Fashion Industry is to blame for our skinny bitch obsession, The Curvy [...]
May 5th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
I wish I knew what could be done, these models(especially on the runways) just look awful, sick and uncomfortable. I do not even understand how it got this far…
May 16th, 2009 at 6:39 am
I’m not saying they’re right but I heard from some fashion show that the reason they chose models that are tall, skinny, not the average woman is because it’s easier to see if they’re tall from the back of the room at runway shows, and if they’re skinny they don’t have breasts and butts.
The designer wants people to pay attention to their clothes, not how good the model’s assets look so they choose the girls that have less. I think the show was Make Me a Supermodel or something like that? I dunno…
But I’m 6′0″ and not skinny at all. I weigh 210 pounds so I really have conflicting feelings about fashion and models. I do think healthy should be promoted though.
But anyways, nice post. :)
May 28th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
[...] week I’ve noticed a few posts on the theme of body size issues, with 39th & Broadway asking whether the Fashion Industry is to blame for our skinny bitch obsession, The Curvy [...]
June 19th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
It may seem that the fashion industry perpetuates thinness in women, but truly it is just a reflection of the larger problem in society–that problem being that women are still unequal to men in society in general. Parading starving young (very young!) women and girls around as THE standard of beauty is only a stone’s throw from displaying them in chains, as slaves to a more powerful master, one whose presence is only inplied because it is unseen. These women you see, while successful in every way possible (as defined by society), are still slaves to a superior and more powerful force — they still have to succumb to the impossible rules and standards of beauty imposed on them by an unseen gatekeeper whose gargantuan size and scope swallows up everything in its path. The fashion industry is simply one of many, more obvious reflections of the oppression imposed by that gatekeeper. The message is: These women are the cream of the crop on every level, and yet they still must eat only upon the say-so of that gatekeeper. The message is: women, you can have it all…IF you ALSO show the world that you are still “really” a slave. You can BE mary-kate olsen & have all that goes with it, OR you can eat w/ the men….but you can’t have both.
that’s as far as I’ve thought it out…
October 14th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
I noticed a lot of these skinny bitches strut their shit with such an over sized ego, much too big for their frail looking bodies. ***