Monica

Problems with the Fashion Industry and the Media

Visuals

In the video "Dove-Evolution Commercial" The Dove Campaign For Real Beauty is taking a stand to promote their new Dove Self Esteem Fund. This well known company decided to broadcast this ad through YouTube all over the world and it reached many different mediums such as online and on TV from the Netherlands to the United States. This campaign centers around billboard advertisements, originally in the United Kingdom, and then spread worldwide. It shows the stunning transformation many models pictures go under from camera to the actual advertisement that is sold. This particular video features a young women getting her picture taken, and then takes the viewer through the unnecessary process of Photoshop and other editing processes that the picture undergoes until it is posted on a billboard for the world to see in under 60 seconds.

Zephoria. "Dove-Evolution Commercial." Online Video Clip. YouTube. YouTube, 15 Oct. 2006. Web. 27, Nov. 2013. 

The affect that the fashion industry and the media has on young girls is outstanding. Everyday the fashion industry produces doctored or altered photos of their models in their aim to portray the "ideal woman"; however, that women does not exist. The popularization of these photos and models lead the young girls who are exposed to them to end up idolizing these women and strive to become them. Because of the deception the fashion industry displays to the media by making these models appear prettier and thinner than they actually are, many young girls turn to anorexia or other eating disorders to achieve this look as quickly as they can. As the chart shows, Bulimia is the most prevalent eating disorder in America, followed by Binge Eating and finally Anorexia at five thousand suffers nationwide. The other visual rhetoric gives an extreme depiction on how many girls world wide likely view themselves, which is very dangerous. The harsh reality about eating disorders is how harmful they really are and that the world needs to become more aware of them and the factors that cause many young girls to develop them in the first place.

Macleod, Duncan. "Anorexia Bulimia Contact in the Mirror." The Inspiration Room. Anorexi Bulimi Kontakt, 4 Jan. 2008. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
Thompson, Colleen. "Eating Disorders." RSS 20. Mirror Mirror Eating Disorders, 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.

Essay 

            It is estimated that eight million Americans are suffering from eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia (Eating Disorder Statistics). Astoundingly, seven million of those with eating disorders are women. There are many factors that contribute to this statistic; however, it does appear that the fashion industry plays a large role in affecting many young women’s self-esteem. Today, the fashion industry is bombarding society with thousands of images of models, which have been altered to depict the “ideal” woman, who is usually tall, thin, and blonde. These images are displayed on the front covers of magazines and on social media. After viewing these unrealistic images on a daily basis, many young women internalize these images as representing a standard of beauty which is unattainable. Sometimes these young women develop eating disorders and other distorted body issues. Although I agree that men also feel pressure to conform to these standards of beauty, I believe that it is much more difficult for the women who grow up scrutinizing their bodies as they try to achieve the standard of beauty presented by the fashion industry.

            The fashion industry is comprised of the clothing designers, advertisers, magazines, and the models. Basically, in today’s day and age it is impossible to avoid any aspect of this thriving industry. However, the fashion industry is cause for concern, especially for young women. In particular, the images of models that are displayed in thousands of advertisements depict women as tall, slender and possessing features that are naturally unattainable. In fact, the pressure on models to be thin is tremendous, “because a model’s professional success depends almost entirely on appearance, models obsess about their bodies” (Rodenbough 3). If a model does not fit into the standard designers merchandise, she can quickly be replaced, which creates a great deal of stress for these girls and often results in them taking extreme measures to remain thin. As the models get skinnier, the advertisements become more problematic because young girls look up to these models for inspiration. The Center for Disease Control reported that the average American woman is 5’4” and weighs 163 pounds; however, the average female fashion model is 5’9” and 110 pounds. (Rodenbough 3) This outstanding gap between reality and what is perceived in the fashion world just proves how difficult it is for women these days to feel comfortable with who they are. In fact, according to the article “Body Image, Media, and Eating Disorders” author Jennifer L. Derenne claims that “twenty-five years ago, the average fashion model was 8% thinner than the average woman. Today, that number has risen to 23%... reflecting a combination of rising obesity rates in the general population and progressively thinner ideals” (259). While these women are struggling to find peace with their bodies amongst these distracting standards, many stores across the nation are having a difficult time adapting to these changes.

            Every day young girls are exposed to many different types of advertisements. The most common form of fashion advertising is through the images the industry displays in magazines of unrealistic looking models. These photos are everywhere we turn. Viewing these images can cause girls to form a distorted body image. The current media has a large influence on how young girls view themselves. The exposure of these usually extremely doctored and photo shopped or airbrushed photos are planting a dangerous idea in many young girls heads that changing themselves to achieve this image of beauty is what will be desirable. Throughout history, this standard of female beauty has been difficult to attain. Current media however makes it much more complicated and confusing. Celebrities everywhere are being taunted and scrutinized all over the pages of magazines with their own pictures being picked apart piece by piece. Jennifer Derenne even suggests in her article that health and fitness magazines are not above this scrutiny, “Articles tout the importance of moderate diet and exercise, but pages are filled with advertisements for appetite suppressants and diet supplements” (259). With this confusing and inconsistent influence from the media, woman and young girls are consistently given the message that they might not be pretty enough. In many cases this can lead girls to taking extreme measures to accomplish a desired goal of representing the models that they look up to for inspiration.

Many young girls are affected by the media in a negative way and usually form distorted perceptions about their body image, which, in most severe cases, may lead to eating disorders. The onsets of eating disorders usually occur before age 20, which is not surprising when According to Libby Rodenbough, “81 percent of American 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat.” (4) This alarming statistic goes to show how early on many insecurities start forming in individuals across the country. Anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, or other eating disorders can begin to develop at a critically fast pace and they are becoming a wide trend all over America. Anorexia is an extremely dangerous aspect of maintaining these beauty standards set by the modeling industry. In fact, “Anorexia has the highest rate of mortality of any mental illness, at around 20 percent [and is] two times more prevalent in the United States than Alzheimer’s disease.” (Rodenbough 4) The impact of the industries influence on Americans is very prevalent, yet I believe more girls are affected on a daily basis than most males. Although it is extremely tough to overcome these obstacles, with the information gathered by many different studies and statistics, I am finding much higher numbers involving females as opposed to males who are affected by these alarming eating disorders.

In the past few years some stores and designers are adapting their merchandise to provide a broader range of sizes. However, many popular clothing stores that cater to teens have changed their sizing and have run into some trouble lately over discrepancies involving the sizing of their merchandise. For example, the popular European brand Brandy Melville has a great deal of girls flocking to their store hoping to find trendy clothes. However, their clothing is “one size fits most” which is a problem when every teenage girl is a different size. Author Jessica Dollin finds in her article “One Size Doesn’t Fit All,” that even in this ever changing world with a vast market of body shapes, they continue to be successful. The influence this store has amongst teenaged girls is alarming. Coming from my perspective as an 18 year old girl, it is hard to try and fit in with the latest fashion trends without wearing items from Brandy Melville. These clothes can be spotted everywhere, and that causes some concern for me regarding the sizing issue. Luckily, I have been able to find a few pieces of clothing I really love from this store after overcoming the struggle of being too tall for any of their dresses and cropped tops, and not having the waist for any of their jeans or shorts. Nonetheless, I worry about those girls who strive to fit in with the styles they see their peers wearing, yet they cannot fit in to this “one size fits most” policy. Dollin affirms that “clothing brands have been tailoring their merchandise to a variety of customers since the beginning of shopping [and] the ones size fist most rule is somewhat illogical.” (Dollin 1) This stores rising popularity is also a cause for concern because in order to fit in with this style, many young girls may take extreme measures just to conform, leading to dangerous habits of eating disorders and altering their body image. With their loyal following however, I hope to see that every girl finds a place in her fashion taste that can include clothes they like, and that actually fit them well.

            I strongly believe that something needs to be done in order to change the standards set by the modeling industry which would hopefully include more realistic images. It is impossible to go anywhere in most cities and towns without coming across some type of advertisement with a model strewn across a billboard, the side of a bus, or the front pages of a magazine. Subsequently, these pictures are starting to post a serious trend- all of the models depicted on these advertisements are usually extremely skinny. Liz Jones, the former editor of Marie Claire magazine, published an article which includes her viewpoints on the way women are treated by the fashion world. In “What I think about the fashion world,” Jones states her disappointment over the lack of curvier models and her efforts to include a variety of models with different body types in her magazine. This ended up being a difficult task. It is unfair to many women in America to have to endure seeing painfully thin models walk the catwalk, or model clothes that fit only the smallest waists in the country.

            It is time for the fashion industry to stop endorsing unhealthy lifestyles. Americans are exposed every day to harsh and unrealistic standards that they perceive as beautiful. This reality can consequently send many females, and males to choose life threatening means in order to conform to these “requirements”. Females across America have to go through so many difficult tasks each and every day and many of them cannot keep up. The women of today have a much harder time struggling to stay positive and trying to grow up in this very harshly critical world we live in. It is considerably harder to grow up as a female in America than it is male.

Annotated Bibliography

Derenne, Jennifer L. and Eugene V Beresin. “Body Image, Media, and Eating Disorders.” Academic Psychiatry, 30.3 (2006): 257-261.: This scholarly article discusses how eating disorders are a major health problem today. The exposure of mass media according to the authors correlates with negative body images and can result in eating disorders. The authors explore the history of this problem and seek out opportunities to change its growing popularity.

Dollin, Jessica. "One Size Doesn't Fit All." Her Campus. Her Campus Media, 27 Oct. 2012. Web. 06 Oct. 2013. : This article written by Jessica Dollin showcases the popular European based clothing store Brandy Melville and its arguably controversial policy of sizing its merchandise as “one size fits most”. The author questions why this store feels it necessary to implement this policy when we live in a world filled with many different body shapes and sizes. Clothing stores have always claimed to offer a variety of sizing options, which is why Dollin struggles to understand Brandy Melville’s thought processes. Dollin finds this one size rule somewhat unreasonable, especially in such a vast market.

Jones, Liz. "What I Think about the Fashion World." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers Ltd, 9 Aug. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. : This article discusses the ideas and possibly unpopular opinions of the former Marie Claire magazine editor Liz Jones. Jones states her disappointment towards the fashion industry and claims she is unhappy with its portrayal of curvier women. She finds it problematic that only thinner women are being idolized by young girls all across the world. Jones attempted to broaden these standards, but was unsuccessful in her effort.

Rodenbough, Libby. "How the Fashion Industry Is Killing Women." Alternet. In These Times, 13 Apr. 2011. Web. 06 Oct. 2013. : In this article, author, Libby Rodenbough speaks out on the pressure male and female models are feeling in today’s fashion world to be thin. Rodenbough shows how these high standards that modeling agencies are setting for their clients are crippling young teen’s self-esteems. According to Rodenbough, there is an immense pressure amongst men and women to conform to these ideas that the fashion industry has been putting into their heads for decades. Rodenbough strives to challenge the fashion industry through this article and will rest easier when the correct measures are being made to move forward in the right direction towards healthier body images. 

"South Carolina Department of Mental Health." Eating Disorder Statistics. DMH, 2006. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. : This website by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health gives an over view of the certain statistics and prevalence of mental health issues across America. This certain department gives priority to adults, children, and their families affected by serious mental health illnesses. This website also offers resources and different services for those who are seeking help in this area.