Name:
Date:
Title:
Dying to Be Thin
Specific Purpose:
To convince by proposition of policy that the fashion industry must be
regulated to prevent negative body image and eating disorders in both
fashion models and the public at large.
Thesis Statement:
The number of men and women suffering from potentially fatal eating
disorders in America has dramatically increased as the exposure to
unhealthy body images portrayed by the fashion industry has also
increased.
Preview Statement:
It is important to know the problems associated with the negative body
images portrayed by the fashion industry, the causes related to the
problems with negative body images, and the solutions available to
prevent these problems.
Organization Design: Problem-Cause-Solution
Introduction
I. “They’re not people, they’re hangers,” stated a leading fashion designer.
A. He considered fashion models like Kleenex—easily disposable and infinitely
replaceable—there is always another pretty 17-year old girl just dying to be a model
(Hooper).
B. After this response, in less than two months, four young models died of anorexia,
causing a national debate about body image and eating disorders (Richter).
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II. They were alarmingly thin—models in demand for New York’s fashion week appeared “so
gaunt and thin that their knees and elbows were larger than their concave thighs and pipe cleaner
arms, and their baby doll heads looked as if a slight breeze could detach them from their frail
bodies” (Wilson).
A. Linda Wells, the editor of the beauty magazine Allure, said there were moments
during the fashion shows when gasps in the audience could be heard, not at the couture
gowns, but at the models’ cadaverous appearances (Wilson).
B. Yet there remains an ideal among designers who seem to prize an even thinner frame
to display their clothes.
1. Many who attended the New York fashion shows question whether acceptable
boundaries have been crossed, such as when fashion glamorized images of heroin
abuse, coining it “heroin-chic” in the early 1990s through models such as Kate
Moss, who was ironically charged with heroin possession last year (Wilson).
2. Despite perennial complaints that models are too thin, there is a new sense of
concern that the fashion industry is contributing to unhealthy and potentially lifethreatening behavior among models and the public at large.
III. Today, we will take a walk down the catwalk of negative body images to discover the
problems associated with the images portrayed by the fashion industry, discuss the causes related
to the problems, and reveal the solutions available to prevent these problems.
Body
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I. The two main problems associated with the negative body images portrayed by the fashion
industry are the degradation of healthy and appropriate body sizes and the emotional and
physical effects of eating disorders.
A. The first problem associated with the emaciated body images celebrated by the fashion
industry is the degradation of healthy and appropriate body sizes.
1. Curiously, the evidence of model shrinkage was there all along—in
1986, the standard size was 4 to 6, then it was a solid 4, then to 2, then to
zero (Trebay).
a. It’s like the frog in the water: if you turn up the heat, it does not
know its being boiled to death—after a while a size 0 starts to
seem normal, not cadaverous.
2. As early as kindergarten, children become aware of their appearance—
how much they’re eating, how they look in clothes, and unfortunately, the
social disadvantages of being overweight (Etcoff).
a. The so-called fashion bible, Vogue, determined that it is a “fact”
that clothes look better on a thin person; models, therefore, by
definition, are thinner than the average person (Johnson 382).
b. 62 percent of you felt you were influenced by the images
portrayed by the media as to how you should dress, act, or
physically look (Questionnaire).
c. Few of us measure our intelligence against Albert Einstein or
our tennis ability by Venus Williams’ trophy case, so why do we
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compare our bodies to the physical anomaly that is supermodel
Gisele Bűndchen?
3. In the United States, plumpness once signaled that a woman was well
fed and affluent, but by the early 1900s, women wanted to look like the
“Gibson Girl” with an incredibly tiny, unrealistic waist.
a. The 1920s ushered in pencil-thin “Flappers”, the 40s and 50s
idealized full figure women again like Marilyn Monroe and Ava
Gardner, the 1960s eliminated full figure models when a 5’7, 91pound British model known as Twiggy hit the runway.
b. Before Twiggy, the average fashion model weighed just 8
percent less than the average woman, today models are thinner
than 90 percent of all American women (Prah).
a. If Barbie was a real person, she would stand 5’9, a mere 110
pounds, with the unrealistic body measurements of 39-18-33.
b. The current media ideal of thinness is healthily achievable by
less than 5% of the American population (Fox).
B. The second problem associated with the starved body images broadcasted by
the fashion industry is the emotional and physical effects of eating disorders.
1. Anorexia is diagnosed when a person weighs less than 15 percent of
their height’s average body weight, fears gaining weight, and sees himself
or herself as overweight, but is actually dangerously thin; bulimia is
diagnosed when a person binges, purges at least twice a week for three
months, and has a distorted self-image (Prah).
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a. In a recent study, only two percent of women claimed to be
“beautiful” and less than one percent thought they were
“gorgeous” (Etcoff).
b. Another study reports most people who are losing weight want
to lose at least 32 percent of their body mass—an amount probably
appropriate only for the minority of people who are severely
overweight or obese (Etcoff).
c. It’s hard with obesity being such an urgent health issue in
America not to encourage thinness, but with it comes the
vulnerability to develop an eating disorder with one of the highest
mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder.
2. A study published by the British Journal of Health Psychology in 2004
showed the eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia were triggered
by and intensified by participating in social situations, such as parties, or
watching social situations, such as watching a movie or TV (Brown).
a. According to CQ Press, eating disorders are not only occurring
more and more often, they are occurring at a younger age—
physicians are finding it is not uncommon for seven to twelve year
olds to be suffering from serious eating disorders (Prah).
b. The National Eating Disorder Association estimates up to 10
million females and 1 million males struggle with anorexia,
bulimia, or both and 25 million males and females suffer from
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binge eating; among U.S. women, about 1 percent of the
population are anorexic and about 5 percent are bulimic (Prah).
c. Recent experiments have shown that exposure to magazine
photographs of super-thin models produces depression, stress,
guilt, shame, insecurity, body-dissatisfaction, and increased
endorsement of the thin-ideal stereotype; Magazines like Vogue
and Elle are banned in many eating-disorder clinics because of
their negative effect on patients’ body image (Fox).
d. “It’s the paradox of the model,” notes Natalia Vodianova, a
high-fashion model and one of the few outspoken advocates on the
issue, “you’re supposed to be projecting this image of fun and
health, but your entire career depends on your weight” (Johnson
384).
(Now that we understand the main problems associated with the negative body images portrayed
to the public, let’s discover its causes.)
II. The degradation of positive body images within the fashion industry may be caused or linked
to the designers’ and model agencies’ selection of the types of images portrayed and the lack of
regulation for model size.
A. The type of images selected by designers and model agencies to represent them is the
first main cause that leads to the selection of unhealthy bodies.
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1. A Nielsen Company survey of 25,000 people in 45 countries found that 81
percent disapproved of “extreme thinness”, but what defines “extreme thinness”
and why are we still allowing it to walk the runways (Trebay)?
2. Designers, such as Donna Karan blame agents for sending them underweight
models; agents blame the designers for demanding skinny girls (Trebay).
a. Here is how a model gets from the street to the catwalk: a model must
first have a contract with a modeling agency, such as Elite Models or Ford
Modeling Agency, the agents then schedule “go-sees” with designers,
designers look at portfolios, watch models walk, and snap Polaroid’s of
models, after being booked by designers models must be fitted into outfits,
and finally models get to walk the catwalk.
b. A models’ job relies on his or her image, if agencies and designers
relentlessly demand ultra-skinny, gazelle-like canvases, models are forced
to adapt to book jobs.
c. The majority of models are only thirteen to eighteen years old, are from
impoverished countries, and lack the means of education or other
occupations to fall back on.
d. Models are, in a sense, unfortunately dying for their jobs.
B. The second cause of negative body images is the lack of regulation for the selection of
models.
1. Spain banned underweight models—working models must have a body mass
index of at least 18 (the World Health Organization considers a BMI of 18.5 to be
the standard of a minimum healthy height to weight ratio); Italy decided in the
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future, models would have to be over the age of 16 and above a body mass index
of 18.5 percent to gain employment (Trebay).
a. America lacks any regulation for model weights, body mass indexes, or
ages.
b. The Council of Fashion Designers of America decided not to have such
regulations for models, but instead has provided a number of tips that it
believes would “benefit” models (Campbell).
c. The Council’s lukewarm recommendations include education on the
early signs of eating disorders, requiring models with eating disorders to
seek professional help, not permitting models with an eating disorder to
work without a doctor’s approval, and improving nutritional content of
food catered backstage at fashion shows (Campbell).
d. Unfortunately, these are only recommendations and cannot be enforced
in any way.
(Now that we understand both the problems and the causes associated with negative body images
in the fashion industry, let’s reveal the solutions that are available to help prevent this problem.)
III. Although there are various ways to tackle the battle against negative body images and eating
disorders, we will examine three specific solutions at the industry, community, and personal
levels.
A. The fashion industry is a collaboration, according to Nina Garcia, editor of Allure
magazine, the agencies work with designers, designers work with editors, and addressing
this issue must come through education (Campbell).
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1. If the fashion industry is serious about the image it is portraying, it should be
serious about changing the image to healthy being beautiful—it should be a
collaborative effort from agencies, designers, models, fashion editors, media,
parents, etc.
a. In order to portray images of health and beauty, the industry must
implement a national regulation for the minimum height-to-weight ratio of
models.
b. Models, therefore, should maintain a body mass index of at least 18.5
percent, the minimum healthy weight according to the World Health
Organization (Hesse-Bibler).
c. By establishing a set minimum weight, agencies and designers alike will
be restricted from hiring underweight models; then, models will be
encouraged to maintain a healthy weight to book jobs, completely
opposite of the current standard.
B. At the community level, greater education and healthy food choices should be
implemented.
1. Schools, families, and teachers should teach children healthy eating and
exercising skills that, if developed during an early age, will provide a healthy
lifestyle throughout their lives.
a. Education is the key to unlocking a culture which is free of ultra-thin
stereotypes.
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b. Communities can foster positive body images by implementing greater
health education in schools for students, and wellness and exercise classes
for the community at large, combating both eating disorders and obesity.
C. At a personal level, educate others on eating disorders, encourage and support you
friends and family to maintain healthy, positive, body images, and love your own body
for the amazing scientific phenomenon that it is.
1. Expand the horizons of your knowledge and the knowledge of others by
giving a presentation or even, gasp!, a speech on the effects of eating
disorders and negative body image—it might even change the life of
someone who suffers from these problems.
2. Support your friends and family to appropriately exercise, maintain
healthy eating habits, and discover the “ideal” for their own body types.
3. Finally, discover that beauty is not defined by the size of your jeans.
a. Beauty is not a 97 pound frame; beauty is your own internal
happiness and feeling content in your own skin—that’s style.
b. After all, as the eternal Coco Chanel once said, “fashion comes
and goes, style—never.”
Conclusion
I. Through my speech today, we are now aware of the current problems of the images portrayed
by the fashion industry, the real causes of those problems, and the ways that you and I can help
solve the problems.
A. During New York Fashion Week, coveted designers, Donna Karan and Dianne Von
Furstenburg did something unheard of.
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1. Both designers sent their entire fall collections down the runway on size 6
models.
a. Although they saw it as a small step towards national regulation, the
women hoped the images they projected would inspire other designers to
follow lead.
B. Maybe we should follow their fashionable lead, helping to create a new trend this
season—a trend that idealizes healthy, nourished bodies; then, not only will we be ultratrendy, we will also be saving lives.
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Works Cited
Brown, Lucy Scott. “Socially Driven Eating and Restriction in the Eating
Disorders.” Eating Behaviors. Sept. 2003: 221-28. Web. 7 Feb. 2007.
“Nina Garcia of Elle Magazine Discusses the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s
New Guidelines for Models.” Brown, Campbell, and Lester Holt. The Today Show. NBC.
13 Jan. 2007. Television.
Etcoff, Nancy. Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty. New York: Doubleday,
1999. Print.
Fox, Katie. “Mirror, Mirror: A Summary of Research Findings on Body Image.”
SIRC.com. 1997. Social Issues Research Center. Web. 21 Feb. 2007.
Hesse-Biber, Sharlene Janice. Am I Thin Enough Yet? The Cult of Thinness and the
Commercialization of Identity. New York: Oxford UP, 1996. Print.
Honors 202 Questionnaire. Marietta College. 5 Mar. 2007. Print.
Hooper, Simon. “Young Models Dying to Be Skinny.” CNN.com. Cable News Network, 19
Sept. 2006. Web. 21 Feb. 2007.
Johnson, Rebecca. “Walking a Thin Line.” Vogue Apr. 2007: 380-403. Print.
Prah, Pamela. “Eating Disorders.” CQ Press Public Affairs Collection. 10 Feb. 2006
CQ Press. Web. 19 Mar. 2007.
Richter, Larry. “Burst of High-Profile Anorexia Deaths Unsettles Brazil.” NYTimes.com. New
York Times, 30 Dec. 2006.Web. 23 Mar. 2007.
Trebay, Guy. “Looking Beyond the Runway for Answers on Underweight Models.”
NYTimes.com. New York Times, 6 Feb. 2007. Web. 23 Mar. 2007.
Wilson, Eric. “When is Thin Too Thin?” NYTimes.com. New York Times, 21 Sept. 2006. Web.
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23 Mar. 2007.
Internet Evaluation—Social Issues Research Center
Criterion #1: AUTHORITY
1.
Is it clear what organization is responsible for the contents of the page? yes.
2.
Is there a link to a page describing the goals of the organization? yes.
3.
Is there a way of verifying the legitimacy of this organization? That is, is there a phone
number or postal address to contact for more information? (Simply an email address is not
enough.) yes.
4.
Is there a statement that the content of the page has the official approval of the organization?
yes.
5.
Is it clear whether this is a page from the national or local chapter of the organization? yes.
6.
Is there a statement giving the organization's name as copyright holder? yes.
Criterion #2: ACCURACY
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1.
Are the sources for any factual information clearly listed so they can be verified in another
source? (If not, the page may still be useful to you as an example of the ideas of the
organization, but it is not useful as a source of factual information). yes.
2.
Is the information free of grammatical, spelling, and typographical errors? (These kinds of
errors not only indicate a lack of quality control, but can actually produce inaccuracies in
information.) yes.
Criterion #3: OBJECTIVITY
1.
Are the organization's biases clearly stated? yes.
2.
If there is any advertising on the page, is it clearly differentiated from the informational
content? There isn’t any advertising present.
Criterion #4: CURRENCY
1.
2.
Are there dates on the page to indicate:
o
When the page was written? yes.
o
When the page was first placed on the Web? yes.
o
When the page was last revised? yes.
Are there any other indications that the material is kept current? no.
Criterion #5: COVERAGE
1.
Is there an indication that the page has been completed, and is not still under construction?
no.
2.
Is it clear what topics the page intends to address? yes.
3.
Does the page succeed in addressing these topics, or has something significant been left out?
The page successively addresses the topics.
4.
Is the point of view of the organization presented in a clear manner with its arguments well
supported? yes.