Desperately needs a meal
A couple of weeks ago I gave in and told the nice Boston Globe telephone salesperson that I’d subscribe to the Sunday Globe. With winter coming on, it might be nice to have the Globe no farther away than the end of my driveway. Especially on a snowy Sunday morning when the idea of going to the store to buy it won’t be attractive if I have to shovel the driveway first.
So, yesterday I enjoyed browsing through it—even the pile of store inserts. But when I came to the Macy’s insert, I was so tempted to go get a donut just out of sympathy. The trend for finding skinny models just this side of death seems to be growing worse. And I’m not sure I understand, because at least 97% of us don’t look like this, will never look like this, and probably don’t want to look like this—and will, obviously, never look like this wearing the same garment. For example:
Someone needs to feed this woman.
That was my impression when I saw her. This is a ridiculously unhealthy ‘image’ that the fashion industry is foisting off on us.
When a model draws attention first as ‘oh my gosh, she looks like a death camp survivor’ before even noticing what she’s wearing, just perhaps these purveyors of fashion should rethink their marketing strategy. It’s creepy to me because she’s arranged so ‘artfully’ that she’s turning herself into a positive (graceful...ethereal...) statement—all the while my brain is screaming “death camp survivor.”
Women are not objects, they are not disposable stick frames upon which to drape fabric to fatten the corporate bottom line, and it’s one hell of an unhealthy image for girls to grow up with.
Not that the fashion industry appears to be concerned about that. But they might want to be.
After seeing this picture (and several others), I began thinking what this model has to do to maintain her look of starvation. What does she eat? How much is the result of drugs and eating disorder? How much body fat does she have left? Does she get her periods any longer? How much bone damage is being done?
The one thought that didn’t occur to me was “oh I want to have that shirt.”
No, I’d rather invite her to thanksgiving dinner and tie her to the chair so she can’t puke it up later. And that’s glib, because this woman is deeply immersed in a culture that will use her and cast her off when she’s used up without ever addressing any of her health issues. And you just can’t be that emaciated without long term health issues.
Posted by Kate on 11/14/06 at 02:37 PM
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Ugh. That’s AWFUL. She looks sick, or like she’s been held in a death camp.