America's new top model ...or top skeleton

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Ugh, I just got a look at the new "America's Top Model". Am I nuts or does this girl look like a starved skeleton??? Will the industry NEVER wake up to how damaging and negative this whole starvation look is to millions of women and girls' self images? Why do they keep promoting this anorexic "ideal"???? :mad:
http://cwtv.com/thecw/gen-gallery-antm-models/7/images/c/0001/cw-antm-jaslene-container_004569-2cfb59-500x680.jpg
http://cwtv.com/thecw/gen-gallery-antm-models/7/images/c/0001/cw-antm-jaslene-container_005739-552306-500x636.jpg
http://cwtv.com/thecw/gen-gallery-antm-models/7/images/c/0001/cw-antm-jaslene-container_005740-3f7275-500x667.jpg
I look at her and her emaciated state shocks me. :( Is it just me?

[KnottedYet]

that first picture is VERY creepy!!!!! (and I'm not even referring to the phallic imagery yet)

Send that girl to me, I'll feed her up right and get her some nice Pacific Northwest Padding on those lil' bones! She'll be sleek as a seal in no time!

[pastrypam]

I can make her some of my best desserts. That should put some meat on those bones.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

that first picture is VERY creepy!!!!! (and I'm not even referring to the phallic imagery yet)


Yeah, she should EAT some of that ice cream instead of just slathering it on her body and WASTING it all!!!!! :mad:

[surgtech1956]

That first picture reminded me of Grace Jones. Its scary what message is being sent to the young girls - the look of a malnourished super model then followed by all the fast food commercials.

[Zen]

I'm fairly certain most people don't find this appealing.

Adult women know it's unattainable and unhealthy.

Unfortunately the girls who aspire to this look are just that-girls. They don't have the wisdom or self confidence that comes with age and look for external validation of their self-worth.

You could write a thesis on this subject.

[mimitabby]

that is really disgusting. at least she doesn't have to worry about periods.

she has no curves, only bone bumps!

[Thistle]

that is really sick.

[RolliePollie]

I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I actually watch that show...and I 100% agree that these girls are WAY too skinny! And really, most of them come across as very...well, how can I put this...how 'bout not very intelligent, foul mouthed, and ummmm, kinda skanky. I'm a 30-something and I don't know why I watch it and my 50-something co-workers can't figure out why they watch it either...clearly it's targeted at the teen and young adult audience. Which makes it even scarier because there is no way they could be that skinny without being anorexic. Oh, and it seems like many of them smoke too. Another healthy lifestyle promotion. Now that I'm thinking about this, I am taking a vow right now to NOT watch it next season.

I'll take my flabby belly, well-padded hips, and almost muscular legs any day.

[Jolt]

Definitely unhealthy and a bad example! Yuck. And then we wonder why so many girls struggle with eating disorders.

[meridian]

One word... yuck

I'll take my curves over her boney butt any day :D

[ridethewind]

Unfortunately the girls who aspire to this look are just that-girls. They don't have the wisdom or self confidence that comes with age and look for external validation of their self-worth.

This kind of crap is a direct attack on girls' sense of self-worth. It's beyond disgusting.

[silver]

I hate these threads......:( :( :(

[Zen]

This kind of crap is a direct attack on girls' sense of self-worth. It's beyond disgusting.


???
I'm not sure if you agree or disagree with me.

[ridethewind]

???
I'm not sure if you agree or disagree with me.

Yes, I do agree with you. Girls' lack of maturity and self-confidence make them susceptible to this kind of thing.

[Laterider21958]

It's unfortunate that these misguided girls are going to be suffering bone density problems in the future (not to mention having their hormones stuffed). There is only one way to protest about this abuse of young, easily influenced people - refuse to watch the program and refuse to purchase merchandise promoted in such a way. Big business hates to lose money.:(

[Melstar]

It seems like the High Fashion side of modelling is always getting negative publicity. What irks me is that there are people out there who are using this as an avenue to justify their unhealthy living. They are happy to sit back with their Big Mac and complain about stick thin models on runways with a size 0.

Its fine if the model is obviously anorexic, but those who have a healthy BMI but are slimmer than your average get lumped together with them as well - all because of their insecurity.

I am,of course, referring here to people who choose not to exercise but instead opt to justify their unhealthy eating habits, lifestyle and existence.



Oh, and it seems like many of them smoke too. Another healthy lifestyle promotion.

Yea, there's sort of a smoking culture going on among models unfortunately due to the inherent nature of the job.

The whole industry is really inefficient and slow and most of the time you're just rushing to wait in order to wait to rush.

So there's literally heaps of free time to kill. And if you consider the fact that there are heaps of 16-17 year old girls coming in young and impressionable, its quite easy to get sucked in to the whole drugs/smoking/partying thing.
And did I mention that smoking kills appetite when you haven't had breakfast and its near dinner time?

I'm not condoning why most of them smoke, nor am I giving an excuse for it. Its just the way it is. But its not all as bad as what people make it out to be.

[lph]

I dunno - personally I wouldn't want to look like this, but I don't really think she looks awful, but definitely very very skinny. I have a friend who is very slender and struggles to put on weight - in periods of stress her ribs poke out and she feels she looks like she's straight out of a concentration camp. My dh is very skinny too, "built like a bird." Both of them "could use" some more weight, but that's just the way they are. And they're both healthy, and beautiful in their own way :) (Oh, and they eat loads.) The problem with models this skinny is that for most people, *trying* to look like that would indeed bring on health problems.

I just wish that the ideal of beauty was a bit more varied - rounder women, muscular women, small women - instead of this onetrack idea of tall, thin women with no curves at all. Acceptance of a wider range would be nice, especially if there could be more focus on health rather than dress size.

And happiness - what's with the "I'm so pissed off I can hardly speak"-stare?

[Meg McKilty]

she has no curves, only bone bumps!

In the words of Reno! 911: "Don't nothin' like bones but a dog."

[Tuckervill]

I hate these threads......:( :( :(

Why?

Karen

[silver]

Why?

Karen

because I'm a skinny disgusting bag of bones with a boney butt

[Tri Girl]

because I'm a skinny disgusting bag of bones with a boney butt

But.... you're fit and healthy. If you're a bag of bones who exercises and is healthy, then it's OK. Just those bag of bones who are sooo unhealthy that we're referring to (although maybe you feel you're being lumped in that category- which is a shame).

Me and my athletic build (for me that means big hips, thighs, and calves) would love to shimmy into a size 4, but then I'd lose my cycling legs. :( Not worth it- I'll take my curvy swervy healthy body anyday.

[missymaya]

I actually watched part of the show last night and one of the things that really really bothered me (either than the whole super skinny aspect) was that the third woman kicked off apparently was kicked off because she looked "too old". What the heck?!! She looked as "old" as me and I'm 23!! They said they could see beginning signs of aging with the "wrinkles" by her eyes. Uh, what wrinkles? Am I blind or something. And even if she did have wrinkles, what's wrong with that. It's normal and everyone gets them. And yes, there are wome out there that look good and have wrinkles.
As for the whole weight issue, I've had a weight problem my whole life and when I was younger (more naive and not as self-confident as I am now) I had an eating disorder to counter my weight. I looked to the women in magazines because I thought that they were "perfect". Boy, was I wrong. It took a long time for me to get over that and it still takes a lot of work for me to not to fall into that trap. Shows like this have great potential to change the way things are and they started out in the right direction (they had 2 "plus size" models, but they got kicked off). But, unfortunately, it's just running in the same direction as the industry. I want to see change! I want to see something different too and maybe going against the grain will accomplish both.

[stacie]

Several months ago I was reading the paper with my husband. Two high school senior athletes were being profiled. The male athlete looked like he could pose on Men's health. The female athlete looked like a female athlete. My husband pointed to the pictures and commented about how fit he looked while she did not. I was shocked. Somewhere along the way he started believing a fit woman looks like a super model.
Women are no different. I am constantly asked to get my husband's opinion on training although I could probably help them more. We recently had an open house and people asked my about my "pro" athlete husband. Another neighbor asked me to ask my husband where she should buy running shoes. I had just completed a marathon. This happens constantly and I really believe it's because he looks like the ideal fit man and I look like a female athlete. They think I should look like a model.
Stop watching this garbage. It has to get in your head when you are constantly subjecting yourself to it.

[Jolt]

But.... you're fit and healthy. If you're a bag of bones who exercises and is healthy, then it's OK. Just those bag of bones who are sooo unhealthy that we're referring to (although maybe you feel you're being lumped in that category- which is a shame).


And a healthy skinny person usually doesn't look like the aforementioned unhealthy type. I'm on the skinnier side as well but have never had anyone think that I have an eating disorder (at least no one that I know of). The same is likely the case for you.

[CR400]

You know in a way this is so ironic. We participate in a sport where usually the thinnest person wins the race up the 3 mile hill. Where if you weigh more then 115 pounds you are going to get dropped on any climb by all the other small ladies. Which are by the way healthy for there weight usually altough most of us will never see 12 to15% body fat. Ladies we participat in an anorexic producing sport everytime we get on our bikes.
It just some of us will never be the 105 5'3 elite hill climber. Its just as bad for the men I have a friend who looks great at 190 pounds 6'1 (almost to thin sometimes) but he wants to weigh 175 pounds so he has a better chance climbing. He is already super fast but can't beat the cycling ideal up a hill 5'10 and 150 or less.
So hay put that woman on a bike for a few months she'll put on a little muscle in her legs and likely beat most of us up that 3 mile climb because she has us beat power to weight.

[michelem]

Hmmm . . . CR400 . . . true to an extent, but she's going to have to fuel/refuel herself properly in order to build that muscle and endurance necessary to support her cycling! And, who knows, maybe she does (we don't know the particulars about this "Top Model" - whether she is "naturally" thin or starves herself or whatnot). I'm just pointing out that in order to really succeed at this sport, it is largely dependant on how well one cares for oneself (food, water, rest, etc.) in addition to training. Big, small, doesn't matter if you're not caring for yourself in a healthful manner. The big (heavier) guys were blowing me away this past Saturday 'cause I didn't hydrate/fuel properly . . . :(

[LBTC]

One word... yuck

I'll take my curves over her boney butt any day :D

Nice curves, meridian! I'd take those arms over the supermodel's any day!

It's interesting to see this thread now. About a year and a half ago we had to cut our costs way down in order to move, change jobs, buy a house in a more expensive real estate market, etc. One of the costs I cut was buying magazines each month - FitnessRx, Oxygen and YogaJournal. A few weeks ago, we stopped by the magazine rack and I took a look in the mags I used to buy. I was shocked at how skinny the models all were! The fitness magazines, back when I used to buy them, used to have pictures of women who had muscles! The last magazine I looked through I couldn't believe any of them could sustain a physical effort for any length of time. I mean, really, YogaJournal would typically have had the skinnier models of the three magazines. I'm happy to say they haven't seemed to change their standard, but it seems so strange for the YJ models to seem to be bulkier and more muscular than the fitness models! :eek:

And this couldn't be at a worse time for me. I admit I am influenced by images of women - I often wonder how I compare, whether I could wear that, etc.... So now, while I'm forced to not exercise intently, where my food intake is completely messed up (and therefore I spend a good deal of time eating things I can eat that aren't necessarily healthy - can anyone say Pamela's chocolate brownies?), so my body is definitely *not* in the shape it was or where I'd like it to be, these images are really confidence eroding. *sigh* Not the super model - she's shockingly thin; but the fitness ones are a drag for me right now.

Hugs and butterflies, everyone,
~T~

[Jolt]

And then there are those of us who ARE about that 5'3", 105 lb. size (well, actually an inch shorter) but STILL stink at hills...size isn't everything, not by a long shot. I think probably most people on this forum would drop me on a climb, even if they're heavier! ;)

[greentea]

I can relate to how Silver feels about the thread.:cool:

I'm 5'5" and 111 lbs (used to weigh less before having 2 kids). I constantly get comments about how skinny I am (since I was 8), good intention or not. Some even say it with a "you must have a problem" undertone. I eat LOTS and have no medical problem. :) It's just how I was born.

From my point of view, I don't comment on people's weight, hips, thighs or whatever body parts that I get commented on. But what makes it right to comment on a skinny person? :confused: You wouldn't say to an overweight person "Oh, you're so big", right? Or would you post a pic of an overweight person and say how horrible it is?

I totally understand where the OP is coming from, just offering a different POV. :)

[silver]

I can relate to how Silver feels about the thread.:cool:

I'm 5'5" and 111 lbs (used to weigh less before having 2 kids). I constantly get comments about how skinny I am (since I was 8), good intention or not. Some even say it with a "you must have a problem" undertone. I eat LOTS and have no medical problem. :) It's just how I was born.

From my point of view, I don't comment on people's weight, hips, thighs or whatever body parts that I get commented on. But what makes it right to comment on a skinny person? :confused: You wouldn't say to an overweight person "Oh, you're so big", right? Or would you post a pic of an overweight person and say how horrible it is?

I totally understand where the OP is coming from, just offering a different POV. :)

that's what I was trying to say. thank you. :cool:

[HappyAnika]

You know in a way this is so ironic. We participate in a sport where usually the thinnest person wins the race up the 3 mile hill. . . . Ladies we participat in an anorexic producing sport everytime we get on our bikes. . . .So hay put that woman on a bike for a few months she'll put on a little muscle in her legs and likely beat most of us up that 3 mile climb because she has us beat power to weight.

But not all of us race. Some (most?) of us just ride for fun and fitness, and because I enjoy riding my bike and it adds to a healthy lifestyle, I say I win over the model (even though I wear a size 12). And like what michelem said, she's not going to be able to climb very far when all she ingests is vodka, celery, coffee, and cigarettes.

My athletic friend said to me recently, she's proud of the fact that due to genetics, she's capable of carrying herself over far distances for long periods of time on very little fuel. Her ancestors were survivors. She's proud of her strong heritage, and to be strong herself.

The last time I was getting my hair done, I picked up some fashion magazine and was shocked at the numbers of skinny unhealthy women in the pages. It sort of made me feel chunky and ugly. Then I thought about how I used to read Seventeen and Vogue when I was a teenager and wondered if I might have been happier with a higher self esteem at that age had I not read those magazines. Bleh! Looking around the room and seeing the normal people in the salon snapped me out of it and reminded me there's nothing wrong with me. I won't be looking at that sort of magazine again anytime soon, if ever.

And for the record, I don't think seeing someone's ribs is attractive, on either a woman or a man.

[Eden]

But not all of us race. Some (most?) of us just ride for fun and fitness, and because I enjoy riding my bike and it adds to a healthy lifestyle, I say I win over the model (even though I wear a size 12). And like what michelem said, she's not going to be able to climb very far when all she ingests is vodka, celery, coffee, and cigarettes.

I must say I'm with Silver and GreenTea about this thread. It is a bit disturbing how many people think that it is OK to comment/criticize about body type if the person is small/thin. I think that many people are making a lot of assumptions about that woman because of her body type...., you assume just because that woman is thin she has an unhealthy lifestyle! How is that any better than assuming that all larger people are sedentary and eat fried foods all of the time.

[7rider]

that's what I was trying to say. thank you. :cool:

I think the issue isn't so much that folks feel bony is ugly, but just that by choosing such a body-type as "America's Top Model" - it perpetuates the belief that that particular body-type is the ideal for beauty - and therefore, anything else is not desireable. THAT is what F's up young girl's heads. That is what (at least to start) was/is the gripe of so many who cannot achieve that body.

And...take a look at who's responding here. You've got 2 naturally skinny people here versus umpteen folks who do not meet that ideal - and never will without extreme starvation and sacrifice. Sure, you can be healthy and skinny. You can also be fat and healthy. Why does culture never focus on the healthy and only on the skinny??

[HappyAnika]

I think that many people are making a lot of assumptions about that woman because of her body type...., you assume just because that woman is thin she has an unhealthy lifestyle! How is that any better than assuming that all larger people are sedentary and eat fried foods all of the time.

Good point. Yes, its entirely true that I assume she leads an unhealthy lifestyle, just based on the stereo type that models are generally unhealthy. If I saw her in, say, a sporting goods catalogue in a running outfit, I'd assume she was a very fit elite runner, and would not be tempted to criticizer her for being too thin. So I suppose that's all about the context.

But it still upsets me that magaznies, movies, tv, etc. perpetuate the notion that a woman is only beautiful if she is really thin.

I think what Greentea said, about not posting a pic of an overweight person and saying how horrible that is, that's somewhat beside the point since we don't have the media sending messages that we should be that way. Does that make sense? I don't feel like I'm doing a good job of making my point. Basically its frustrating that much of society has been brainwashed into thinking that to be beautiful, pretty, and admired, one must weigh a very low weight that many of us can't/don't want to achieve. We are who we are, and I think that anyone of any size who makes an effort at a healthier lifestyle should be admired.

[mimitabby]

Yes, the point i was trying to make is not that thin-ness is ugly; (I actually prefer it) but that making it hard, no, impossible for a healthy looking woman to be a model is dead wrong. And I mean DEAD wrong because lots of models
ruin their health trying to attain this ideal.
It is doubly ironic in these days when 25% of americans (is that the right percentage?) are more than overweight. How must it make people feel as they get bigger and bigger to see models that look like they stepped out of Auschwitz? there is a big giant disconnect here.

for some reason I have always been immune to the beauty mystique.

When I started out at the gym, my trainer told me, "now, don't worry that you're going to get masculine muscles. "
I was surprised, apparently a lot of women won't work out because they're afraid of that. I'd LOVE to get bigger muscles.. (and I am) and there's no danger of me ever looking like a guy!

ps Eden is not fat or skinny. she is PERFECT

[Eden]

Why does culture never focus on the healthy and only on the skinny??
It just happens to be the times that we live in. If you look at the ideal of beauty from other eras you will find that it has ranged far and wide, from thin to rubenesque. Go back only a little way to the 40's and 50's and think about pin up models. They certainly don't look like the models of today. Trends will likely change again.

btw - at only 5 feet tall, even if I were excessively thin, which I am not, I will always be far from the ideal of beauty in this culture, but I really don't think about it too much as I am much too busy doing other things to worry about it too much.... (I figure if I even wanted to strive for it, I'd have to spend more time doing hair and makeup and other things that I don't do now and it would cut into my bike time too much! - maybe being short, a thing I really cannot change, has been good for me, since I never felt pressured to try to get model type looks out of a body that cannot be dieted or exercised into being taller?)

[michelem]

"Ithink that many people are making a lot of assumptions about that woman because of her body type...., you assume just because that woman is thin she has an unhealthy lifestyle!"

Eden, I agree, and that's why I said, "we don't know the particulars about this "Top Model" - whether she is "naturally" thin or starves herself or whatnot." Let's all focus on being the healthiest we can be for each of us individually, no matter the number on the scale! Eat right, train rest, rest right!

[teigyr]

I think so much is predetermined. I know we can make the most of what we have but I know thin people who are just that way...but are also flabby because they don't work out. You don't see it, of course, but they have no muscle. I also know bigger people who are all muscle and are very healthy.

I will never be thin, my frame just isn't that way. I can go to lower body fat and exercise, etc., and that is good but if I compared myself to "thin" people, I'd be pert near suicidal.

I guess what offends me is a set opinion about what's attractive and I do believe the media perpetuates some horrible stereotypes. I have a lot of theories about it but until people refuse to support it, it will continue. If you ever want a horrible education, read a "mens" magazine. Even though an intelligent male will see through a lot of it (like an intelligent woman reading Cosmo), I think it stays in the subconscious and is also damaging to people in their formative years. Just my .02 though, I tend to have a lot of strong opinions on the subject.

[mimitabby]

, I tend to have a lot of strong opinions on the subject.

sounds like a lot of us do!

[teigyr]

Yeah but don't get me started on airbrushing and all of that! I think it is so horrible that real has to be "fixed" in order for people to find it attractive. Now the thing with HDTV is it is so clear it shows flaws! Hmmm.

Yeah, best to not get me started :D

[greentea]

Why does culture never focus on the healthy and only on the skinny??

I don't think just being skinny has many advantages. In this culture, you must be skinny AND have nice big boobs (which usually don't co-exist naturally) to be seen as pretty. :rolleyes: I also agree with what Eden says:

"It just happens to be the times that we live in. If you look at the ideal of beauty from other eras you will find that it has ranged far and wide, from thin to rubenesque. Go back only a little way to the 40's and 50's and think about pin up models. They certainly don't look like the models of today. Trends will likely change again."

One of the things I learned before turning 36 is to accept what you have and enjoy it. Stay healthy and have fun!:D

[7rider]

"It just happens to be the times that we live in. If you look at the ideal of beauty from other eras you will find that it has ranged far and wide, from thin to rubenesque. Go back only a little way to the 40's and 50's and think about pin up models. They certainly don't look like the models of today. Trends will likely change again."

One of the things I learned before turning 36 is to accept what you have and enjoy it. Stay healthy and have fun!:D


I woulda been a knockout during WWII!!! ;)

[Jolt]

I think it is so horrible that real has to be "fixed" in order for people to find it attractive.

I agree! Even make-up bugs me for that reason (besides the fact that I fail to see the point of spending the extra time and money for something that really has no usefulness).

[mimitabby]

I woulda been a knockout during WWII!!! ;)

I'm sure you are today too!

[sarahlou]

I think that the comments about context are spot on. If we saw that same model in athletic gear or perfoming a sport, we would think that she was healthy or at least naturally thin.

I am not disturbed by her thinness, but by the first image where she is displayed as sexual "candy". That kind of imaging does more harm to the young women who view it than the fact that she is thin.

In that picture her thinness makes her look pre-pubescent and that is disturbing especially since there are cherries all around her not to mention that icecream cone- uggghh. That is what makes me sick.

[KSH]

Well, I was never taken back by how skinny she is.

Honestly I just think she looks like a drag queen. Not an attractive woman.

[Wahine]

First the disclaimer. Yes we are making assumptions about this women's lifestyle. But I can firmly say as a healthcare professional that examines people's body types, musculature etc as part of my means of diagnosing problems and as a casual tri-coach...

The first thing I would ask that woman is when was the last time she had a period. She may be naturally skinny, but that doesn't make her healthy. I would estimate her body fat at less than 9% which is very unhealthy for a woman. My .02. And it does upset me that these images are projected as the ideal.

I am 5'7" and weigh about 142 lbs. My waist is 29", chest 36 A. I look great, my legs look great, though muscular, but they don't look bulky and I've got a butt like a sprinter. If I try to put on a pair of "fashion" pants in *my size*, I cannot get them on becuase they are made for women with stick thighs. I am athletic and I have strong self esteem. If I was 16 yrs old and athletic with the same body type that I have now and I couldn't fit into the pants that all my girlfriends were wearing... I think I'd be pretty depressed and would be prone to an eating disorder. To me, this is the core of the issue.

It doesn't matter if you're talking about being overweight or anorexic, the issue is what messages are we sending to our youth.

[Kitsune06]

Yes, but, Wahine, you work your azz off. It'd be *so* much easier to just starve to death. :rolleyes:


My sarcastic humor for the day.

I was 5'7" and 108. I started cycling and went up to 112. All legs and butt. 6 pack abs. Sleek, smooth, powerful. ... but none of my pants fit anymore. I was told I was "getting chunky" I had some slight softness on my stomach, which was, compared to the 'more softness' now, just loose skin, which disappeared when I straightened up and flexed my abs. In retrospect, my pants not fitting right was just because my glutes and thighs were developed much more than before, but at the time, yeah, I thought I was gaining massive amounts of weight.

I was 112-115 in Dec when I met X. I was very lithe, despite my desk job, b/c I was biking to work.

I'm 130 now, after eating better and biking s'more... I know some of it's belly softness and some padding on my azz, but honestly, I know it all looks good. I don't have a 'belly pooch' if I sit/stand up straight, and still have great ab definition when I flex.
...but I've found it difficult to watch myself gain weight and feel like it's okay. I love being toned and, honestly, very slim, but I know when I'm healthy and toned, too.

We need a bacon cheeseburger, STAT!
http://secondcitystyle.typepad.com/second_city_style/images/anorexia41.jpg

Ooops, looks like we didn't get to this one in time...
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/09/anorexic_228x171.jpg
sticks on the slab... coroner's report reads... acute cheeseburger deprivation.

[Tuckervill]

I don't think just being skinny has many advantages. In this culture, you must be skinny AND have nice big boobs (which usually don't co-exist naturally) to be seen as pretty. :rolleyes: I also agree with what Eden says:



I was surprised to see on the cover of Cosmo in the check-out yesterday that the model probably had AA boobs, instead of big bazombas falling out of her dress. They were pushed together rather uncomfortably, though.

Karen

[mimitabby]

are those pictures really models?
:( :eek: :confused:

[Bikingmomof3]

I was 112-115 in Dec when I met X. I was very lithe, despite my desk job, b/c I was biking to work.

I'm 130 now, after eating better and biking s'more... I know some of it's belly softness and some padding on my azz, but honestly, I know it all looks good.


Oh Kit, I bet you look fantastic!!! This post made me so happy! :)

[Bikingmomof3]

are those pictures really models?
:( :eek: :confused:

Mimi, have you seen recent fashion runway models? It makes me sad. One of the top designers was discussing them, he never knew many fainted inbetween their walks. :( He never paid any attention at all until one of his daughter was hospitalized for an eating disorder.

[Kitsune06]

I wonder if this (http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic567.htm) would help...?

I know I've seen 1920's medical text books reference their use to help people lose weight... one could even buy them in bottles, oddly enough. :eek:

[7rider]

I seem to recall that Spain has banned models with a BMI below a certain level as an attempt to stop this madness.
Just a hunch....but I believe Kitsune's "model" would find no work in Spain.

[mimitabby]

Regina,
I think Italy is doing it too. Enough is enough. These girls are endangering their lives.

[Python]

I wonder if this (http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic567.htm) would help...?

I know I've seen 1920's medical text books reference their use to help people lose weight... one could even buy them in bottles, oddly enough. :eek:


By the look of these models, the poor tapeworm must be suffering from malnutrition:(

Seriously though. I suppose I could be described as a stick insect with anorexia:p I've been 6 1/2 st (91 lbs) since I was 16 years old, I'm 5ft zilch tall. I've had two healthy kids, both well over 8 lbs at birth and I've never been on a diet in my life. I eat good, healthy food usually home-cooked. I'm 50 now and still weigh the same as I did when I was 16. I suppose I'm one of life's naturally small people.

These ultra-skinny models are a bad example to young girls. No wonder we're starting to see girls as young as 8 with anorexia or some other eating disorder. To compound matters here in the UK, there is a drive to cut "obsesity" among children. What many of the people promoting this (doctors mainly) are forgetting that many children have "puppy fat" which disappears by the time they reach 16. I think there's far too much meddling with what people eat one way or the other and I think it's going to cause major problems for many people in a few years time. However, by saying that, too many youngsters sit infront of the TV or their games consoles instead of going out to play. Not healthy:(

[Kitsune06]

There's baby fat then there's childhood obesity. I had a friend who was always a little heavy, then I didn't see him for 4 years after high school, now he's a tall, brawny drinkawater. I mean Wow. but that was baby fat. Then there's my friend K who was 250+ and 5'8 in high school, and is now ~400.

[missymaya]

I think that when people see the extreme, they don't agree with it, but if they see something a little bit more mild, their ok. Like the pics that kitsune showed, most people would agree that those models are too skinny and that's unattractive. But when they see pics of an actress or model who is still very very thin but isn't bone poppin' skinny, she's fine. The same applies to men. If they've got too many muscles, that's gross, but if they look like calvien klien models (which most men dont) that's the ideal, even if it's unattainable. My BF faced the issue of "bulking" up to look more masculer. Everyone he worked with and even his mom, wanted him to gain more weight (which is hard for him, b/c he has a super fast metabolism plus he's 5'3 so bulking up wouldn't be right). Everyone told him to work out a whole bunch and take weight gainer but my thoughts are if he just is that way, let him be. He's perfect the way he is. For some stupid reason, everyone feels that we have to fit into this cookie cutter image.

[Kitsune06]

Yes. And yet there are some shorter guys who are just *solid* muscle... and then it doesn't look 'right' because we want tall with long muscles and curves that flow. A friend of mine, my dad's best friend's kid (well, all the men in that family) 5'3-ish. All of 'em. Solid-built farm boys. Art was a wrestler when he and my dad were in high school, was the 2nd lightest guy on the team and could take down everyone else, even the heaviest guy, on their team. Sons inherited it. Were nicknamed 'stump' because they were short, stocky, didn't realy have necks and had biceps/forearms that were remniscent of others' thighs/calves. Just amazing... but not a 'sexy' ideal, even if the kid could easily lift up the front end of my geo for kicks.

*shrug* always the unattainable. :rolleyes:

[Melstar]

The way I see it, there's a distinction between the image projected & the social mechanics behind it.

In my opinion, the media/fashion world is always going to project a standard of beauty that is unattainable for 99% of the population. The whole idea of marketing isn't something that is going to change. I do not see anything wrong with that per se, because like all things in life, some people are just more 'fortunate' than others.

This doesn't mean that just because this idea of beauty is not within the reach of most women, therefore we must have a watered down concept of beauty to suit the masses.

However, what is wrong here is the choice of image that is being projected across to people - that size 0 is 'in'.

Mind you, I'm not saying that its wrong to project a specific image as being beautiful and excluding all other types of beauty that exists in this world. I'm saying that the choice of the 'size 0' image here is dangerous.

Why dangerous? Unlike big boobs which requires cash & I think a certain legal age maybe (?), crash dieting and starving oneself is something that affects all women ages 13 and up (?).

So it is the choice of image that is being projected that is bad, rather than the social mechanics that is the problem.

[plantluvver]

I'm fairly certain most people don't find this appealing.

Adult women know it's unattainable and unhealthy.


Sadly, I not sure that it is really all that true.
(You are thinking about us, your biking sorority.)

The first picture really creeped me out too, and I didn't even see the phallic imagery because the bottom of my browser window was off the screen.