Here are a few SHOCKING facts:
The average runway model is size 0-4
Runway models today weigh 23% less then the average american women, in 1999 the average model weighed 8% less
The average plus size model is size 6-12
Most runway models reach the criteria for anorexia
Now here are some facts about the average woman.
The average woman is a size 14
95% of women want to be thinner, these are over and underweight women
65% of women in the US have an eating disorders
The average woman should wear a size 8-10, if they are of average height which is 5'7, to be considered healthy.
I don't understand why designers can't use women that will actually be wearing the clothing so we can see what it will really look like. I feel that if designers used average sized women they could benefit so many people. I don't think we would be so obsessed about looking like they do so our clothes can fit like that, and if women aren't stressing about trying to look like models then could actually be healthier.
According to a recent test by Elissa Epal, PhD stress increases adrenalin, corticorophin, which releases CRH and cortisol, now adrenalin and CRH gives you instant energy as well as decrease your appetite, however it doesn't last long which leaves cortisol and leaves the body slower as well as increases your appetite.
I love fashion, I want to be a designer and own my own line. But when I look at all of these unhealthy girls I get worried that I wont be able to survive in the industry.
For everyone that knows me I am a big girl. I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. And it took me a long, long time to be able to look in the mirror, most days, and say 'I look pretty'
I eat right, I don't drink soda often and I drink a lot of water. I exercise, and I have a toddler that keeps me busy but for some reason I can't seem to lose weight. I have tried everything I can think of for the longest time, meal replacement shakes, pills so many pills, special protein bars, everything but nothing seems to work. I also have a form of body dysmorphia , which is usually only associated with bulimia and anorexia. With this disorder most people see themselves as larger then they are I see myself as smaller then I am, I feel smaller, and when I diet I feel scary thin. But when I look in at a picture or look at myself in the mirror I see that I am a big girl.
Now like I said most days I can look in a mirror and be ok, but we all have the bad days where we can't help but pick about the things we hate about ourselves. And I am not saying its ok to be overweight and I am in no way telling anyone how they should see themselves. But there is not one person I know that doesn't wish they could be thinner, we all want to look good and have people tell us 'oh my god! you look so good.' but you don't have to be a size 0 to get told you look great.
I know that Marilyn Monroe is referenced a lot but she is a great example of going against everything society thinks we should be. If Marilyn Monroe was alive to day her hips would measure a size 16 and her waist a size 8, she was very much an hourglass. But the thing that most people saw wasn't her dress size it was her confidence! It was the fact that when she walked into a room she stood tall and liked to be looked at, even if she wasn't as thin as all of the critics thought she should be.
I guess my final point is that no matter who you are, what you look like or how you see yourself you are beautiful. and as soon as you start seeing yourself that way nothing can stop you from getting every thing you want.
Information on statistics for what size models are click here, information on healthy bodies for women click here, information on stress causing weight gain click here, information on body dysmorphia click here
