Lets get rid of Skinny Model Sterotypes!

What is a Model?

noun

1. a standard or example for imitation or comparison.

2. a representation, generally in miniature, to show the construction or appearance of something.

3. an image in clay, wax, or the like, to be reproduced in more durable material.

4. a person or thing that serves as a subject for an artist, sculptor, writer, etc.

5. a person whose profession is posing for artists or photographers.

 

          It is quite clear in our society today "thin is in" and being skinny is more acceptable in modeling opposed to the average curvy girl that eats whatever she wants. I decided to look up "Qualifications to become a Model". Most of the answers were the same.

 

• You have to be at least 5'9 in height.
• You have to have a beautiful face with clear and fresh healthy skin.
• You have to be very skinny with small hips. 

Although plus-sized models exist because, lets face it, obesity is a huge epidemic in our country, there is a qualification for plus-sized models as well. It seems as if there isn't a place for the "average" looking girl in size. There is a huge problem with what society views as beautiful. If we got rid of skinny model stereotypes there would be a huge drop in the diseases such as anorexia and bulimia.

 

Anorexia: An eating disorder characterized by markedly reduced appetite or total aversion to food. Anorexia is a serious psychological disorder. It is a condition that goes well beyond out-of-control dieting. The person with anorexia, most often a girl or young woman, initially begins dieting to lose weight. Over time, the weight loss becomes a sign of mastery and control. The drive to become thinner is thought to be secondary to concerns about control and fears relating to one's body. The individual continues the endless cycle of restrictive eating, often to a point close to starvation. This becomes an obsession and is similar to an addiction to a drug. Anorexia can be life-threatening. Also called anorexia nervosa.

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and purging, or consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the food consumed (purging), typically by vomiting, chewing and spitting out food (not swallowing it and absorbing calories), taking a laxative, diuretic, or stimulant, and/or excessive exercise. One of the many reasons people engage in this behavior is pre-occupation with weight and size.

 

Many young girls today are looking up to these models as role models of beauty which can be dangerous especially when models are too thin.



                                                      When is skinny TOO skinny???
 

Since when was being too skinny beautiful? Seeing nothing but skin and bones is not only scary but she is not portraying a healthy figure. From the looks of the image above, I see her selling her skeletal physique. It is quite clear that even the belt she is wearing is way too big for her own waist.



Models in the 1980s and 90s


 

Eric Smith; a destined murderer

             It's always a huge shock that young innocent minds are capable of vicious behavior such as murder. How is it possible that a young thirteen year old boy received so much pain in his early life to inflict harm on a four year old boy? Eric M. Smith is an American criminal who was incarcerated for the murder of a four-year-old boy named Derrick Robie in Steuben County, New York. Eric was convicted of second-degree murder in 1994 and sentenced to the maximum term available at that time for juvenile murderers which was a minimum of nine years to life in prison.

              In his early life, Eric Smith enjoyed spending time with his grandparents, Red and Edie Wilson; Red said "He'd always come in and give us hugs and kisses. He liked being a clown." However, Eric Smith had been diagnosed by a defense psychiatrist with intermittent explosive disorder, a behavioral disorder causing individuals to act out violently and unpredictably.  This disorder is characterized by extreme expressions of anger often to the point of uncontrollable rage, that are disproportionate to the situation at hand. Therefore, on August 2, 1993, Eric Smith was riding his bike to a summer day camp in a local park and 4-year-old Derrick Robie was walking alone to that same camp. Eric saw Derrick  and lured him into a nearby wooded area. There, Eric strangled him, dropped a pair of large rocks on the his head, undressed his body, and sodomized him with a tree limb. What could possibly have been going on in young Eric's mind that he would take the life of an innocent child?

              According to court documents, Eric was often tormented by bullies for his freckles, thick glasses, long red hair and one he had protruding, elongated ears. These were believed to be a side effect of medicine his mother had taken for her epilepsy when she was pregnant. Clearly, he was born looking different from the other kids in school and was constantly bullied for it. He was born with this mental disorder in which he acted out violently on a poor innocent child.  Eric Smith is now 33 years old and has been denied parole six times since 2002, most recently in May 2012. The parole board cited a concern for public safety in its decision and Robie's parents opposed his release. Eric Smith is eligible for parole again in April 2014.

             Does Eric Smith actually feel remorse and regret for his unforgivable actions?  If he has an extreme mental disorder that allows him to act out in uncontrollable rage, how can he be sorry for that? How can he feel bad about something he was born with and couldn't handle at that very moment? Is he a victim of his own crime? He apologized on television to Derrick's parents and family. He stated, "If I could go back in time, I would switch places with Derrick and endure all the pain I've caused him. If it meant that he would go on living, I'd switch places, but I can't." Finally,  at the end of this statement, Smith states that he cannot bare the thought of "walls, razor wire, and steel metal bars" for the rest of his life. Evidently, he is feeling sorry for himself that he has to pay the price of spending his life in jail for his actions. He is playing the victim and feels he is entitled to be released on parole.