This takes the "hourglass" figure to new...shapes?

[El Barto]

From an article I saw last month:

- Twenty years ago the average fashion model weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today, she weighs 23% less.

- Ten years ago plus-size models averaged between size 12 and 18. Today the need for size diversity within the plus-size modeling industry continues to be questioned. The majority of plus-size models on agency boards are between a size 6 and 14, while the customers continue to express their dissatisfaction.

- Most runway models meet the Body Mass Index physical criteria for Anorexia.

- 50% of women wear a size 14 or larger, but most standard clothing outlets cater to sizes 14 or smaller.

By today's standards,  Elle Macpherson would be at the large end of the model spectrum,  and Laetitia Casta would probably be considered fat. 

[rumborak]

Twenty years ago the average fashion model weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today, she weighs 23% less.

From https://usgovinfo.about.com/od/healthcare/a/tallbutfat.htm :

Average adult Americans are about one inch taller, but nearly a whopping 25 pounds heavier than they were in 1960
[...]
Meanwhile, the average weight for men aged 20-74 years rose dramatically from 166.3 pounds in 1960 to 191 pounds in 2002, while the average weight for women the same age increased from 140.2 pounds in 1960 to 164.3 pounds in 2002.

In the case of the women, 164lbs/140lbs = 16% increase.
So, I would argue it's not so much the models that have gotten thinner, it's the average population that has exploded.

rumborak

[Rina]

I hate using number sizes.      Measuring in inches/etc just makes more sense. Example- I can go to one store and I'm a 0, and at another a 4 or a 2 or something. It's compleeeeeeetely different at every place. So for average size of American women or whatever, it'd be better if they said measurements instead of saying size 14 is average or something. Because that's confusing for people.

[reneranucci]

I'm a 2 

It's sad because I'm a dude

[Implode]

God knows what size I'd be. I'm so skinny.

[theseoafs]

I threw up a little.

Spangenberg admits she has struggled with her self-esteem

I hope you feel happy with yourself.

I will apologize if she comes onto this Dream Theater forum, sees what I wrote, posts here saying she was hurt by what I said, and then comes to my place to clean up the vomit.

[Rina]

I threw up a little.

Spangenberg admits she has struggled with her self-esteem

I hope you feel happy with yourself.

I will apologize if she comes onto this Dream Theater forum, sees what I wrote, posts here saying she was hurt by what I said, and then comes to my place to clean up the vomit.

As you should.

[TimmyHiggy]

...whereas being underweight is a free-for-all for people to shoot at.

Because such body sizes are essentially celebrated by certain industries (catwalk modelling; sections of Hollywood) despite being thoroughly unattractive and horribly unhealthy for the majority of women to achieve.

the fashion industry prefers to take people that are extremely thin and photoshop them until they look like they don't have sharp corners at every major joint and airbrush over the ribs than take someone of an average build, humans are weird aren't they?

[Ravenheart]

It's always a bit interesting to see how being overweight is merely met with a "hmm, ok" these days, whereas being underweight is a free-for-all for people to shoot at.

rumborak

My thoughts exactly.

"hey that is awful dont pick on that fat girl you dont know what shes been through she probably struggles with confidence and self-esteem issues every day she is so brave gosh we should all aspire to be like her


omg look at this skinny little model what a stupid fuck lets make fun of her for being different gross why do people do that to themselves"



Something like that, at least.

[lonestar]

It's always a bit interesting to see how being overweight is merely met with a "hmm, ok" these days, whereas being underweight is a free-for-all for people to shoot at.

rumborak

My thoughts exactly.

"hey that is awful dont pick on that fat girl you dont know what shes been through she probably struggles with confidence and self-esteem issues every day she is so brave gosh we should all aspire to be like her


omg look at this skinny little model what a stupid fuck lets make fun of her for being different gross why do people do that to themselves"



Something like that, at least.

Never thought about that, but it's so true.  I have a good friend who is a recovering anorexic, and have talked extensively with her about it.  It is an intense struggle she goes through day to day, and self esteem is at the core of it.

[El Barto]

One is always portrayed as bad,  and other is portrayed as good and/or normal by the people who promote it.  I don't think there's anybody here who thinks that girl is attractively built.  Yet the fashion industry continues to find girls like that to model their clothes, even though nobody in this country (thank god) really looks like that.  Because of that,  you now get girls who think that's an ideal and want to shrink themselves down to the proportions of a Treblinka survivor. 

Nobody has to be told that being a fat-fuck isn't attractive.  As we see here,  plenty of girls need to be told that being too scrawny is equally unattractive. 

[lonestar]

So true.