The problem with terminology and models?!

The other day I mentioned how I was going to post about something that really gets me all riled up. I think it is about time for me to let this all out. What ticks me off? It is simply the term "plus-size model". I absolutely HATE that term. I think these women should just be called models. There does not need to be a distinction and until then, there will not be many changes in the fashion industry.

The same thing pretty much goes for the entire "plus-size" section of clothes. I have never understood why a designer can not just make their line include bigger sizes. Why do you need separate clothes in the first place? There have been some clothing lines that do carry larger sizes with no problem. Therefore I do not see why others can not do the same thing. For example back when there was still a Steve & Barry's I would shop there every now and then. I bought a very cute pair of Bitten jeans (a line by Sarah Jessica Parker) that were in a size 22. They were the exact same jeans as the ones that she had in a size 6. They did not even cost any extra for a bigger size! What a novelty. Producing and selling clothes in a very wide range of sizes all for the same cost? And they were in the same section of the store, on the same shelves? But how could all those thin people stand shopping next to the all the fatas$es! (Sorry I may have gotten a little carried away with my sarcasm there)

The following pictures are of models that the industry refers to as "plus-size". To me they are just beautiful women. And in my eyes, they look more normal than most models that I see.

But maybe, just maybe could the norm that we have come to expect in modeling be changing? Several years ago Spain adopted the rule that models there must have a minimum BMI of 18.5. And now other countries are looking to join this trend and there is even talk of passing legislation that prohibits models with a BMI lower than 18.5. Currently the average model has a BMI of 16. But then again, maybe we should not get our hopes up too much. It appears that the organizers of the London Fashion week have dismissed such a rule there.

Hopefully in the end something will be done. Last year during the Miss Universe Pageant in Australia, Stephanie Naumoska competed and she was at a BMI of only 15.1. She walked by the judges with her bones clearly protruding and she looked very malnourished. She claimed that she would eat and blamed her heritage on her thin, frail body. She is Macedonian and the pageant officials also sited that as the reason for her thin body. The Australian Medical Association urged the pageant officials to impose a minimum BMI of 20. The organizers refused citing not enough emphasis was placed on heritage. I am sorry but she apparently had some kind of eating disorder. There is no way that this is just normal genetics. And if it is just from genetics that does not mean her health still did not need to be addressed.

As I was reading some of the articles out there regarding this subject I did come across something that excited me. Top fashion photographer, Terry Richardson, took images of the model Crystal Renn posing side-by-side with her skinny rival Jacquelyn Jablonski. The pictures are part of a campaign to get both magazines and designers to start using models whose size, shape, and look are varied. The images were to appear in V Magazine this spring.

I personally think that Crystal looks much healthier. I do not want to sit here and dog on skinny people because I believe that we all are created equal and are beautiful in our own ways. If one is naturally thin then by all means celebrate your thinness and embrace your body for what it is. But when one goes to lengths to get thinner and thinner just because they are told that they are not skinny enough to model, then I have a problem. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. Here are some of the pictures from the shoot. What are your thoughts?

As I wrap up this post I want to leave you with another glimmer of hope. This article discusses how teen girls are influenced by their peers when it comes to weight. And surprisingly, not by the magazines and advertisements that we are all bombarded with daily. In some schools were the norm tend to be of a higher weight, the teens do not feel as much pressure to diet. Now I say this is a glimmer of hope because just maybe the teens out there are not so brainwashed from the years of ads, as we thought. However, the article still shows that teens feel peer pressure and if weight is a big concern at their school then they do feel the need to conform and go on diets.

I know after reading many articles out there on the subject of weight, and looking at images, I have come to a realization. Now this is just my personal opinion, but I do like some curves. I do not want to be stick thin. I do want to be healthy and I do want to be very fit and toned. I do not by any means want to look like a walking corpse. I am also very thankful that I never wanted to be a model.