Susan Gazerro Monthly Fitness Column

Skinny Models

Defining the New Reality

By Susan Gazerro

Be Real Campaign

I felt that this article was perfect for the month of April, as we are all starting to think about bathing suit season. Well, it’s about time that fashion companies are waking up and changing the game. We are starting to see more designers, more department stores, and more magazines showing models with all body types, not just ones that are unrealistically super skinny. For too many years, young girls thought that this was the image they had to live up to or they weren’t good enough. I remember once reading that even the models in the magazines don’t look like the models in the magazines. Today, more than ever, we know how easy it is to photoshop any picture. Well, for years, before the general public had all this technology, magazines were photoshopping photos and editing pictures to look a certain way. What we should have been told is that we all come in different shapes and sizes and skinny doesn’t define beauty, and it definitely doesn’t define healthy. We are all born with a “healthy” weight. I have always preached that you need to find that healthy weight, the one you are comfortable at and maintain it. Skinny does not mean healthy. There are skinny people who are very unhealthy and there are larger people who are very healthy. It’s about your healthy weight and it’s about staying active. Back to the fashion industry. Two of the biggest fashion firms in the world recently criticized the fashion industry for encouraging eating disorders. They went so far as to make changes, such as models must be larger than a French size 32, which typically equates to a UK size six or US size zero. The firms will also not use models under the age of 16 for adult clothes. France actually bans using ultra skinny models. Amen!

Denise Hatton, Chief Executive for YMCA England & Wales, a founding partner of the Be Real Campaign for body confidence, said that these are steps in the right direction. While some people are naturally slim, the average woman in the UK wears a size 16 and the average woman in the US wears a size 8/10. It’s time we see more diversity on the catwalk that truthfully reflects our society, with all its shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and more. The two French firms are making the move after a law banning ultra-thin models went into effect in the country in May. Those who break the French law face fines of up to 75,000 euros or jail sentences of up to

six months. Models must also have to present a valid medical certificate that they are fit to work. The French companies wanted to make “a real difference in the working conditions of fashion models.” Some say it “oversimplifies the issue” to suggest the fashion industry was the main cause of body image problems. This is true, but many young girls look at these models as role models and as the image in which they need to look to feel accepted. It’s about time this change is taking place. Following are some celebrities that are helping this cause by maintaining their “healthy” weight and proving to young girls and women you are still beautiful at any size: Kate Upton, Adele, Lena Dunhan, Kelly Clarkson, Melissa McCarthy, Mariah Carey, Mindy Kaling, America Ferrera, Sofia Vergara, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Lopez, Demi Lovato, Jennifer Lawrence, Kim Kardashian, Christina Aguilera, Christina Hendricks, and Robyn Lawley Many of these women have spoken out against the notion that “skinny is sexy” or “skinny is beautiful.” A couple of them were called fat, but went on to appear in “Real Women Have Curves,” and were proud to do so.

And many of these women are mesmerizing. Anyone who thinks differently is blind or jealous. One actress I have always loved is Drew Barrymore, and Drew has always refused to bow down to Hollywood’s “ideal” beauty standard. Another one I admire is Jennifer Lawrence, who was told she was too fat to be famous. She can now raise her Oscar and tell everyone where to go! We all know Kim Kardashian, love her or hate her, her curves are as famous as she is. Robyn Lawley was the first to be a plus size model to debut in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. This was a breakthrough. I am so happy to see models that are average or even “heavy” featured in some very popular clothing magazines. This is the message we need to be sending. Beauty comes from the inside out and your size does not define you.

“Loving your body only when it feels and looks good is like saying you only love your kids when they are well behaved.” “The most alluring thing for a woman to have is confidence.”