Obsession with size

zero RAT RACE TO GET THE PERFECT SIZE

INTRODUCTION

Fashion models have never really been admired for curves. Celebrities

like Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Brigitte Bardot, etc were celebrated

for their curves but the models who appeared in Vogue and Harpers

even in the 1930s and 40s were the same size as models today

In the 60s you had Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton.

The trend for thin models is nothing new - since at least the 1930s designer samples have come in the same size

Designers have always shown interest in structured body type and

never the curves.

But this inclination has led to some serious issues in the fashion industry

and brought an ugly face of this otherwise very glamourous industry.

SECONDARY RESEARCH

Most runway models meet the body mass index criteria for anorexia, according to an editorial pictorial in the January issue of PLUS Model magazine.

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

Plus-size models have shrunk too. A decade ago, plus-size models averaged between size 12 and size 18. Today, the majority of plus-size models an agency boards are between size 6 and size 14.

The mortality rate associated with anorexia is 12 times higher than the death rate associated with all causes of death for females 15-24 years old.

8% 23%

Kate Dillon developed anorexia as a preteen when classmates teased her about her weight and continued to starve herself while establishing a career as a model. She says she equated thinness with happiness and with having friends. As time went on, though, she became more and more depressed and began suffering anxiety attacks. She was neither healthy nor happy. So she sought help, recovered from her eating disorder and went on to work as a plus-sized model (wearing a size 14, which, by the way, is the average size worn by women in the U.S.).

Crystal Renn is another model that struggled with anorexia, got help and went on to continue to work as a model wearing larger sizes. She says she wants to be known for her work, not for her size. She also says she now believes being healthy is more important than being a certain size. She hopes to design a clothing line “with body diversity in mind,” with clothing for people of all shapes and sizes.

Supermodel Tyra Banks has spoken out against the fashion industry’s encouragement of unhealthily thin models and has refused to starve herself in order to get work. She’s had a very successful career at a healthy weight. She now mentors other models, encouraging them not to sacrifice their health for a

Kate Dillon before after

Crystal Renn before after

STAKEHOLDERS

ESTABLISHED MODELS

ASPIRING MODELS

FASHION HOUSES

FASHIONSHOW ORGANISERS

STYLISTS

SELECTION BODY

FASHION JOURNALISTS

FASHION ICONS

MAGAZINE EDITORS

FASHION PHOTOGRAPHERS

DIETITIAN

PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES

MEDIA

Methodology

Identifying the key stakeholders

Locating the main stakeholders

Telephonic interview with stakeholders outside Ahmedabad

Personal interview with the others

Unstructured interview

SYSTEM

Mapping

Anju Modi (FDCI)

Leno (Model)

Nidhi Govindam (Model)

Shivali Padmanabh (Victim)

Sima Shah (Dietician)

PROBLEM LEVELS DEATHS

Intake of heavy Drugs

Models made to fit garments not other way

round

More dieting to stay in the business

Good Fashion houses preference for size 0 models

Objectification of Models

Barbaric marketing strategy

Intake of drugs in Young Models

The relation of beauty with leanness

Development of negative body image in women

KEY FINDINGS

The biggest question is why are slim and tall models always

preferred over curves?

To this Anju Modi a renowned fashion designer and an FDCI member says;

“ The main aim of fashion shows is advertising their garments. So it has to

have an impact on the audiences. The key ingredients of a garment are its

fall, silhouette, structure etc. A slim and tall model amplifies the beauty of the garment as it falls properly and gives the desired structure to it.”

She adds,” though the sizing factor is fairly normal in India i.e 35-25-35 as

compared to outside, still certain models tend to cross the lines in order to

get better in this field”

Success

Better job

Slim figure

Dieting

Common Notion

Dieting

Slim figure

Better job opportunities

Zoomed in Case

Dieting

Slim figure

Better job

opportunities

Health hazards

smoking

drugs

Health hazards

Excessive dieting

To stay in business

Negative image for

curves

depression

money

No treatment

deaths

Other issues

Mass culture

Wrong influence

Zooming out

Interviewing a few models gives a better insight of the fashion industry. One

gets to know the extend to which the models go to keep in shape. From

eating tissues to cotton balls, its all very common. Some even resort to bulimia.

Ketholeno Kense

“Even though its not that stringent in

India, you still have to follow the norms,

as to workout and diet if you want to

stay in business. You work all day long in

shoots and tend to get dizzy now and

then, but that’s just part and parcel of

this job”’

She also adds,“ there are times when

I used to skip meals for days to get

ready for a big shoots and end up in

a hospital”

Nidhi Govindan

Nidhi govindan a Italian based model explains how

she couldn’t get a shoot because of her size, she

says-

“ I was approached by a French company for a

photoshoot. Their only problem was the size they

wanted. They were looking for an Asian face but

didn’t wanted to wager with the size. They even

asked me to shed a few pounds even though when

I weighted like 80lbs(40kgs)”

She adds, ”its not that stringent in India though, they

just want flesh in the right areas, no one wants you

to be flat……here face value is more important

rather than the garment itself”

Interviewing a few aspiring models or those inspired by this culture we see

the effect of media on a larger scale.

Anushree a NIFT student has to say-

“ I don’t get this size zero bullshit, its just a matter of opinion for ones

body. Being in shape is one thing and starving yourself is another. I eat

at my will but also workout. Though I don’t aspire to be a model but

being in shape is a must for me, it’s a choice not a necessity”

Tanya Sharma

“ I am a bit inclined to go in this field and I'm working

towards it. Though I still don’t diet that much but I am

ready for it. Its not that I don’t like curves but its just that I

find slim toned body much more attractive and agile.

Curves make you look a slob and I'm not that”

Agreya Gandhi

“though im not a big size zero enthusiast, but still I or

say anyone is influenced by this mass culture. The

first picture that comes to ones mind of a model, is

of a thin, tanned bikini figure. We have been

accustomed to think in that way and that is where

the problem lies”

A major effect of this was seen in a case when a student of PDPU had to be

hospitalized for 3 days as she went through a serious diet just loose some

weight.

Shivali Padmanabh(victim) a 20 years old says that,

“ I thought i was too fat, and also people around me are skinny & size zero. So

more over they influenced me. I never wanted to do modelling. But of course

I wanted to look good and presentable. I used to follow a very strict diet. I

couldn't consume too much calorie a day, like I could just have one slice of

pizza in a month. I even resorted to bullming at times. And this made my

stomach reduced its capacity to fill in. That made me puke every time I had

something”

Sima Shah the doctor that attended Shivali also a dietician says that it’s a

growing trend nowadays. 2-3 such cases come each day of girls fainting

due to low blood pressure. She adds,

” what girls now days see is the slim body of some actress or model, what

they don’t see is the amount of work and time that goes in it. They just

want instant results and thus such things happen. Youngsters in the age

group of 12-25 years are using diet pills, fat burners, fasting, resorting to

self-induced vomiting etc. in order to stay slim and look attractive. They

are deeply influenced by modern lifestyles together with ubiquitous show

of a perfect 10 figure and airbrushed faces in advertisements & pictures of

ramp models, film/sports personalities etc. in newspapers, magazines etc”

Strength

1.Medical system

2.laws

Weakness

1.Mass culture trend

2.Lack of confidence

Opportunity

1.Breaking the stereotype

2. campaigns

Threats

1. Fashion

houses

2. Media

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