Earlier this month, Vogue announced that it is going to stop featuring models who are either underweight or underage. Models under the age of 16 will not be shown in the magazine, in addition to those who could potentially have an eating disorder. This marks a big step for Vogue, a magazine which had used underage models in the past, as well as for the modeling industry as a whole.
Because Vogue is such an influential periodical in the fashion world, there are hopes that other magazines will follow its example in implementing health guidelines for their models. In the following photo, Scarlett Johansson and Adele provide an example of the healthy, beautiful women that are to grace Vogue‘s pages. A primary reason why Vogue is adapting these rules is because it seeks to portray the message that “health is beautiful.” In addition to commitment to fashion, the magazine’s editors also want to emphasize how much they value their models’ health – and with good reason. Over the course of the past few years, the health of fashion models has been a topic of concern. Certain events, such as the death of two models in 2006-2007 due to eating disorders, indicated that changes definitely needed to be made.
The use of healthy models in Vogue will not only be beneficial for the women within the magazine, but those who read it as well. Underweight models in fashion magazines set unhealthy standards for women. Young girls, especially, are hugely influenced by what they see in the media. When presented with underweight models portrayed in a fashionable light, they could easily turn to unhealthy means of achieving what they believe to be beauty. By using healthy, of-age models instead of those who are underweight and underage, Vogue will present women who can be not only fashion models, but role models are well.
I think this is a significant step that Vogue is taking as a means to protect their models, and I’m so glad that Condé Nast International, the company under which Vogue operates, is making this commitment. I’ve seen how young women can be so easily influenced by the media, and agree that seeing underweight models can have a negative impact on body image. Hopefully other fashion magazines will follow Vogue‘s lead and implement the same rules for their own models.
What do you think of the new rules, Lovelyish readers? Do you think Vogue‘s new model guidelines will influence other magazines?
guest
I think that’s wonderful, but wouldn’t it be the same if they photoshop a model to look too thin?
guest
I am totally all for this. I am a huge fan of Adele but I have to say, being over 200 pounds is not a healthy weight. Though she’s still beautiful. I’m glad she’s on the cover.
guest
Are they going to stop airbrushing the humanity out of the models they do decide to use? The idea that models don’t have crow’s feet, smile and/or frown lines, or that their knee caps don’t have wrinkles, skin that is a different texture/color than the rest of their leg is setting just as realistic of a standard as super thin or young models. It’s one thing to smooth the wrinkles on a person’s face, it is another to give them Barbie knees and make their faces look like a statue.
rose / 980 posts
They need to use models of various sizes and ages! I’m tired of opening up every magazine and only seeing super young people or older women with a lot of plastic surgery. Why not represent all women?
daisy / 599 posts
No no no. This only creates more stigma that there is one size that is healthy or ideal. Lots of underweight models are perfectly healthy just as lots of overweight people are perfectly healthy. We need to stop judging models by their BMI, period.
guest
I actually disagree with this. BMI is not a good indicator of health. My dad is “overweight” according to his BMI but he’s a long-distance marathon runner and all his weight is fat. He is not overweight in any sense of the word. They should just include models of ALL shapes and sizes – this is just alienating girls who are naturally skinny and underweight – they’re just alienating another group of people.
guest
They are trying but they are doing it wrong…. It will always be a cycle…
sunflower / 366 posts
It’s funny that you use Adele as an example when her cover photo was photoshopped drastically.
Also, I hope they don’t simply use BMI and weight to judge the health of these girls. Instead, they should have to do take part in physicals and health assessments like athletes do. My boyfriend, for example, is 6 feet tall and only weighs 112 pounds. Yes, he is thin, however, he is only this thin because of his incredibly fast metabolism. He is always getting asked why he’s so thin and he’s always being told to gain weight, but the truth of the matter is, he’s perfectly healthy. Many of these models have always had small frames. It’s unfair to criticize somebody for a body that is theirs. Anorexia and Bulimia and two entirely different situations, the point I’m trying to make though is that this whole movement makes it seem like being skinny is a bad thing. You can weigh 100 pounds and be healthy, just like you can weigh 170 and be healthy. It’s about portion control and exercise. Wouldn’t it be more rewarding to instill an image of a healthy model in a child’s mind instead of two extremes?
guest
Okay, but who really uses a model as a role model except for other models? Honestly.
I read a quote a long time ago in a book that said something like, “Models have to stand still, shut up, and wear clothes, three of my least favorite things”. That’s pretty much how I feel about it. Modeling is about the least interesting thing in the world, so why does everyone care so much about it?
guest
this is just for protection of models and not readers if they are using relatively healthy models and then photoshopping them into size 00000′s
rose / 960 posts
@daydreams_nightmares@xanga - …You mean all his weight is -muscle- right? O.o
i don’t necessarily like this from an artist’s point of view. larger models simply don’t make as sharp and as interesting angles as very skinny models do. it kind of stifles creativity. i’ve actually never photographed someone model-skinny, but when i’m imagining a photo-shoot, my mind usually doesn’t immediately snap to a girl my size, for example.
also, i’m fine we’re going for “healthy” but who’s idea of “healthy” are we going by?
guest
@xsPoNgEs_go_SQUISHx13@xanga - LOL woops. I hadn’t had my morning coffee!
guest
cool.
guest
Adele is overweight… That is not healthy either
tulip / 24 posts
Some girls are naturally skinny and they’re healthy. I’m so tired of hearing that if a girl is skinny is not “healthy” (which might be her natural body shape). Just include people of all shapes and sizes without Photoshopping them to fit “society’s standard”.