The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show glamorizes an unrealistic body image for young girls all around the world. The show is easily one of the most popular events to watch on television world-wide. It includes models from Brazil (Adriana Lima), South Africa (Candice Swanepoel), and Australia (Miranda Kerr). But what do these models all have in common; a similar set of body measurements most women are desperately struggling to achieve. "The South African beauty, Candice Swanepoel's measurements are listed as 5-foot-9, 33-23-34, US Size 2 by IMG Models"(Hilary Moss, Huffington Post Writer). The average size of women in America is size 14. This is 7 times larger than the average Victoria’s Secret model. Girls may be watching the Fashion Show for multiple reasons, for me it was because I did idolize how they appeared on the outside. The models all displayed a confidence I have never come close to feeling. The Victoria's Secret Fashion show obviously wants their models to seem confident. Confidence doesn't come from being underweight and tall, although Victoria's Secret is persuading most girls to believe it does.
There is nothing wrong with a superior diet and regular exercise, which is actually what most of the Victoria's Secret Models practice. The problem is only idolizing one specific body image to an audience of millions, and this is precisely what Victoria's Secret does in their annual fashion show. "Victoria's Secret model Cameron Russell has opened up about in an interview about body image, and her perceived perfection. The 25-year-old, who also models for Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, admitted that her career successes have helped to promote a 'skinny equals beautiful' female image - which she said, she feels guilty about" (Daily Mail Reporter). These models are lucky, genetically; they were born to be 5'10, 120 pounds. It is not the models faults for hyping one sort of body type; instead it is Victoria's Secret. Kylie Bisutti, another former Victoria’s Secret Model, who was fed up with the pressure put on her to lose weight when she already was a size 2, decided to quit her glamorous job for good. She went on to write a book about helping teen girls with their self-esteem about weight. “It’s amazing the power a few words can have on a person. When spoken in kindness, they can fill you with hope and encouragement, and make you feel as if you can conquer the world. But when they’re spoken in ignorance or cruelty, they can fill you with shame and self- doubt. And in my case, they made me see pounds that weren’t even there.” (“I’m No Angel”) These models provide just two examples from an inside perspective on the pressure it takes to walk down the Victoria’s Secret runway. Along with walking in the annual fashion show, the models have weekly photo shoots for VS magazine ads and commercials. They also make public appearances to help gain popularity for the brand. I remember watching The Regis and Kelly Show before I even knew what Victoria’s Secret was. One of their models, Douzten Kroes, was the guest for that show. As soon as she walked on stage my eyes popped at how slim she looked, even compared to Kelly Ripa, who is naturally 5’1 and 110 pounds. I was not old enough to care so much at the time about the way I looked compared to this amazon I saw on TV, because I thought to myself, “one day I should look like that”.
Luckily, some countries are taking action stop the skinny is sexy idea. Britian is a number oneexample of this. Government officials in Europe have been working to curb the appearances of images of unrealistically thin women in the media over the past few years. The French Parliament made it illegal to "display images of extreme skinniness". Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority has been banning images of skinny women more and more. The idea has gained some attention in the United States, but there’s not a law about how thin a model should or shouldn’t appear to be in magazines or ads. If the United States started to pass laws banning this unrealistic advertisement I truely believe it would help girls not gain eating disorders. Or even if we passed a law making advertising companies and magazines display "real women" wearing their clothing, I feel would help.
78% of teenage girls are unhappy with their body image ( Do Something -11 Facts About Body Image). The type of detriment caused by the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show promoting skinny being sexy is extremely harmful for a young women's well-being. Eating disorders like Bulimia, Anorexia,and Binge Eating are on the rise in America.Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. They are the last thing we should be promoting. No, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show isn’t directly responsible for the decisions of young women, but glorifying being too skinny does not help. Even some Victoria's Secret models have admitted to going extreme with their diet months before the big show. I watched an interview online where Adriana Lima, one of the most popular o f the models, announced she had struggled with Anorexia for 5 years at the beginning of her Victoria's Secret career. These are not the women we should be glamorizing to the female youth. Adriana told E Hollywood news that she has safely recovered from her eating disorder, but she still has to follow an extreme workout and diet regimen to be successful as a model.
It is not just Victoria’s Secret to blame for the rise in eating disorders, depression, and self-destruct young girls have to face; it is a multitude of brands who glamorize one specific, almost completely unachievable body frame. The fashion industry as a whole is a huge cause to the body image issues models and real life women have, but Victoria’s Secret is such a worldwide known brand so they play a major role. The show can be watched in almost every country around the world. This is a major problem that has been going on for more than 10 years since the first time the Fashion show aired. Each woman has a different body type, Victoria’s Secret glamorizing the small percent of women who have a 5’10, 115 pound frame is causing girls to feel like they aren’t enough.
Work Cited
Adams, Rebecca. "Victoria's Secret Model On Photoshop: 'It's A Lie'" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 July 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Bisutti, Kylie. I'm No Angel: From Victoria's Secret Model to Role Model. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print
Graham, Michelle. Wanting to Be Her: Body Image Secrets Victoria Won't Tell You. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2005. Print.
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