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Article claims, "Plus sized models make us fat"

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Thu, 04/28/2011 - 12:45

Superheidi

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So, this new study from The London School of Economics and Political Science claims that plus-size models will increase obesity in the United States and Europe. Authors Dr. Davide Dagone and Dr. Laura Savorelli write in their really boring quantitative study that, “Given that people are on average overweight, we conclude (that using larger models) may foster the obesity epidemic.”

Quote:

Focusing on the specific proposal contained in the agreements, we study the consequences of having the healthy weight as the ideal body weight. We show that, given the current tendency towards obesity and the existence of thin ideal weights, such a policy is welfare improving, but it might have adverse effects on health if it induces people to become too overweight.

So, normal-sized models might make women not try hard enough to become toothpicks, resulting in women being fat slobs.

You can read/make fun of the study here: http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/eopp/eopp17.pdf

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Thu, 04/28/2011 - 15:55

MinervaLi

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I don't know if this study has any merit, but I have a rather controversial look at the matter myself. I went to school during a time where from Grade 1 onwards we were indoctrined with the "Everybody should be proud of their body" method. They wanted to battle poor body image by telling kids that being skinny/tall/fat/short/etc was just fine and dandy and no one should be using that against each other.

That's great. Kids shouldn't be fucking picking on each other.

Only they've gone too far. They've made so many kids think it's acceptable to be a few hundred pounds heavier than the norm because "You're a special snowflake and you're pretty on the inside." What they're not teaching them is that all that extra weight is killing them on the inside. Having a `normal` weight is no longer normal and more and more kids are growing up with seriously unhealthy eatting habits and health problems. I'm not saying we should start shunning over weight people and making them feel bad about themselves, but we need to stop being so lazy about kids eatting themselves to death. We're coddeling them to death.

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Thu, 04/28/2011 - 16:03

MeganHussey

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What's ludicrous about this study is that most 'plus-sized' models would be considered average or even slender in real life--in the fashion world the majority of models are size 0-2. A lot of 'plus-sized' models are sizes 8-12, which is not anywhere near obese.

Thu, 04/28/2011 - 20:29

Superheidi

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there shouldn't be any shame in being an 8-12. And why shouldn't we glorify women who are those sizes?

I see how the argument can be MADE that since 99% of us are totally obese, we might not recognize the severity of our own obesity if models get bigger. But I disagree - I think that having normal, healthy people as 'models' of weight is a better thing for society. No one should be underweight, or overweight, for health reasons, as the article itself states. Models should not be encouraged to be unhealthy, and unhealthy people should not be glorified as ideal.

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Thu, 04/28/2011 - 21:01

MinervaLi

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I think part of the problem stems from calling them "Plus sized models" to begin with. size 12 is hardly obese, is it? There is a real problem with the idea that size 00 is somehow ideal. Our fashion examples are often rather fucked up.

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Fri, 04/29/2011 - 08:03

MeganHussey

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In the movie "The Devil Wears Prada," the audience laughed when Meryl Streep's character called Anne Hathaway 'fat.' In the fashion world this would not be a joke; top designers have savagely attacked Heidi Klum, of all people, for being 'too heavy to be a runway model.' I also heard a story that the actress Marcia Gay Harden walked in to a Hollywood boutique one day in search of a new outfit, only to be told the store didn't carry
'plus sizes.' She was all of a size 8.

I'm no waif myself, and several people advised me not to take a p.r. modeling gig in which I would play Barbie for a crowd of department store customers, mostly children; for one thing I couldn't fit the size 2 dress they had for the job. I brought my own dress from home and did the job--Mattel didn't come knocking down my door, but I got lots of compliments and I got a lot of startled looks from little girls who suddenly realized that Barbie could have curves, after all; I just hope they remember that as they grow into adolescents.

Fri, 04/29/2011 - 11:07

filmgal

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Superheidi wrote:

So, this new study from The London School of Economics and Political Science claims that plus-size models will increase obesity in the United States and Europe.

I agree, but then again I also think that scientific studies from pretentious British twats will encourage all of us to become pretentious British twats.

The weird thing about all of this is that the overwhelming majority of guys (at least straight guys) prefer women with curves.