The Dark Side of Modeling
The Dark Side of Modeling
With its estimated annual revenue of $1.5 billion in the US and the global fashion industry valued at over $2.5 trillion, the industry offers significant financial potential.
Weight-
Standards vary based on type of modeling, country, brand, job, etc… Mary Clarke, an agent for Mother Model Management, points out that having a model’s body depends more on proportion and measurements, not a hard weight number.
high fashion- runway, pose for power brands such as Chanel, Gucci – the New York Better Business Career Services website says they need to fit the following requirements:
Female Models:
Height: 5’9?- 6' Weight: 110 to 130 pounds, from minimum to maximum height respectively
Male Models:
Height: 5’11? – 6’2? Weight: 140 to 165 pounds, from minimum to maximum height, respectively
Suit Size: 39 – 40, regular to long
Shirt: 15 - 15 1/2 neck, 32-34 sleeve
Waist: 29? – 32?
Fashion modeling- These models walk the runway while wearing high-end designer fashions. They also often pose for editorial shoots in fashion magazines.
Female measurements:
Female fashion models are usually at least 5’9” tall.
Model waist size tends to be 10 inches smaller than the chest and hips.
Male measurements:
Male fashion models are usually 6’ to 6’5,”
wear a size 40–42 top,
have a 32-inch waist.
Fitness models Athletic models with lean and lithe or strong and muscled bodies, these models promote products and services in the fitness realm. Height and weight for models in the fitness realm vary. However, their weight is usually higher than traditional models since muscle weighs more.
Female measurements:
Fitness expert Marc Perry says that female fitness models should have a body fat percentage
Male measurements:
Male fitness models also vary in size and shape;
no matter what, they usually need to have visible muscles
and a body fat percentage of around 6% to 7%.
Some have said top agencies will scour refugee camps and eating disorder clinics in the quest for fresh faces.
Esmeralda Seay-Reynolds had just turned 15 years old when she was scouted by Click Model Management in New York. But the agency told the 5-foot-11, 130-pound hopeful that she wasn’t right because she looked “too mature,” code in fashion for a teen girl deemed “too heavy” because she has already developed curves. So she dropped 20 pounds and immediately signed with NEXT, an even bigger agency.
At 16 years old …one of her representatives offered her some dangerous advice on how to stay catwalk thin. “I remember my agent saying, ‘Cotton balls are organic, so it’s fine if you just swallow them to make yourself feel full,’” she says. If you put on weight, one cm or more your contract is finished.’
Research Study-
Results
- The average BMI of the fashion models was in the underweight range (mean BMI = 18.1 SD = 1.68).
- The BMI of the control group was significantly higher (mean = 22.1 SD = 4.23, p < 0.001).
- Mean BMI 18.1 +/- 1.68 vs. 22.1 +/- 4.23
- Higher BMI with more variation between individuals in the control group.
- The frequency of simulated anorexia nervosa was 3.9% among the fashion models
- and 1.1% in the control group (p = 0.057).
- 3.9% vs. 1.1%
- 14.6% of the models showed subclinical anorexia nervosa symptoms
- versus 2.7% in the control group (p < 0.001).
- 14.6% vs. 2.7%
- The ratio of bulimia nervosa and subclinical bulimia nervosa showed no significant difference between
the two groups.
Conclusions
- There is an intensive pressure for fashion models to maintain a thin body frame, increasing the risk of eating disorders.
- The frequency of full‐blown anorexia nervosa and bulimia is slightly, but not significantly higher among fashion models as compared to control subjects.
- Subclinical anorexia nervosa is significantly more frequent among fashion models than in the control group.
Sources:
