How Skinny Is Too Skinny? The Influence Of Models On Body Image.

In the 80s and 90s, runway and super models looked certainly different than they do now. A perfect example is Cindy Crawford. Cindy Crawford was glorified for her beautiful, healthy, and voluptuous body.

However, as time goes on, models are appearing to get skinnier and skinnier. It has been said that the model Kate Moss ushered in the “waif” look. Kate Moss, at times, has a naturally skinny and lean body. But her appearance took fashion, as well as body image, into a new territory.


Does the pressure to be thin like models such as Kate Moss affect young girls with body image and identity? In my opinion, it does. Companies use models is to sell their products and services. Thin models are glorified in today’s pop culture. This basically tells everyone that “this is the way a woman should look”. As a result, girls and women with natural, healthy looking bodies feel like they should be unnaturally skinny. Companies use extremely skinny models to subconsciously make women think they will be beautiful like the models if they buy that product that the model is wearing. Many women will go through anything, including anorexia and bulimia, to look like these models. Also, the models themselves are ultimately pressured by the designers to be extremely skinny. This image has an effect on a women’s identity because she may feel that she has to me extremely skinny to be accepted.

What does this say about our society today? We are very image driven and unless we can match those images we do not feel a sense of identity within our culture. At what point does this drive to become noticed go too far?

At this point, it seems that health is being sacrificed for fame and it should never be this way. These models should not try to become something they are not appearance wise and should not have to look like this in order to be noticed.