Just a week ago was the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion (if you didn’t catch the show, take a look), known for its extravagant lingerie, huge angel wings and of course, beautiful models. But when it comes down to it, “let’s be honest, it’s not about the underwear. It’s about the models” (CNN’s Alina Cho).

Girls around the country looked at the ultra-skinny models’ bodies, looked at their own and felt disappointed, disgusted, and insecure. My own Facebook page was filled with statuses like, “Wow, I need to go work out” and “Uch, I am never eating again.” I appreciate that many girls were joking when they made those statuses, yet, I doubt that they didn’t feel at least some of what they wrote. These girls had a new and vivid image of what they should look like. And of course, some girls will strive to look like that, no matter what it takes.

The question for many people then, is how did they get those bodies? How do they look like that?

There is a lot of controversy and debate about the eating and exercise habits of the models; some argue that they devote a lot of time to exercise and do eat well, while others argue that there is no way they can look like that and be healthy, too. This year, one model slipped that “She indulges in ‘no solids’ for those [9] days, and then, for 12 hours before the show, ‘No liquids at all so you dry out, sometimes you can lose up to eight pounds just from that,’ Lima, 30, told the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph” Days later, after the damage of this statement had already been done, she said, “Those teenagers out there, don't go starving yourself or only drinking liquids. Don't do that please.” Lima’s response reveals that she knows the consequences of her statement and though her plea to teenagers may be heartfelt, she cannot undo what she already said. Some teenagers will try to replicate her habits and will get sick because of it.

Although Lima did admit some unhealthy eating habits, many other models (and their fans) argue that the models, in general, are truly healthy. I would like to argue one more point: even if the models do eat well and live healthy lives, the girls who see them and strive to look like them will most likely utilize poor and perhaps dangerous eating habits to obtain the same result. Whether or not the Victoria’s Secret angels are healthy, and whether or not Victoria’s Secret intends to project a strict and homogeneous image of beauty, the consequences of the fashion show are frightening and worrisome for girls. I do not have a brilliant idea to end the entire industry’s definition of beauty, but I do not think that the industry should be abdicated from the hurt and anxiety it causes girls and women.

And ladies, please don’t ‘forget’ to eat today.

By Miriam Thorne




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