Are You Dying to Be Thin?

After watching the usual runway program in prime-time TV, one question comes plaguing me: Should underweight models be banned from participating in runway fashion shows? There are just too many women so unnaturally thin that one can only wonder if they still eat like normal people do. Up to what extent will someone do damage to her health until she realizes that being thin is useless when dear life is the price to pay.

Absolutely YES, this is my answer to the question. It is not an issue of discrimination in the workplace, but the very word ” model “ implies that everyone are looking up to them as icons of trend in today’s savvy lifestyle and the last thing we want is to brandish the word “ Underweight” with beauty. It is not just about body image, but the negative message it brings to millions of women from all ages in today’s hunger for the perfect silhouette.

When the obsession to be thin becomes life-threatening, will it still be nice to consider it the “ In “ thing? Another question that many women can ask themselves.

People say that beauty always come at a high price… and who would better know this than Luisel Ramos, the 22 year old model from Uruguay who died from heart failure while doing her catwalk on Fashion Week in Montevideo, South America. This incident may have prompted Madrid and Milan to post a strict rule against underweight models, which was followed by the US. There is surely a very good reason why they have started to post this ban.

Skinny is quintessential to beauty… for real?

From the glossy pages of glam magazines to the high fashion runway shows in TV, we have been bombarded by images that are far from how real women out there really looks like. They say that these images are done for art’s sake. Surely, there is a borderline between what’s hot and what’s not – especially when a person’s very life is at stake.

One can only look at those fad diets and miracle pills that promises the much coveted Size Zero that many women out there are dying for, literally. Beauty is more than skin-deep and it must be a manifestation of the person within in her outer form. Beauty is even tagged to be something that captivates the eyes of the beholder.

Why is it then, women, at some point of their lives, felt so ugly?

When our minds are being filled with perfect dolls with the body of a ten-year old and a full-grown bosom as the standard of modern-day beauty, we can only but compare ourselves. Everyone has an innate desire to shine, specially when being underweight means hot, sexy, successful, and classy. We see these skinny girls having fun, doing alcohol and cigarette, partying their cares away, and being in the center of everyone’s green eyes casting their way. Who wouldn’t want to be on the spotlight, even for once?

The Council of Fashion Designers may have made better rules to ensure that these underweight models eat right and stay healthy. They even let those with eating disorders seek medical help before being accepted into the runway. This is a great move since catwalk models have an average BMI ( Body Mass Index ) of 16 ( and even lesser ), and sadly, the World Health Organization labeled anything under 18.5 as underweight. I guess, we are seeing more trends in health awareness and the social responsibility that these models project throughout the masses.

In the end, it is us, the target consumers of these various underweight campaign, who must speak up and put a stop on such unhealthy image that can cost us dearly. Besides, beauty must be a source of inspiration and everyone is beautiful in her own way. There are better things to do in this world and starving oneself for beauty’s sake is definitely not a way to spend such short-lived life. If you had been suffering a poor self-image, inflicting starvation on yourself, it is time to get professional help. Live healthy and feel good from within. By appreciating the very beauty of yourself will you only realize that what matters most is to achieve maximum health to live the life of your dreams.. for years to come.

Here’s a Video on Dying to Be Thin from College Health Guru:

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