This article is not about criticizing Victoria's Secret Models. Rather, it is about understanding what is real and what is not. And, how the image is presented to women around the world. It is not a question of beauty, but a question of health, and what you choose to aspire to.
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| These are the Victoria's Secret Models (Adrianna Lima [BMI of 17.6], Candice Swanepoel [BMI of 17.7] and Alessandro Ambrosio [BMI of 16.3]) in person, unedited, behind the scenes of a Victoria's Secret shot. |
SASHA MARTIN
The typical stereotype in the fashion world and out of it is: "Oh, those run way models are far too skinny!" But, when it comes to magazine models, like those of Victoria's Secret, the model's bodies are ones to aspire to. Why the difference? For years, even I thought: Victoria's Secret models really do have nice, voluptuous bodies. Until I took a closer look. So, take a look closer with me...
I realized that, not only are they unhealthily skinny on the website, but that the women are actually skinnier in person. Yes, that's right. Most of us have watched the video in middle school in which a "normal," average-sized woman was made to be much more slender, and much more beautiful with tools such as: photoshop, lighting, makeup, etc. Now? Models are made to be larger (see: the Dove Commercial that mirrors this photoshop process, and
Candice Swanepoel Make Over, before and after). Many of the Victoria's Secret models are actually skinnier in real life, so much so that they appear to be emaciated. Others are pictured to be just as skinny as they truly are: dangerously underweight.
What happened to bodies like those of Penelope Cruz and Sofia Lauren, even Marilyn Monroe, all sex-idols with perfectly normal, healthy bodies. Why is the showing of bone so popular? It is almost as though women, and men, are taught that the normal, beautiful woman is as skinny as the Victoria's Secret model just because she is posed in a way that makes her seem more curvy. But, when you look a little closer, you'll realize that her ribs still show too much, her arms seem sharply angled and emaciated, the thighs are not strong, smaller at the top of the leg than in the middle (an abnormal quality for women, who naturally develop fat at the top of the thighs).
Some even show signs of bulimia with large jaws, thick lips (which develops when one throws up continuously). When you look closely, what was once "perfection" becomes a mess of skeleton.
To solidify the facts, the bombshell Candice Swanepoel, thought to be the body of perfection, is far too under weight. She is 5 foot 9, and is a little less than 120 pounds. This makes her Body Mass Index (BMI) about 17.7, far too underweight. Underweight BMI's are 18.5 or less. Alessandra Ambrosio is 5 foot 9.5, and weighs 112 pounds, making her BMI 16.3, extremely underweight and unhealthy. To emphasize how underweight these models really are, how their bodies are not actually so perfect, look further. Some doctors even consider a BMI under 17.5 as automatically anorexic (or with a severe health deficiency).
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| The bra is padded an extra 2 sizes (as advertised), but it deceives the viewer into thinking she might be of normal weight because large breasts indicate larger fat distribution. Also, the added makeup glow to her face, made more round, gives her a healthy appearance she most likely lacks in person (again, see Candice's makeover video). The give away, however, is in her arms. Elbows are never that sharp unless a girl is much too skinny for her own good health. She is 5 foot 11, and 119 pounds, making her BMI 16.6, dangerously underweight. |
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Again, the doubled cup size is deceiving, but the fact that you can see her rib cage in such definition and that her inner thigh is skinnier than her middle thigh is a clear indicator that she is underweight. Her BMI (again, 16.3) is underweight to the point that a doctor would ask her to gain weight by eating peanut butter, etc. Also, see the photograph below-- a candid shot that, though once more shows the doubled cup swimsuit, also more accurately shows her unhealthy thinness.  |
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| Not only do her arms appear to be too skinny, but her torso is nearly emaciated. Though in the photograph below, her abdomen appears to be somewhat muscular, from the photograph above you can clearly see that much of her perceived definition is actually bone and the lack of fat to cover even the smallest of muscles. If her muscles were "built" in her abdomen, you would see the muscles bulge outward rather than receding inward. She is 5 foot 10, and 125 pounds for an underweight BMI of 17.9. |
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| You can tell that her body has been smoothed with photoshop, but more poignant is her jaw. She has the jaw of a woman with bulimia, wide and thick from the acid experienced when continuously throwing up. Her arms are also jaggedly skinny (the arms of these models seem to be the clearest indicators). She is 5 foot 10, and 119 pounds, making her BMI 17.1, again, underweight. |
"Candice is so hot! The woman I used to think of as the ideal woman until I realized what her body truly is like. I used to wish I could look like her. Now, I just want to feed her."
-Anonymous
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| Before photoshop, and other such adjustments, (to the Left) vs. what is shown on the site after photoshop (to the Right). At this shoot, Candice was quoted to say, "With lingerie, you have to be more conscious of your body." Below, Candice Swanepoel, is pictured behind the scenes. Though it is documented that she is 120 pounds, in this picture, she appears to be closer to 110, making her BMI: 16.2, dangerously underweight. |
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The following Victoria's Secret Models are also underweight: Miranda Kerr is 5 foot 9, and 114 pounds, making her BMI dangerously underweight with 16.8; Rosie Huntington-Whitley is 5 foot 9, and 116 pounds, still underweight with a BMI of 17.1; Chanel Iman is 5 foot 10, and 114 pounds, making her BMI grossly 16.4; Erin Heatherton is 5 foot 11, and 116 pounds for the worst: 16.2 BMI. Even so many people's favorite, Adrianna Lima, is under! She is 5 foot 10, and 123 pounds, with a resulting BMI of 17.6, after having a child. After all this, do you start to see the disillusionment of a "skinny" body? Do you start to understand that what is beautiful is a healthy body, one fueled by plenty of healthy food and a healthy workout routine. I emphasize healthy, because even working out too much (or too little) can be dangerous for your body, as well as mental health.
Here is a final picture to solidify the fact that the models so many women aspire to be like? Are actually in no state to strut their stuff.
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Feel free to contact columnists at Unleashed. To understand more about what is a healthy body and about BMI health ranges, ask your doctor!
Women in the World and the Ripple Effect Section, Sasha Martin:
I made my own major, The Nature of Emotion as investigated through literature, psychology, anthropology, cognitive science and other interdisciplinary fields, and am minoring in Creative Writing. I created Unleashed for the general empowerment and knowledge of women and men everywhere, and continue to be involved as editor, designer and writer. I am an editorial and PR intern for City Lights. I happen to love the Unleashed staff quite dearly, as well as readers like you. It's amazing what words can do! Feel free to email me at Unleashed. I hope you enjoy!
13 comments:
Just a clarification from the author:
This article is not about criticizing Victoria's Secret Models. Rather, it is about understanding what is real and what is not. And, how the image is presented to women around the world. It is not a question of beauty, but a question of health, and what you choose to aspire to.
I believe they are beautiful, just as someone with a healthy BMI or a dangerously high BMI can be beautiful. Maybe their weight and appearance is seen as more unhealthy than that of obese people, which is much more common in America, because the models are thin and thinness is rarer and more difficult to attain. I naturally have a BMI of 17.7 (I realize anecdotal "evidence" is not conclusive by any means, just making a small point), and I am not "grossly" underweight or dangerously unhealthy. I am 5' 3" and 100 pounds. I would rather have thin thighs than fat rolls (I do not have thin thighs anyways). I recognize that you are not criticizing the Victoria Secret models, but I'd like to think that a "low" BMI around 17 does not necessarily denote deathly in healthiness. americaneaglelove3@gmail.com
Thank you so much for your well thought out input! I agree that obesity is just as much a problem and more relevant in the world-- especially America. I too am naturally thin as well. I guess I was trying to emphasize that the "perfect body" that so many people find the Victoria's Secret models to have, is not actually so healthy. So many women aspire to look like them, when their image is not so ideal in the way of health and much of it is fudged using photoshop, etc. Of course they are beautiful, "too thin" or no. Keep up your comments! We love hearing from our readers! Your points about obesity are so true! -Sasha
Thank you so much for your well thought out input! I agree that obesity is just as much a problem and more relevant in the world-- especially America. I too am naturally thin as well. I guess I was trying to emphasize that the "perfect body" that so many people find the Victoria's Secret models to have, is not actually so healthy. So many women aspire to look like them, when their image is not so ideal in the way of health and much of it is fudged using photoshop, etc. Of course they are beautiful, "too thin" or no. Keep up your comments! We love hearing from our readers! Your points about obesity are so true! -Sasha
If your BMI is too low, it is unhealthy but obviously not for the same reasons as being overweight. A lot of women have serious issues from being underweight--anything from menstruation stopping to organ failure.
Yes, there are some people who are naturally thin, but many of them are really young and their metabolism hasn't slowed yet so it isn't considered dangerous. And just as there are people who have to exercise a lot and struggle to keep weight off, there are others who have to eat extra food in order to keep weight on.
One of my aunts is someone who eats extra food to keep her weight up. She looks a healthy thin but if she cut her calories (like people who struggle to keep weight off) she would end up being severely underweight. The sad thing is that her daughter is someone who struggles to keep weight off and it's sometimes hard for her to watch her mother eat so much food. Her mom (lower end of the healthy BMI range) can have eat what she wants but she (upper end of the healthy BMI range) has to watch what she eats.
Just be careful about what you eat regardless of how much. Junk food in any amount is bad and even skinny people can get diabetes and have heart problems normally associated with being overweight.
I think VS models are stunning, but I will say it's incredibly annoying to have a petite looking person say "I'm just as thin or thinner then a VS model." The truth is those people are at a higher BMI and are not as bony as VS models.
People don't realize what thin really is. Thin is not looking small as much so as it is looking bony. This really gets up my nose!!!
for me, id rather be underweight and have a low BMI than be the right BMI and not happy with the way i look. im 5"8 and weigh 119 lbs and want to weigh at most 110 lbs because i myself do not like my body. the models can do what they like, if they like the way they are now then everyone else should, their body their choices.
I think the VS models look thin, but not skeletal. Also, a large jaw line shows signs of bulimia? Since when does *bone* structure say, "Hey! I'm bulimic!". I am pretty sure that is just her normal bone structure. Many people have one. Many of these models are naturally skinny too. Some have to work for it a little more, but I have many friends who are naturally thin people. I do agree with another commenter, it should be up to someone how they feel in their skin (unless they literally are a danger to themselves). It isn't a bad thing to be thin. Also, many of these VS models are actually in better shape than most people, so aspire to take after that. Being in shape. Nowadays with "Curvy is beautiful!", many thing people are getting told to eat a cheeseburger!!! That's not right either.
I definitely agree that the models are airbrushed...yet at the VS shows most of them do look healthy...and even if they look too skinny, it doesn't mean that they are unhealthy--most eat really healthy and exerise regularly and probably have a much better blood profile then do the "average" or "curvy" women. In those pics, Candice does look about 110, but in the newer ones from 2012 on she looks about 120 (I'm judging from myself because I am 5.9.5 and naturally around 110 and need to GAIN weight to lose like Candice, not lose it like most people need to). And I am much more fit and healthy that pretty much everyone I've met (not saying this to sound arrogant--I just work on my health a lot). --And all my blood tests, other tests show it. Regardless of what people may say, I think 99.9% of women would kill to look like these girls, rather than an "average" woman.
Just replying to the last couple of comments. What you said just above is completely true; many women WOULD kill to look like these (and other) models... They'd kill themselves trying. Victoria's Secret models promote a very specific, unnatural body image; the last thing a society experiencing an eating disorder pandemic needs. As they are public figures and have a massive amount of popularity (especially among young women, a minority known to be prone to eating disorders) it should be important that they send a healthier message. There's nothing wrong with being naturally thin but what harm could come from these models gaining a couple of kilograms? It definitely wouldn't be detrimental to their health.
In relation to the second-last comment. Yes, the jaw of a bulimic actually is larger than that of a person without the illness. It's caused by the swelling of the parotid glands due to water retention.
I believe that all models should be required to show documentation given by a healthcare professional clearly stating they are healthy. Diversifying the industry would be fantastic. It would be great to see a variety of shapes, regarded they aren't over or under the healthy weight range.
Just in reply to the article, it is very true that many people fight to appear a certain way, fight to obtain their view of physical beauty. Just like fashion trends there are body type trends in society as well. At one point, and still in many cultures, larger women are considered to be the epitome of beauty. As time passed the ideal model was lacking almost any type of body curve and as that progressed individuals wanted to be small yet curvy. More recently there is an influx of people that want to be "healthy" and toned. Beauty ideals change. And its sad that many weigh their beauty on whatever society deems attractive this month.
However, just because an individual is small does not mean that they are specifically unhealthy. While many models do go to extremes to achieve a certain waist measurement, some are naturally built that way. For example, a model friend of mine is about 5'10 and wears Small and XSmall clothing, a size 0-2. Yet, she has always been this way even though she is always eating everything. To many she looks very small but that is naturally how she is. Another example is a another friend of mine that has nearly the same measurements of some VS models, 34-24.5-36 yet at 5'8 she weighs around 140/145. To many individuals she is small yet she is in perfect health.
I guess the point that I want to make is that thin does not automatically = Unhealthy. Just as in shape or curvy does not always equate to being healthy. The bigger issue is that people strive to fit into a type of beauty instead of being the best that they can be. Every body isnt built the same and cannot look the same, and they shouldn't. And we should all appreciate that. Its not simply that diets and industry need to change but moreso that our perception does.
XOXO
Hi, Sasha. Thank you, so much, for this article. I agree with you, from the beginning to the end... I truly don't think their bodies look beautiful. They're a way to underweight. They are indeed beautiful girls, but they do not look beautiful, in that weight. It does not only look unhealthy, but it also makes them look weird. What you said about the jaw and lips its true. I promise that with a few extra pounds, they would be healthier and would look fabulous. Guys, don't like that. Everything, that is taken to the extreme, is not good.
I first want to thank you for this article, I am very happy I came across it because it is finally a clear overview of supermodels' BMIs, and even better, it concerns the most famous lingerie models in the world - whom we'd expect to be curvier.
However, if I may, I'd like to point out a few things I disagree with.
First of all, it is not possible to tell if someone suffers from bulimia from jaw line or lips being puffy, especially on a picture like this. I feel it is just finger pointing while not scientifically backed at all, especially since bulimia DOES NOT equal to throwing up.
Then, I understand how you want to underline the clear visual signs of unhealthy weight but once again, there is no "one sign" that says too skinny or too fat. I have a BMI of 20, a pear shaped body and let me tell you that my wrists are extremely thin and that if I was posing for a photographer the way these women do, my ribs would show a lot more than in any of these pictures!
I am sure there are many women with natural thigh gaps out there as well, it doesn't mean unhealthy weight at all.
Yes, the picture of Candice Swanepoel behind the scenes is shocking with extreme thinness, it does look unhealthy and scary! But I feel that just the BMI and the pictures are enough. The descriptions you make actually also create an impossible ideal figure. Judging from what you write, the "normal" woman is sort of an ancient greek statue, the perfect hourglass figure. But almost no one looks like that either. The only way to empower women is precisely by avoiding describing a "normal" or "proper" body type!
I hope you don't feel attacked, I loved all the info you gave, I just feel very strongly about this topic as well :)
(PS: Try googling candid pictures of Doutzen Kroes on the beach, you'll see that she is VERY muscled. Skinny? Yes, but also very, very muscled. I like her!)
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