Radar: Do curvy girls have a slim chance?
On March 25, PopEater reported that Gabourey Sidibe, the star of the acclaimed film “Precious” is banned from starring in the pages of Vogue. Although the mag has declined to comment, Rob Shuter, the site’s “Naughty But Nice” blogger revealed a comment by a source, “Vogue is venue where designers debut their best new pieces. All are of which are one of a kind and sample size. It would be impossible to get a regular-sized girl in those clothes, let alone Gabby.” Another with a sharper tongue compared the star’s Oscar dress to a tent. Ouch.
This couldn’t come at a more sensitive time in the fashion industry where editors, designers, and ex-models are coming together to speak out against the super-skinny standard. Michael Kors, Anna Wintour and Natalia Vodianova spoke on Wednesday at a panel discussion about the growing numbers of anorexia among women and how the fashion industry should respond to the crisis. Kors himself has said he never hires girls that are too thin and noted some models, as young as 15 and 16, are too young to handle the pressures of modeling. The incidence of eating disorders in the U.S. is alarming. WWD reported, “Eating disorders affect an estimated eight to 10 million people in the U.S.” Vodianova spoke about her battles with an eating disorder and told the fashion publication, “By the time someone becomes extremely thin, so much damage has been done.” Although some plus size models have been gracing the runways, it is clear that it will be a slow crawl until curvy women become a common sight at fashion presentations.
However, even though bodacious babes aren’t strutting every catwalk they are still making great strides, some even gracing the world’s top fashion magazines. Today the Huffington Post reported that French Elle will feature plus size model Tara Lynn on their April cover. Not only that, they’re dedicating a 20-page spread to larger ladies! It seems Elle had no problem getting some extra fabric to cover Tara Lynn. Perhaps Anna Wintour can take another look at the sample size situation.
Changes cannot happen overnight. It was just three years ago when a Brazilian model died of anorexia. The important thing is that people are taking notice, and hopefully, being healthy will no longer be synonymous with under eating.
Tagged in: michael kors, vogue, wwd, skinny, french elle, natalia vodianova, anorexia, anna wintour, elle, huffington post, eating disorders, popeater, thin, gabourey sidibe, precious,
