My daughter is only 2 and a half, and a petite 2 1/2 at that. I often wonder if she couldn't become a supermodel in her future, because she's so thin for her age: above average for height, but below average for weight. She has weighed 26 pounds for almost a year. She eats well, and still doesn't seem to be gaining any weight. Maybe it's because of how much energy she has. I wouldn't mind seeing a career as a supermodel in her distant future, but it worries me at the same time. I worry that she might become a part of a world where she has to be thinner than she already is. I'm already worried about her svelt figure.
A recent quote in an article related to supermodel figures stated that the average 5 foot 9 model now has to weigh in at at least 125 pounds. I'm not sure if that's the minimum weight requirement or the maximum weight requirement. I think a healthy 5 foot 9 model should weigh in the neighborhood of at least 145 pounds - at least 20 pounds above the current supermodel average. That's 100 pounds for a five foot frame, plus 5 pounds for every inch over five feet. I thought that used to be the goal. Now I'm not so sure anymorre. "Now you have to be 5 '9 and a size 0 - size 2 in order to fit into the samples," stated one fashion journalist. In November of 2006, a Brazillian model died of causes linked to anorexia. Three more model deaths followed, all linked to anorexia. What's even worse is how the tabloids have hounded Tyra Banks on her weight gain issues. What are we telling our young women today?
I first noticed Tyra's weight gain when I was standing in the checkout line at the supermarket at Kroger's. Had I not seen the magazine, I probably wouldn't have ever noticed that she'd gained the weight. I don't know if that's because I just don't notice those types of things, or if it's because I notice people before I notice what they look like. Does it even matter? My first reaction was, "hurray for her". I didn't pick up the magazine to skim the article on her weight gain. Nor did I buy the magazine to read later. I just naturally assumed that she gained the weight because she is trying to send out a message to today's young women that it's okay to look normal - and not extremely skinny.
Recent tabloids have called Tyra "Thigh-ra," and "Porkchops," or "America's Next Top Waddle". They claimed that she'd gained 40 pounds in 2 months. Tyra states that she did not gain 40 pounds in 2 months, stating, in fact, that this would be unhealthy. She did claim that she had gained about 30 pounds over the last 10 years. That's an average of 3 pounds a year. Come on, that's not bad at all!
She said, "It's a choice to be 161 pounds," standing in a 5 foot 10 frame.
That's a little over the 100 pounds for 5 feet, and 5 pounds per an inch over five feet. It's still not bad at all.
"This is a call to action for all media to join me in promoting healthy body images and be responsible in recognizing that their negative words and photographs have a lasting impact on young women."
According to several online articles, Banks has always weighed 20 to 30 pounds more than most supermodels. I think this is a positive thing, and so (apparently) does Banks (according to the articles). She states that this is "not just a fight against tabloids, but a fight for women".
Joining this fight is French designer Jean Paul Gaultier, who sent a plus-sized model down the runway. Hurray to Tyra, and hurray for Jean Paul Gaultier. It's about time Milan, London, and New York didn't just follow remarks about rail thin models with statements encouraging healthy models, but not endorsing a weight minimum.