In the United States, around 30 million people – that’s close to 10% of the population, suffer from eating disorders, and 95% of these are between the ages of 12 and 25. In Hong Kong where I’m living, eating disorders are also a very serious problem. 75% of people between the age of 11 and 30 suffer from this illness. Eating disorders is stemmed from body image issues, and can range from an abnormal obsession with weight and what one eats, to self-imposed starvation in the form of anorexia nervosa, which has the highest fatality rate of any psychiatric disorder.
While fashion isn’t directly responsible for causing eating disorders, it is hard to imagine it doesn’t have a role to play in creating body image issues. After all, we look up to brands and magazines for spotlighting the latest trends and styles. Although not explicitly spelt out, they also dictate trends in body types. In the US, nearly 70% of girls in grades five through twelve say magazine images influence their ideals of a perfect body.
Causes of eating disorders are varied, but how much of this has to do with images in the media, especially in fashion?
The Research
Harvard Medical School psychiatrist Anne E. Beckerr did a much quoted study in the 90s exploring this in Fiji. Prior to the 1990s there was only one documented case of an eating disorder in the country. Then, the television was introduced. The results were shocking. Just after a few years of western television shows, 11.3% of adolescent girls reported they at least once had purged to lose weight. A follow-up study found that peer exposure was also in play, with friends discussing, copying and internalizing media images. This goes the show how powerful media could be in affecting not just our self-esteem, but also our mental and physical health. With social media in the mix now, the impact is perhaps even bigger.
Fashion’s Role
Fashion magazines and designers are taste-makers – when all we see every time we flip or scroll through these style bibles are the same body types – it sends out a message on what the standard of beauty is. And while adults, well most adults, could differentiate between what is simply a highly curated selection of images and what is reality, the most vulnerable audience are young girls and teenagers, who are still developing their sense of value and beliefs and are easily influenced by what they might perceive to be an accepted, standardized ideal.
I think while there are many other themes in media that could equally negatively impact a young adults, such as blatant display of wealth and misogyny, perhaps none has as much negative influence as unrealistic body shape standards. While you can’t easily change the amount of money you have or your face, having a thin body – that’s just discipline and hard work right? You’re in control of that! I’m not at that body weight yet, but as long as I skip dinner, I’ll be one step closer. The goal seems achievable, foreseeable and realistic. And so the hunger games begin.
What they can’t see is that different people’s body’s are built differently. What is an ideal and healthy body for one person could be drastically different from another. That’s why the BMI system is flawed.
What can be done?
Fashion is definitely not solely responsible for body image issues among women. Many other factors could cause it, such as predisposition to depression and anxiety, relationship difficulties, abuse and psychological vulnerabilities. Fashion however definitely plays a part in creating an environment that aggravates the development of body image issues. If that’s the case – what can change? I’m not going to pretend I have the answer – but gathering ideas from different opinion pieces, studies and personal observations – i have a few suggestions. 5 to be exact:
1. Weight and diet talk
In and out of the fashion industry: be cautious about commenting on other’s bodies. It can be harmful to someone battling body image issues to hear how they look a little rounder, but maybe even more so when they hear how great they look after losing weight. Changes happen to people’s bodies for all kinds of reasons, including health reasons, and commenting on weight loss — no matter how well-intentioned — can be hurtful. A lot of people who have recovered from eating disorders mention that it is when they were at their worst health that people compliment them on how good they look. You may believe you are giving someone a compliment, but it’s time to stop thinking of “you look thinner” as an accolade. (Unless you know that the person is trying to lose weight because of health reasons!)
2. Fashion schools: time to teach upcoming fashion students to draw and design on more diverse body sizes
I remember going into my fashion illustration class and there is literally only one type of body that’s “correct”. A few fashion schools have made larger size mannequins available, but the US size 4 is still the majority standard. For a lot of designers who one day might go on to lead top fashion houses, these few years at college are the foundation to their creative careers – if they are not given the option of seeing more diverse bodies as the norm, how do we expect body shapes we see in fashion to change?
3. Show more diverse figures in fashion
It is inevitable that consciously or subconsciously, a woman will compare her body with those seen on billboards, runway shows and magazines, and it would be much more healthier of a place for young girls to grow up in if they see Chanel runways with girls of varying body sizes. Fortunately, casting of plus-size talent reached an all-time high for the Spring 2019 shows, with a total of 54 plus-size models appearing in 15 shows, nearly doubling the previous season’s number. The downside is, that’s still only 0.73 percent of all model castings, and the majority of these are in New York. There is much more work that needs to be done when it comes to diversifying shapes in fashion.
4. Move away from defining women by their looks
Having a diverse range of body size representation in the media is the first step, but let’s go to the root of the problem: society’s obsession with defining a women’s worth primarily by her looks and body, something that has dated back centuries in both eastern and western societies. Women throughout the ages have always tried to mould themselves to beauty standards of the time. This is also evident in the fact that in current times, eating disorders in women are way more prevalent than in men. To move away from judging a women’s worth based mostly on her form, we need to raise boys and girls the same, and move media and fashion towards portraying ideas that defy gender stereotypes and glorify a woman’s story beyond her looks. In fashion, this could mean modeling looks on women with stories to tell instead of just girls that look good.
5. Start with you – because that is the one thing you have control over
Body image issue is ultimately an issue of the mind, and while we can’t directly and immediately change who’s casted in fashion ads and TV shows, we can change our mind. It doesn’t happen overnight – you can trust me when I say that as someone who took 10 years to get over her body images issues. While I’m a huge advocate of having a healthy, fit body, you need to keep telling yourself this: you’re so much more than how your body looks.
Surround yourself with people who make you feel that too. A boyfriend who always puts pressure on you to be skinner? You’ll never be skinny enough for him, and he’s never going to be good for you. Feel a pang of jealousy come up whenever you see a bikini model on social media? Time to hit unfollow. It’s true that if your self-esteem is iron clad, you won’t be affected by it. Same could be said for putting bottles of whiskey on the desk of someone who is trying to become sober. Why do we need the bottles there again? What’s the well-being ROI? If it’s zero with a risk of loss, I say lose it.
Find what brings you joy outside of looking good – be it a creative pursuit, your relationship with loved ones, or a rewarding job…. You are so much more than how your body looks. And start doing all the things that could prove that true to yourself.
At the end of the day, fashion is definitely not the sole factor for causing a woman’s body image issues, but the industry definitely plays a role. Teenagers are especially vulnerable to media’s impact, and it is only with a combination of change in fashion and media industries and open conversations at home that we could create an environment for healthier body image relationship and self-esteem to thrive.