Fashion industries are portraying a false image to the public through magazine models. The main source of beauty and style inspiration for women comes from magazine images of fashion model companies. The model's in magazine media all tend to have the same body image; tall, and extremely thin with heavily done hair and makeup. This typical model image is unrealistic for an average female to look up too for inspiration, and is creating false perceptions of beauty and reality to the general public. This argument is significant because fashion companies are constantly advertising their merchandise on this ideal model image that is unachievable for women in order to be living a healthy lifestyle. The purpose, the practices, the techniques, the problems, and possible solutions will all be addressed in regards to the thin model ideal and its harmful aspects. Models should not be the model for women because they are portraying a false reality to women in that they are unhealthily thin and heavily edited to look a certain way, which leads women to feel dissatisfied with their own appearance and can result in an eating disorder.

Fashion companies believe that if the model wearing their merchandise looks thin and idealistically beautiful, people will be more drawn to their brands advertisement and sell more, making more money. This aspect becomes the most important thing to them because fashion designers are so focused on how their clothes look and appeal to others. In a news article written by a former Vogue editor, Kristie Clements, she notes that appearance is all the designers put their focus on when looking to advertise their clothing. In regards to fashion designers, Clement notes that "They get so caught up in the hype of how brilliant clothes look on a size 4, they cannot see the inherent danger in the message" (Clements). Fashion Designers are too focused on making their clothes look the most appealing to the consumer as possible. The designers do not think twice about the idea that not all women have this ideal slim body type of an extremely narrow waist, with very little body fat, and a thigh gap. Even though the specific clothing that a company designs may typically look better on a slender model, the standard of slender is taken way out of proportion when competing against other designer brands advertising clothing of very similar styles. Designers think that if their model is skinnier and more artistically designed with makeup and hair styling, their company's clothes will look more appealing to the consumer then the company whose model looks less idealistically thin and perfect. Women looking through a magazine will be more inclined to stop on the page with the model holding an extravagant ideal appearance because it will be more likely to catch attention than the page with a model who looks like the average majority of women. Fashion companies recognize this trend and take action by continuing to make their models stand out with a thinner and more idealistic appearance.

Potential models will do anything they can to reach the required look that fashion companies desire to keep their jobs, even if it is harmful to their health. Clements notes two models she talked to in a photo shoot who thought it was normal to starve themselves to keep their jobs. One model said, "Because I'm always so hungry, I faint a lot" and the other saying "My flatmate is a fit model, so she's in the hospital on a drip a lot of the time" (Clements). Both of these statements are evidence of signs of eating disorders in these models because they purposefully are not eating when they know they should be. The responses from the fashion models prove how models take extremely unhealthy practices to be so thin for their careers. It is frightening to think that the ideal model for certain companies is on the brink of hospitalization for constantly starving herself. These models here are evidence that the heavy standards put on models by companies has led to majority of models acquiring eating disorders and constantly worrying about being overweight, when in reality, the models are extremely underweight. Models are dramatically altering their bodies in harmful ways by keeping themselves under nourished and exerting themselves physically with not enough healthy energy to do so which is impractical and an unhealthy way for a person to live.

Not only does the problem lie in the models eating habits; this issue with fashion model advertising companies has grown with the rise of technology and social media networks. New technologies like Photoshop have allowed the opportunity to heavily edit pictures until the fashion companies have reached their desired look. According to Morgan Shanahan, a professional blogger and screenwriter, Cosmopolitan magazine uses Photoshop techniques to articulate the exact look they want to portray on their glossy pages, whether it is to enhance the model's emaciated flesh, or fix sunken eyes: "The Cosmopolitan magazine editor admits to 'using models as sketches upon which they've drawn beauty ideals that simply don't exist, neither for the women in the pictures or the women looking at them"' (Shanahan). The emaciated model is in a sense used as a blank slate where additions can be made as desired; this leads to a thinner model being more ideal because it is easier to enhance body images then to minimize them. The idea that models are no longer good enough to fit the model image on their own influences them even more to become thinner. Now models are technologically edited to create an ideal standard of beauty because without the advanced enhancers from Photoshop, the image is not up to par. However, models have to face this fact and accept that their appearance on its own is still not good enough in the eyes of Fashion Magazines even after working so hard to maintain such a thin body frame. This practice of editing the images is increasing discouragement that also increases eating disorders in the models.

The glossy magazine pages that women flip through day-to-day are covered with these heavily edited photos. Essentially, they are being shoved in the faces of average women, and distorting the image of reality. Some people may not see the harm in this idea because people nowadays can just assume that models go through extensive makeovers and are very selectively chosen due to their appearance and thinness. However, what these women are missing is that there is much more to these image standards then heavily done makeup and a tall slender body. When insecure females are constantly seeing this ideal image in magazines, they become discouraged and begin to desire to look the same way because that is what is being portrayed as the stereotypical image of beauty: A specialist in behavioral disorders, Alexander Thornton stated "This continual bombardment inevitably influences susceptible females into becoming self-conscious about their appearance and to obsess over their physiques" (Thornton).  The high frequency of seeing these ads is consequential because many females are beginning to feel discouraged and un-satisfied with their own bodies. Seeing so many ideal images is now not only leading to eating disorders in the model's, but in average women as well. The idea of thin being the new pretty is extremely unhealthy and is becoming dangerous to many people because women are minimizing their diets to try to lose weight to become thin like all the models they see. These practices of disordered eating by eating very minimally can ultimately lead to acquiring eating disorders, which is detrimental to women's health.

The exigency of this issue is that people are becoming more used to this false perceived image of beauty. Hailey Magee, a Brandeis University student, examined a Dove Soap Company campaign, and found that "Dove reports that it discovered that most women lack identification with the word 'beautiful' largely due to the limited diversity within media images of women" (Magee). The edited images are becoming a social norm in society because they are seen every day all over magazine media. People are no longer shocked when they see emaciated models and heavily edited images because these looks have essentially become the new perceived reality: the image all people look up to and strive to attain. Constantly viewing these images will eventually lead a majority of women to self dissatisfaction and to practices of disordered eating in attempts to reach the same looks of these unattainable images, which can ultimately transform into an eating disorder.  This can potentially be harmful to the overall well-being of women in society because these images are un-attainable.

Magazine media is directed to attract women to read the ads by triggering their emotions in relation to self-satisfaction with appearance. By providing idealistic images, women are more inclined to compare themselves to these images because the models are what is presented as the beauty standard. Kasey Serdar, a Professor at a leading liberal arts college, Westminster, noted "Research has found that women who report frequently comparing themselves to other women, especially women in media, are more likely to show signs of negative mood and body image disturbance" (Serdar).  Many women have made it known of their influenced desires to look like fashion model images due to how the models's are portrayed as the ideal in fashion magazines. An article written by Kim Smiley for the Huffington Post, who is an Artist and Entrepreneur, shows how she always aspired to look like the fashion models in magazines. She taped pictures of these ideal model images all around her room, essentially encompassing herself in this idealistic fantasy of beauty. She called it an "addiction" where she claimed to "gape at the models' bodies like a teenage boy as I fell asleep, hoping to wake up with their perfect silhouettes" (Smiley). This statement alone is a clear cue to body dissatisfaction due to magazine images, and she is definitely not alone. It is also mentioned in the previous source by Kasey Serdar that magazines are purposely designed to trigger this emotion in women which is highly unethical and is reasoning for the negative aspects and connotations that many people see in the fashion industry. This is a significant point of irony that many people believe the fashion companies are purposely trying to discourage women's body image of themselves by creating this idealistic image to advertise and represent their company. Although companies may be doing it purposefully, it is still extremely unethical to portray such an unhealthy image as the normal beauty standard.

It is harmful to the well-being of society for the consumers themselves, and also for the companies, to allow these ideal images to dominate magazine media. It is unjust for women to be swayed to believe this un-realistic image is the ideal, but also for the companies promoting this look. A specific example of this idea in action is an act committed by Urban Outfitters which was presented in an article by Ellie Krupnick, The Huffington Post's senior editor of  Viral Content and Strategy. Urban Outfitters previously sold a shirt with the words "Eat less" on the front. People have been complaining about the negative connotations on Urban's clothing that can mess with people's mental health. Urban Outfitters did not seem to fully understand the issue they created. Not only was the company advertising this offensive shirt, but they advertised it on an emaciated model as well. This act in itself is doubly enforcing the harmful ideal on women to "eat less" in order to look as beautiful as the model wearing the shirt. The connotation to eat less  to be thin is a horribly offensive way to advertise to women where the majority are already emotionally unstable about their appearance. Students of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Philip N. Myers and Jr. Frank Biocca conducted a study on this phenomena and found that more than 95% of non-eating disordered women studied still were over estimating their body size by an average of 25% which is evidence that majority of women are not confident with their body image (Myers and Biocca). This evidence in relation to this example posed by Urban Outfitters is clear proof that the model and fashion industry plays a factor in unnatural eating habits on women to look so skinny, and convincing people to buy and wear the label as well.

Silvia Mondini, an Italian lawyer, has researched and found that women who constantly see these highly edited and thin model images in magazines are negatively affected by them. A few authors did a survey study testing the correlations of the increase of female eating disorders in the decade of 1985-1995 examining 347 articles that were issued in national newspapers and magazine media on eating disorders. Results showed that the slender idealistic images in magazines were a high causing factor. It was surveyed that 69.2 per-cent of articles referring to eating disorders "consider the fashion model ideal and its constant coverage by the media the main factors responsible for the increased incident of eating disorders" (Mondini). Results were also presented proving how this high percentage of media relating to eating disorders is most notably due to the body ideal and mass media images presented in magazines: 74.6 per-cent of the articles reveal that a large amount of idealized magazine images lead to eating disorders due to the body ideal, and 71.4 per-cent relate it to the mass media model images in magazines. Women are able to see the difference in themselves between the ideal women and the biological reality when they constantly see these images. According to Mondini "it increases body dissatisfaction in women and pressures them to adopt a series of behaviors and attitudes suggested by the media" (Mondini). Women become so affected by the media because they can clearly see the stark difference between themselves as the reality and the ideal model image all over the magazines, which is influencing them to change their appearance to match the models.

The issue of the stereotypical ideal model image dominating the media and influencing many women to feel negatively about themselves needs to be addressed in attempt to put an end to it. Efforts should be made to portray real and attainable beauty in media to spread awareness of this distorted image people all hold. A possible solution to this problem would be for women to recognize that these images are unrealistic, and to stop comparing themselves to them: As Serdar states, "We only need open our eyes to reframe what we have been indoctrinated to believe is beautiful" (Serdar).  However, many women may not be able to ignore the images so easily because media influence is so powerful. Another solution would be to promote and represent fashion companies with models of healthy weight and that have a more reasonable amount of makeup on. The idea to stand out and look the best should be transferred to portraying real beauty rather than the fake distorted image that so many companies have embraced.

Some companies do see the value in this issue and have this perspective that images need to be more realistic. The undesirable aspect of fashion models being digitally edited to create a flawless image is harmful to women's health, and some companies are beginning to recognize and take action on this. Many people have been trying to bring the harmful connotations of fashion modeling to a more positive light. Companies like Dove Soap and Aerie have been using models of different body types and focusing on natural, realistic looks, which are classified as unedited images and models who have healthy diets.  Aerie has taken a stance against airbrushing models and is portraying natural as beautiful. Katy Vines, a freshman student at Weinburg University, researched this topic and stated, "If these industries focused on campaigns that promoted the beauty of all body types, they would be able to break the unreasonable hopes that women have for their bodies" (Vines). Dove and Aerie are trying to steer people away from these negative connotations the model industry presents in magazine media by presenting the moral side of this issue. More companies should promote this natural image rather than the highly edited and unrealistic look to stop the increase of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in women and models.

When more companies like Dove and Aerie begin to pick up a realistic campaign trend, women will be able to fully realize that the slender and heavily done up model is not the only acceptable way to look in terms of beauty: According to Megan Wheeler, author for The Collegian news, "It is important to be aware of unrealistic ideas and be able to reject them" (Wheeler). If women start to see a switch in the appearance of magazine models looking less edited and slender, they will begin to realize which images are real and fake, and which ones to look up too. Women would have a more realistic image to base their own appearances on which would result in happier and healthier lifestyles. Body dissatisfaction and the prevalence of eating disorders in women that are stemmed from fashion media will ultimately begin to decrease if women see themselves looking more similar to magazine models.

It is evident that the fashion model industry needs to alter their way of advertising the ideal standard of beauty in magazines. The current means of using emaciated models who suffer from eating disorders and body dissatisfaction, along with extensive care and editing is an unnatural and unnrealistic means of portrayal. Women are being sucked into this ideal standard of beauty because it covers the pages of magazine media, when in reality it is an unachievable look. Constantly seeing this percieved ideal image is discouraging to women's feelings and is ultimately leading to a rise of eating disorders which is an unhealthy way to live. Women will be able to recognize for themselves the "real" standard of beauty if companies begin to advertise more realistically.
