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Introduction
The modern fashion industry has long been criticized for establishing unhealthy standards for womens bodies by producing clothing that fits and looks well only on underweight individuals. The promotion of extreme thinness in media resulted in pathological thoughts and behaviors predominantly among females, causing unthinkable numbers of young girls with eating disorders (Moreno-Domínguez et al., 2019). Since health information can easily be accessed online, adolescents are not uncommon to become obsessed with dieting, exercise, weighing, and calorie counting, leading to anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorders (Derenne & Beresin, 2018). High fashion plays a pivotal role in creating these patterns and trends, resulting in the development of mental health issues among youth.
Fashion Industry and Mental Health Issues
It is inevitable to mostly see skinny and tall models on the podium when one watches runway shows. Women with these body types have become increasingly favored since the 1970s (Maity, 2021). However, anorexic-looking models started to be popularized in the 1920s, when magazines displayed slender women (Howard, 2018). Although some models like Twiggy were naturally skinny, most had to restrict their calorie intake severely (Howard, 2018). Since these behaviors were damaging to individuals health, some countries passed laws to force agencies to ensure that models maintain normal weight (Moreno-Domínguez et al., 2019). It allowed shifting this industry to presenting fit but not cachectic bodies.
Even though standards have slightly changed, contemporary fashion remains the primary source of peoples dissatisfaction with their physiques, causing eating disorders among young individuals. Indeed, the media made a substantial contribution to altering peoples perception of ideal womens body type, making many females think that anorexic girls are more desirable (Rashid, 2019). This problem is exacerbated by social media, where users can compare themselves to thinner individuals. For decades, the desire to have size zero has been causing low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and various eating disorders among people of all ages but mostly among youth.
Conclusion
In summary, body standards dictated by the contemporary fashion industry seem to be causing various mental health problems among young females. The idea of being thin and perfect, which was promoted by runway shows and media, resulted in the development of eating disorders among models and the general public. Although lawmakers in many countries try to force modeling agencies to shift to a healthier body representation, the problem of dissatisfaction with ones weight remains.
References
Derenne, J., & Beresin, E. (2018). Body image, media, and eating disordersa 10-year update. Academic Psychiatry, 42(1), 129-134.
Howard, J. (2018). The history of the ideal woman and that has left us. CNN.
Maity, S. (2021). Evaluation of body image and high fashion models throughout the decade. Popdiaries.
Moreno-Domínguez, S., Servián-Franco, F., Reyes del Paso, G. A., & Cepeda-Benito, A. (2019). Images of thin and plus-size models produce opposite effects on womens body image, body dissatisfaction, and anxiety. Sex Roles, 80(9), 607-616.
Rashid, A. (2019). The media effect: Implications for manifesting maintainable body image in the context of global fashion industry. In U. Ayman, & A. K. Kaya (Eds.), Promotion and marketing communications (pp. 157-172). IntechOpen.
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