“Perfection is the disease of a nation” is not just a lyric that has helped Beyoncé dominate the music industry for years, but also a summation of how American women are constantly encouraged to strive for a standard of beauty that is unattainable to almost everyone, as well as the detrimental effects this pursuit of perfection can have. The “disease” is both seen and not seen, as the desire to achieve this standard of beauty can lead to both physical and mental illness. Attaining this beauty ideal is to be done through constant change- changing the color of your hair, or the size of your waist line, or the fullness of your lips. These pressures to constantly be striving for something different don’t come from no where- the fashion and beauty industries have all shaped not only how women view themselves currently, but also how they need to change to meet the idealized versions of themselves they wish to become.

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However, it’s not a perfectly linear relationship- to say that one of these industries is directly responsible for eating disorders or any other negative effect is untrue and unfair. Girls and women do suffer from eating disorders and self esteem, and there has been a proven link between these issues and what is shown in the media, but it is nearly impossible to completely fault one industry. More so, the body positivity movement is growing, and campaigns featuring “real women” and unretouched pictures are growing in popularity. This paper doesn’t aim to place blame at the feet of a specific industry. Rather, it looks at how the fashion and beauty industries create and reflect a culture of perfectionism that encourages constant change.

 

“Vogue says thinner is better”.

 

 Fashion magazines like Vogue, as well as designers and runway shows during “fashion month” not only show the world what to wear in the upcoming season, but what body types are “in” as well. Of course models are always going to be beautiful, but what exactly that means has not stayed stagnant. The women being shown as models and muses are constantly changing. In the 40s and 50s, everyone wanted the body that Marilyn Monroe had- a big bust, a tiny waist, and big hips. When British model Twiggy exploded in popularity in the 60s, a new standard for models was set- and that was to be extremely thin (Twiggy herself weighed less than 100 pounds). In the 70s and 80s, extremely thin models were replaced with those who looked “exotic” and “Amazonian”, specifically with sharp jawlines and high cheekbones. In the 90s and early 2000s, the thin models were back, creating a culture that many said glorified eating disorders, and caused the average runway size to drop from a 4-6 to a 00-2 (Issues and Controversies, 2007).

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There are some things that have stayed consistent though. No matter the decade, models are always young, and they are always fit. Rarely do we see models over the age of 30 just about anywhere, and we’ve all heard Tyra tells girls on America’s Next Top Model who are over 18 that they are getting a late start in the industry (if you weren’t scouted at mall when you were 16 what are you even doing there). Studies have found that although older women can make up as much as 23% of readership, “fashion magazines portray women over 40 sparingly, if at all” (Pappas, 2011). Just as we always see thin models with tiny waists, we also largely see “a thin, youthful, wrinkle-free ideal that’s impossible to maintain later in life” (Pappas, 2011). When an older woman does land a cover of a magazine, the story is almost always about her age, and how she looks so good despite it. She’s seen as an outlier for being in great physical shape and not having wrinkles unlike other women her age, and we’re all supposed to desperately want her secrets as to how she does it (hint: money).

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In addition to youth, we also always see fitness. Even if models aren’t considered thin, they’re always considered fit. Ashley Graham, the first plus size model to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, isn’t what is conventionally thought of as thin, but she is constantly proving that she is fit. Graham says that “the assumption [is] that [plus sized women] don’t work out but, honey, I work out. I wouldn’t be this cute if I didn’t work out” (Lubitz, 2015). There is a shockingly prevalent idea that skinny equals fit, and not skinny automatically equals not fit. Graham is trying to get people to understand “that even if a woman isn’t a size 2, she could be killing it at the gym every day” (Lubitz, 2015). No matter the size of the woman on the magazine, the idea of being out of shape or unfit is never one we are going to see.

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In the fall of 2014, Victoria’s Secret debuted a new ad campaign that featured several of their models wearing only a bra and underwear with the tagline “The Perfect Body”. While the phrase was supposed to literally refer to their line of bras called “Body by Victoria”, shoppers didn’t really see it that way. Women felt as though the ads implied that the women in the pictures had “perfect” bodies, and if you didn’t look like that, you were thus imperfect. A petition that demanded Victoria’s Secret apologize and change the ads stated that the ads “perpetuate low self-esteem among women who are made to feel that their bodies are inadequate and unattractive because they do not fit into a narrow standard of beauty…[contributing] to a culture that encourages…negative body image and eating disorders” (Bahadur, 2014).

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The company never ended up making a public statement on the backlash towards their ad campaign. While they did change the tagline to “A Body for Every Body”, they did it as quietly and discreetly as the possibly could. And the models that are pictured are pretty far from representative of “every body”. This isn’t the first or probably last time Victoria’s Secret has faced criticism of this kind- when I searched “victoria’s secret ad controversy” looking for articles about this specific incident, I found articles from 2014, 2015, and 2016 all describing different things Victoria’s Secret has done that have been deemed controversial. I think the Cosmopolitan headline “Victoria’s Secret is in Trouble Again” sums it up pretty nicely.

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The vast majority of people can understand that models are the most beautiful people in the world, and that most people do not look that way. But when that is what’s shown in magazines and social media and TV, it’s nearly impossible to not desire it. While designers and editors can choose what kind of body types they want for their clothes based on what’s “in”, women do not have that luxury. Women can’t make themselves taller, or thinner, or have more prominent bone structures just because that’s what’s popular. The fashion industry treats body types as inanimate objects that go in and out of style, rather than the human beings that they are.

 

“South Beach, sugar free”.

 

However, the glorification of a certain body type by the media can lead to women going to extremes to try and make their bodies match what they are shown they should want to be. In the 1990s, a group of researchers from Harvard studied how the media, specifically television programs, can impact girl’s body image. The study took place in Fiji and began in 1995, when satellite television first became available in the country. In 1995, 3% of girls said they induced vomiting to control their weight, 13% scored highly on a test for eating-disorder risk, and there was very little talk of dieting. In 1998, after three years of having TV, those numbers jumped to 15% and 29% respectively, 69% of girls said they had gone on some kind of diet. One girl told researchers that “in order to be like [girls on TV], I have to work on myself, exercising and my eating habits should change” (Goode, 1999).

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When Adriana Lima is referred to as the sexiest woman in the world, it’s unrealistic to think that won’t impact how women feel about themselves, and drastic measures can be taken. In the US, .9% of women have anorexia, 1.5% have bulimia, and 3.5% have binge eating disorder (Issues and Controversies, 2007). In addition to models walking in fashion shows, “entertainment industry observers have noted how thin many well-known singers and actresses have become” and “when girls and young women see such images…they are made to feel inadequate and may undertake extreme measures” (Issues and Controversies, 2007).

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In 2006, when models started dying from causes related to being extremely underweight, multiple sets of guidelines were set with the goal of combatting the issue of extreme dieting in the fashion industry. While stopping women from risking their lives in an attempt to be thin seems like something everyone could get behind, this idea was somehow met with criticisms. The cities of Milan and Madrid published guidelines stating models must have a certain BMI to walk in shows, but critics said that models need to be particularly thin as it “[allows] them to show off clothes better…and fabrics tend to look better when draped over thin forms” (Issues and Controversies, 2007). As a result, the Council of Fashion Designers of America refused to set a specific BMI for models walking in New York Fashion Week. Whether intentional or not, this sends a message that the way the clothes look on the runway is more important than the ramifications these images have on women- the look of the clothing is prioritized over the health and well being of the women that those same designers want to be buy their products.

 

Similar to the way in which body types go in and out of style each year during fashion week, extreme dieting has been changing as well. In the 1930s, the first “Hollywood” diet was born- eating a grapefruit a day would make you look just like the stars. In the 50s, the cabbage soup diet was popular, and “it [still] seems to resurface with a new name every 10 to 15 years” (Lynch, 2015). The 1960s saw the creation of what is still one of the most popular weight loss products today- Weight Watchers. The 80s were about fruit and only fruit, and vegetarian and Mediterranean diets were highly popular in the 90s. In 1995, the still popular idea that sugar is to be avoided at all costs skyrocketed to popularity. The early 2000s encouraged us to give up carbs completely. Today, The Paleo diet is rising in popularity, thanks in part to America’s favorite family, the Kardashians.

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“Blonder hair, flat chest, TV says bigger is better”.

 

What you can change about your body though, the beauty industry wants to be sure that you do. “The truth is, many of our expectations of feminine beauty [are] shaped in large part by modern advertisers” (Scherker, 2014). Hair dyes tell us “your natural hair color isn’t pretty enough”, cosmetic companies tell us “your eyelashes aren’t long enough” and skin care companies are saying both “your skin is too light” and “actually your skin is too dark” (Scherker, 2014). The beauty industry is making obscene amounts of money by telling women how they should look. If women all woke up one day decided they like the way the look, hundreds of companies would go out of business. These companies need women to want to change their appearance in order to make money. They need me to buy luxury facial oils because I feel like my skin tone is uneven, and brow pencils because I don’t look like Cara Delevinge. However, women suddenly deciding they’re ok with the way they look likely won’t happen any time in the near future, because undoing the decade’s worth of assault that women have endured over what they should look like is going to take time.

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But it’s not all bad. It’s unfair to place all of the blame on specific industries when there are companies making changes to their marketing approaches and ad campaigns that are moving towards a more body positive message. Dove’s Self Esteem Project is one of the longest running of these campaigns, having first started in 2004. Through their own research, Dove has found that “only 11% of girls globally are comfortable describing themselves as ‘beautiful’”, however, “80% of women agree that every woman has something about her that is beautiful” (Dove). The company has aimed to close this gap through the “Dove Campaign for Real Beauty”- a variety of viral videos focused on helping “real women” realize their beauty. One of the most notable videos was released in April of 2013, entitled “Dove Real Beauty Sketches”. In the video, women described themselves to a sketch artist, and are then described to the sketch artist by strangers. The two drawings are compared, with the drawing produced from strangers’ descriptions “being both more flattering and accurate” (Dove). While at the end of the day Dove is of course still trying to sell soap, this type of campaign from a company in the beauty industry is refreshing, and Dove is using the proceeds to provide “self-esteem education to young people (primarily girls) aged 8-17 (Dove).

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In the fashion industry, the #AerieReal campaign for American Eagle’s sister store is changing the way lingerie is advertised. The campaign launched in 2014, with the company vowing to “[challenge] supermodel standards by featuring unretouched models in their latest collection of bras, undies, and apparel”, as well as featuring models of all sizes (Krupnick, 2014). Not only is this ad campaign championing the idea that “the real you is sexy” and encouraging customers to share genuine pictures of themselves, the company is also working with the National Eating Disorders Association (Maheshwari, 2016). And it’s paying off, literally. In the fiscal year of 2015, Aerie’s sales grew 20%, far outnumbering their competitors (Mosbergen, 2016).

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These campaigns by Dove and Aerie are a great start, however we need more. The loudest message being sent by the beauty and fashion industries is still that women need to change in order to be beautiful. The fashion industry needs to model their clothes, and right now they want the thinnest people for that. The beauty industry needs you to want clearer skin, and longer eyelashes, and shinier hair. They need women to constantly want to change the way they look in order for their companies to stay in business. In a perfect world, the profits of these companies wouldn’t be the most important thing, but they are. If the only thing at risk was the companies staying in business that would be one thing, but when the physical and mental health of millions of women and girls is at risk, the stakes are much higher.

 

Works Cited

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Bahadur, Nina. Victoria’s Secret ‘Perfect Body’ Campaign Changes Slogan After Backlash . 6 November 2014. 16 October 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/06/victorias-secret-perfect-body-campaign_n_6115728.html>.

 

Dove. Our Research. n.d. n.d. n.d. 16 October 2016. <http://www.dove.com/us/en/stories/about-dove/our-research.html>.

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Goode, Erica. Study Finds TV Alters Fiji Girls' View of Body . 20 May 1999. 2016 October 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/20/world/study-finds-tv-alters-fiji-girls-view-of-body.html>.

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Issues and Controversies. Thin Fashion Models: Should the fashion industry adopt limits on how thin models can be? . 9 March 2007. 16 October 2016. <http://icof.infobaselearning.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/articles/culture-and-media/thin-fashion-models.aspx?issueID=15191&hd=1796>.

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Krupnick, Ellie. Aerie’s Unretouched Ads ‘Challenge Supermodel Standards’ For Young Women . 17 January 2014. 16 October 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/17/aerie-unretouched-ads-photos_n_4618139.html>.

 

Lubitz, Rachel. Ashley Graham Wants You to Know That Curvy Girls Work Out . 29 January 2016. 16 October 2016. <https://mic.com/articles/133782/ashley-graham-wants-you-to-know-that-curvy-girls-work-out#.rkH0tEtvg>.

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Maheshwari, Sapna. Aerie's Body Positive Message Sent Sales Skyrocketing. 8 March 2016. 16 October 2016. <• https://www.buzzfeed.com/sapna/aerie-shows-it-pays-to-tell-young-women-to-love-their-bodies?utm_term=.ccaD6dYBK#.wlqv89zK1 >.

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Mosbergen, Dominique. Since Lingerie Brand Aerie Ditched Photoshopped Ads, Sales Have Surged . 19 May 2016. 16 October 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/aerie-photoshop-sales-growth-2016_us_573d35d6e4b0646cbeec260c>.

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Pappas, Stephanie. Magazines' Youthful Ideal Threatens Real Women's Sexuality . 12 June 2011. 16 October 2016. <http://www.livescience.com/14562-fashion-magazines-vogue-older-women-sexuality.html>.

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Scherker, Amanda. 7 Ways The Beauty Industry Convinced Women That They Weren’t Good Enough . 29 April 2014. 16 October 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/29/beauty-industry-women_n_5127078.html>.