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Wednesday, December 21, 2005

The Saint "Model" Figure.

Let me clear the air first of all. I don't have anything against slim women. I appreciate women in their varied sizes, all though I do have a preference for curvey full bodied women. However, Saint International, a local modeling agency has taken things too far! It seems the criteria for becoming a Saint model is to me mawga (extremely skinny) or anorexic. I watched their scouting TV show, CVM Faces of Summer, and could not believe my eyes! These girls were mere skin and bones. The worst thing is not that some of these girls are naturally skinny, but quite a few of them must be starving themselves to attain this so-called figure. The picture on the left is a picture of one on their models.

The next thing that pisses me off is the fact that the majority if not all of the models used to advertise clothing are extremely thin. The fact is the majority of people in the real world are not skin and bones but average sized people with some meat on their bodies. So why do theses people use the anorexic minority to advertise and model their clothes? I'm sorry but there is nothing sexier than a curvey woman, with thick thighs, nice breasts and a big round booty! And there are a lot of girls who are slim but still look good and that I find very sexy! You can be slim and look good, but it doesn't look good when they reach the anorexic "model" look!

It seems no one noticed that I finally found out how to add a picture to my banner. Well just to point it out, I have modified the banner of Stunner's Afflictions. I hope you all like the picture. As I promised here is another comic.

Seasonal Comics No. 2

Enjoy your day!

21 commented:

I'm all for natural...somebody once told me that the models are live clothes hangers. Keep the comics coming.

True words, Stunner! BTW, nice cartoon... :-)

RE: The scrawny models. Agencies go for thin because it's the esthetic which many designers, the lazy ones, prefer. It's much easier to design for a rectangle than an hour glass.

Plus there's the ridiculous idea that the pieces 'present' better on the cat walk if the model is a tall rail thin genetic freak. Then one doesn't have the 'difficulty' of curves interfering with the flow of the fabric - assuming there's enough fabric involved for flow to be a consideration. :P

I think Dorna hit the nail on the head with this one. Lazy fashion designers combined with their "in" crowd all being anorexic or bulemic.
All natural for me, thanks.

Even as a woman I don't find anorexic girls attractive. Granted, I was accused of looking that way a while back. Once I got married my husband vowed to fatten me up. And that he did. Nothing but compliments since. He's quite proud of himself.

I like them all, red, yellow, black, white, small, medium large, short, tall, in between, and so on.

I'm with Roy, fight for the nose. Lol!

I agree with the other comments. The fashion business they just want live hangers. no curves allowed. if ya have curves ya have to go the video model route lol

I read somewhere that it's the designers who determined the size of the models...one size fits all, they do a dress for a show, it has to fit almost any model...something like that.

Then it became the 'norm'.

Dem skinny dames is just 'clothes horse'. De real women out there not modelling on the ramp.

Me like dat bad likkle rabbit :-D

Well you know you got all my vote for the full figured women out there. Somethings gotta change and we wimmen with size need to start protesting. Big, fat and thick is the words.

Love the cartoon.

Yes, I did notice the banner? How yu do it? Tell me, tell me.

As one of the more curvacious women, I can't stand to see the anorexic-looking women. It makes me feel sorry for them, honestly, and happy that I'm plump, sexy and loving it!!

Full figured women are now getting their due still, not enough but a step in the right direction. Locally and internationally, designers are paying more attention to these types of women because they realize they are missing out financially by catering to only one type of body. Brute dem!!

Yup too thin for my liking but they seem to want rail thin models.I wish them luck with starving themselves

Yu right Stunna! Big an roun' is the way to go. Phat but sexy!
The only time skinny looks good is when it comes with a nice apple butt!

Entitled to your opinion....YES
Disrespecting and putting people down.....NO!!!!
There are alot of things in life I can't do, I will never be Miss. Jamaica because I have dark skin, and what do I do? I don't enter the competition. I however happen to be tall and skinny and ended up being a model travelling the world and making money so I do it. I have never been anorexic just naturally thin and the bulk of models in the world are just that. I hate when people use the term "real women" when they refer to fat or larger women because that is simply bullshit. Real women are mothers, care-givers, lovers, wives, ambassadors and all that good stuff whether they are rail thin or extemely fat. There are models who have fought for the rights of many people in Africa for example Alek Wek who is an UN ambassador for refugees, Liya Kebede who is a goodwill ambassador and Waris Dirie who works with the UN to fight against FGM and many others. These women are skinny models who have used there position to accomplish good and nobody talks about that all they do is criticise and condemn. I will never condone anorexia or bulimia and the fact is that not all skinny people are. For the skinny people out there doing there thing making money and changing there lives for the better I am happy for them, as for me the places i have been and the money I have made is all because I am skinny so don't hate congratulate. If you don't fit the mold do something you can be good at, thats what I am doing and I am happy and blessed. Secondly, in defense of Saint International: Jamaica does not have a fashion industry so the models chosen from Jamaica are looking towards having international careers, since the international market desires skinny girls wouldn't it make sense to look for girls who fit the international bill, hence the skinny girls? Whether we want to admit it or not the fact is that if we send larger size girls away they will never get contracts or they will develop eating disorders in order to fit the bill and isn't that what we are trying to avoid?

Solution: Be happy for our skinny Jamaican girls who not get a break from being "maaga gal" to being internation models. I am happy for them

Dear "Mr.Unknowledgeable"....


This is an excerpt from a blog posted by Stunner, Entitled "The Saint 'Model' figure".


It seems the critera for becoming a Saint International model is to me mawga (extremly skinny) or anorexic...The girls were mere skin and bones.
The worst thing is not that some of these girls are naturally skinny, but quite a few of them must be starving themselves to attain this so-called figure.
...What pisses me off, is that majority of these girls used to advertise clothing are extremly thin...majority of people in the real world are not skin and bones.


Dear "Mr. Unknowledgeable"...I mean Stunner,

I don't think i would have responded to your blog if you had just made your point without writing misinformation about the agency and models which i'm sure you don't know on a personal basis. I'm in fact one of the models from this agency who only represents, according to you "anorexic" models.

Let me start of by saying that, Saint International not only represent fashion models, but they represent commercial models as well aka models with average sized bodies. Even though their focus is on fashion models, in every profession there are obvious requirements. If the industry requires that models have to be of a certain height and size, i'm actually glad that my agency can find beautiful girls that can meet that criteria. If it wasn't for my agency, then i could not have been afforded the experience of travelling all over the world. I think he is doing a damn good job of placing models all over the world and you want to know why? Because he chooses models that can competite with models elsewhere in the world, regardless of their colour.

I wonder why models were your target though. I can think of other professions where eating disorders are more prevalent/body image is impotant-Gymnastics,dancers (ballerinas), atlethics and i could name tons more. Quite often models are used as scapegoats to explain the negatives of everything.
By the way, the girl's photo that you displayed on your page, do you know her? You better be her brother or someone who is her nutritionist. In your blog you wrote," ...but quite a few of them must be starving themself to attain this so-called figure"- Oh, so you know what these people eat daily?
I think it was quite unfair of you to put up her picture not knowing her eating habits. Plus you aint a photograher so you wouldn't know that the photo was taken in such a way to make her limbs look longer, thus making her appearance seem thinner.

Let me explain something else to you.
The reason why models usually start at a young age, like from as young as 12 years, is because at that age they are not yet developed- with hips, breasts etc. so it's easier for designers to get the frame that they want; which is a live clothes hanger. The clothes do look better on tall skinny people despite what you may think. Oh yea...tell Dorna that clothes fitted on models usually have curves. Modelling jus creates an illusion for those viewing the clothes, which are usually serious fashion people. How many regular people do you think attend these fashion shows? Barely any,they are not for people like you! Editors and buyers want to see very tall and skinny to see what lines the designer created to write about it or to sell the clothes to people who seeks certain characteristics in their clothing and most importantly can afford. In any event how much regular people buy designer clothes? Can you afford most of the stuff you see in Vogue? Again not for you!

You seem to be uninformed about visuals for regular people, i.e catalogues. Yes designers target regular buyers through catalogues. Then and there you will see an average body size in clothes targeting regular shoppers. Also, where were you when plus-sized modelling came about...asleep?

I remember being teased when i was younger by even adults because i was extremly thin and tall. i'm glad that there is a profession that utalises my frame. You know what too, modelling is not for everybody. On average how many young girls are you gonna find that are between 5'10 and 6' tall...who are slim,well- proportioned and have interesting facial features; not many, and yes your look have to be interesting as well ( it's even more important than your size).
I can vouch for myself and all my model friends that we donot have an eating disorder.
Some diet, but there is no obession with our appearance. Do you forget that we live in Jamaica where we promote healthy eating habits? Lunch time at many schools and workplaces, what do people usually buy? "COOKED FOOD".


Let me conclude by saying that eating disorders are reserved for people with serious emotional/mental instablity. If you read materials about this disease before you wrote your blog, then you would know that persons suffering from this illness are never satisfied with their weight no matter their size. Modelling alone can't make you anorexic. If that was the case rehab wouldn't be a requirement for recovery with therapy usually involved.
I love my body and we can't all be the same size. You should have used your blog to cite proper eating habits, rather than talking about people you know nothing about.

Yours Thinly,
Mindfuldiva

Hey Mindful Diva,

While I am happy for all the thin Jamaican girls making it internationally, I don't accept Saint's vison. You raised some good points about Saint chosing models based on the structure of the global modelling industry. However, I am concerned that you accept the foundations of that industry as being without question.

The truth is that models are not presented as human clothes hangers. They are presented as idols of beauty and exoticism. It is also true that young girls are highly affected by media images. When local media and cable stations combine to present us with images of beauty that are rail thin, then one can only expect that young women in Jamaica will begin to hate their full figures. There have been too many studies on body image and young women in Morth America for this point to even be disputed.

I can't verify that ballerinas and gymnasts have a bigger problem with eating disorders, what I do know is that they are not in the public eye as much as models and therefore are not nearly as influencial.You are right that all models aren't plagued by eating problems, but enough of them are to make it a reason for concern.

Designers are not just presenting their clothes to fashionistas. You are right, they may be ignoring Stunner (although the metrosexual market is growing), but they are not ignoring the female consumer. She is their bread and butter. It is not by chance that Isaak Mizrahi could stage his fashion caomeback by designing for Target. It is also not a coincidence that most designers have a pret-a-porte collection which is highly similar to their aut couture line. They are selling all women the prepubescent body type as the ideal.

With Fashion TV, W magazine, and the broadcast of the CVM faces of summer in the public domain, how can you say regular people don't attend fashion shows. Seeing these bodies celebrated in our media doesn't count? Would we only be affected if we attended the shows? (I have infact attended some of these shows, and I know other regular women who have.) Most regular people don't buy designer clothes, but they aspire to them. The fashions of 2005 were probably on the runways of 2003-2004. If they weren't, the designers would be out of business. If we didn't want the clothes in Vogue the managing editor would not sell magazines. Our eyes are their target. Do we agree with the impossible image they are selling?

I know the Jamaican society is harsh towards thin women (I am not rail thin but I'm small enough to still get some tops at Gap kids). It's wrong that our society pushes people into consuming steroids (fowl pill/ anarexol) in pursuit of the Rubenesque or full-figured body. However, let us not swing in the other direction and accept the horrible image from the catwalks of Milan, the boardrooms of Madison Avenue and whichever depraved mind was behind the "heroine chic" campaign.

As mi granny wouldah seh, nuh swap black dawg fi monkey!

Hi dg,
Why don't you accept Saint's vision...should they send fat girls to an industry that requires thin? Let's be realistic, do you think that Jamaica can change what's widely accepted worldwide as the norm for the fashion industry and should we stop producing models in the process?
So you went to a local fashion show, are you now starving yourself?
If i watch a graphically violent movie, "common sense" tells me that i should not go out and kill people. You know what is wrong with this world, we depend too much on the media to "parent" us. We (models) can't be responsible for telling everybody that, "maybe you won't achieve my figure because i'm naturally built this way". That's why you have parents...and TYRA BANKS. Even if i was fat, based on my upbring, i would still love me, wouldn't be a model, but maybe i would wrestle.
I'm sorry but you're not gonna tell me about an industry which you view from the outside. There is a difference between designers and brands. Runway shows (designer duds whether couture/ready to wear) are only for fashionistas and are priced for the rich. Only editors, buyers ,celebrities, socialites and models attend fahion shows overseas. Unless i'm blind.
Brands are for regular folks!
Target and Kmart have shows in the malls, that's where Issak Mizrahi's show for Target was held. Mismanagement caused the demise of his label, not regular folks not buying his stuff. If that was the case so many designers wouldn't have successful "lines" now.
So if you read W magazine, good for you, but you have to pay a pretty some to buy the clothes advertised. Again, not for regular people!
Which local media shows "rail thin" as being beautiful? The same Jamaica local media where only "big bottom,heavy chested and mostly brownings" work. I've gone to castings here let's not get it twisted.
Girl please!

I know most if not all of the girls who enter the Saint competition and let me tell you that you can't eat like me or them. So we're abnormal then?
oh yea...gymnast and ballarinas are more popular in some countries than models, hello-Germany,Russia...i could go on.
So Saint produces shows that show people what the fashion industry is like...should they lie?
You act like it's on everyday. People will more remember something from rising star.
The only impossible image sold in magazines are the "prices of the clothes". Of course i'm not disputing that eating disorders exists in my industry, but it is not widespread. Just like in atlethics people take steroids, you have good and bad in every profession.
If anybody solution is to distort their body because of models, then sorry they need to seek therapy.
You know what is true read materials or watch programs on this disease, it affects the depressed aka mentally unstable people, mostly regular people not models. It's not too late to learn something.
Just like if you have a great voice, kudos to you, try your hand at being a singer. Tall, beautiful and thin like me, well modelling may just be for you....Wah, me a nuh somebody too?

Yours thinly,
Mindful diva

Still mindful...

Let me also expand on the "regular people attending fashion show thing"... Well only in Jamaica.
There is not a fashion industry here, so of course regular people would be the target for shows here.

You say you don't know if gymnast and ballerinas have a bigger problem with eating disorders. Well let me tell you that they do.
The weight requirement for them is 80 to under 100lbs. Try and put that in perspective. They are so bad at damaging their bodies that they do stuff to affect their menstration so that they don't develop regularly or see their period til well in their 20s.
The olympics is seen by billions of people all over the world. Hmmmm....talk about influence.
I don't appove of unhealthy eating habits, be mindful of that.
I don't like the fact that people can't accept everybody for who they are- tall,short, fat , slim...

Yours thinly,
Mindfuldiva

dg, lets not get it twisted the "saint" image that you refer to is not half as influencial as you are making it out to be. For one thing Mr. Peters will not sign anyone to his agency who has an eating disorder thats not what he is promoting. So all the aspiring models out there, remember what happened to Kate Moss a few months ago, as soon as your image is tarnished with eating disorders and drugs use the same industry thats embraced you will spit you out. Having been oversees to work as a model on numerous occassions I can tell you that models who diet unhealthily will not work because designers will loose if they market their lines with that image.
In any event as you so rightly said, our concept of beauty in Jamaica is that of a big bottom browning, I am far from the above and if I was not raised properly I would be a bleached face fowl-pill taking idiot.
I think what we need to stop doing is criticising and tearing people down. How do you think the girls in the agency feel aboutbeing branded as anorexic and bullimic when they are not? Let's just try to look past the fact that most women don't look like that and concentrate on the fact that some women do and they too have a place in society.

my my we have some debate going on here.
i am a skinny model, i just had pizza now i am having some ice cream, i dont diet or try to be skinny but i am. i spent most of my younger years not liking my body or complexion because in my jamaican society neither were beautiful...now i am older and wiser i maybe skinny and dark skinned but i love me i love the young woman ive blossomed into,
i live in ny now and work as a model and i have to tell you that having an eating disorder is not something that is promoted, as a matter of fact noone wants to work with girls that are sick. i am skinny and loving it and i think all skinny women should love themselves and feal like real women as they are, we should concentrate on being healthy and not try o fit some mold whether it is trying to be a model or trying to please men like stunner. i also think you should remove that young ladies pic. as i know her and she has no eating disorder, that is presumptous of you.

For the designers, it really comes down to econmics. they use skinny women to advertise clothes, because it's cheaper to make clothes for them verses a bigger model - less fabric = lower cost. especially for pieces that will only see the day of light on a runway. too bad for the girls though who want to be one of these clothes hangers, oh well on to the next one.