By Charlotte Rodriguez
Staff Writer
Victoria’s Secret’s recent “Perfect Body” advertising campaign has shed more light on the issues around body image in the modeling industry and society as a whole. Modeling isn’t the only place in which body image is a problem. Students suffer from these issues as well.
Junior Audrey Blake has witnessed body image issues from both a model and a high school student’s perspective.
“It’s marketing. It’s how a company tries to sell a product,” Blake said. “The modeling industry is cutthroat. What needs to be understood is it’s a job. When you enter the industry you have to know what to expect. I am told to lose weight all the time. I just have to let it not get to me. The harsh truth is that designers want skinny models because they think that’s what makes the clothes look best.”
However, while Blake understands the industry and its deep-seated motives, she is still able to sympathize with contrasting opinions.
“I have witnessed and been through these (body image) issues myself,” Blake said.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, body image is how you see yourself in the mirror or picture yourself in your mind, and how you feel about your body — including height, weight and figure. Someone with a negative body image might have a distorted perception of his or her shape, feel ashamed or self-conscious, or be convinced that only other people are attractive. Those with positive body image, according to the association, appreciate their natural body shape and “understand that a person’s physical appearance says very little about their character and value as a person.”
Psychology teacher Scottie House is familiar with the presence of body image issues in high school.
“We study bulimia and anorexia. They are both diseases in which they manifest themselves into something the person can control,” House said. “You see in high school students a need to control something, and in this case it’s their nutrition.”
Campaigns like the Victoria’s Secret ad also contribute to body image issues in high school students. When the “Perfect Body” ad campaign was released, a backlash quickly followed. A Change.org petition with 33,000 signatures requested that the company change the name of its ad campaign and “take responsibility for the unhealthy and damaging message that their ‘Perfect Body’ campaign sends out about women’s bodies and how they should be judged.” Victoria’s Secret changed the campaign to “A Body for Every Body.” You can view the petition here.
“The media plays a large role. Typically, girls are bombarded with these models and magazines. They contribute to their psychological issues,” House said. “It’s a very large issue with high school students. This day and age, the media plays such a large role in their lives.”
Blake shares a similar opinion on the topic.
“Body image issues affect high school students because, often, people are vulnerable, and showing pictures of these perfect girls and ‘the perfect body’ makes them feel like that’s what they have to be and it often causes serious eating disorders,” Blake said.
The media also contributes to the awareness and presence of body image issues and eating disorders.
The “Red Band Society” on Fox features several teenagers living in a hospital suffering from different illnesses. One in particular portrays an anorexic teenager. Fox isn’t the first network to address eating disorders. “America’s Next Top Model,” hosted by model Tyra Banks, featured a particularly shocking anecdote in season three.
Contestant Cassie Grisham of Oklahoma struggled with her body throughout the competition. At one point in the show, Banks suggested Grisham visit a therapist to discuss her bulimic tendencies. She replied by saying she had no issue with bulimia or her body.
“When you are a model, you are often not a person: You are a mannequin or a coat hanger,” Blake explained. “You are hired to make the clothes look good and only that.”
