The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns

I think the normal theory regarding supermodels is that the fashion industry is run by gay men, who do prefer women who look like boys.

There might be a more subtle mechanism, that looking good to straight men is just too easy - probably 25% of women of the right age have a pretty face and are the right shape to be, in the hands of a photographer and make-up artist, very attractive to men. The point of a supermodel is that she is one in a thousand (at least), so as to draw extraordinary attention, and therefore there has to be some way of producing that scarcity - a kind of competition which can separate out that miniscule a proportion. Demanding very tall, very underweight models is one way of making the supermodel sufficiently scarce. Straight men aren't interested, but we're not really relevant to the industry in any way.

I think Mr. McGuiness has part of it; straight men are irrelevant to the fashion industry. I don't know one man who would prefer a skinny supermodel to a fuller-figured woman (though there probably are some). If you look at models in the media, you'll find a gradation of figure corresponding to the proportion of men to women in the target audience. Fashion magazines aimed at women have very skinny models; romantic movies have skinny (though less skinny) female stars; action movies have fuller-figured female stars; and there's progessively more weight on swimsuit models and porn stars.

For some reason women seem to demand other women be stick thin. I remember my mother commenting during one Winter Olympics that skater Katerina Witt was fat, whereas the men of the family thought she was the most attractive of any of them.

I still would like to know why so many women seem to demand this skinniness.

Honestly, I'd prefer a full figure AND a skinny one. It sounds selfish, I know, but contrast makes for a spicier mix.

Its not that simple. Yes, the average woman ranges up to 180lb, but women larger than that are social parias. I am just under 200lb and think I'm fairly cute, but the world still looks at me like am committing a crime.

Fashion reflects the preferace of a few, true, but its perpetuation is facilitated by the masses. If we want to open the eyes of the fashion world it has to come from a communall demand for realistic models, both female and male.

Let's not forget that the original supermodels-Cindy Crawford, Christy Brinkly, Tyra Banks, Nikki Taylor... ranged in sizes from 4-8...It's time to "Bring Sexy Back", don't you think? My daughter is a 15 year old model for Wilhelmina & she is a 4/6 with an outrageous gorgeous face. She plans to bring sexy back with her healthier body!

I'm glad there is someone out there critically examining this. I am full figure 275. Fat and fine. I am working to loose weight however for health reasons but there are plenty women my size are are perfectly heatlthy, just like there are plenty women 180 and below who are perfectly unhealthy. Anyway, We have got to teach our young women and young men to understand the body for what it is. Not an object but a home for our spirit. It really is an individual thing and we need to look at our body as the individual gifts and treasures they are rather than something to be judged and prepared for others to admire.

I am 5'2" B38' W40' H38' I carry my weight through my middle and I have a hard time finding shirts that don't cling to me or look like a maternity shirt. I search for full figure clothes models to get hints on how to shop for my shape, but all I can find is women with big breast and a 30' waist wearing a bikini, to me that is not a full figure or plus size model.

I notice that when I pass by a Lane Bryant, Avenue or Ashley Stewart window..the mannequins are about a size 16...maybe! they have these slim curvy waists and moderate busts...its like:if I am a size 22...do i really expect the clothes to look like that on me?" NO! So even the designers of "Plus Size" want to sell the fantasy that a "smaller big woman" is still the ideal. When you think about it, do we not look at that fabulous mannequin and think "I could look like that..yes!" and when you go in the fitting room...its not quite the same as what you passed in the store fronts? Nobody TRULY promotes +18 or else the mannequins would come in sizes +20 as well!It just looks better smaller! The truth hurts but its right there in plain sight.
Models should reflect all sizes but should not promote what is usually an unhealthy body type for various reasons (not always life threatening) but certainly unnecessary health issues. And this is coming from a me, a size 16 woman who thinks I look pretty darn good and if i could have a slightly smaller waist like some of these other plus size models I've seen I'd love it but sometimes genetics and body type make it impossible (without a 24 hour personal trainer,personal chef and a DAILY committment...non-hollywood people do NOT have that kind of time or money!) so I accept it and throw on a girdle when I want to look more hourglass like! I don't apolgize for wanting to have meat on my bones but do not want it hanging every which way...so I go to the gym.

Its the industry's plan to freak all women out about body image but at the end of the day, we have to decided what we let affect us bc we should be aware of what are REALISTIC weight and body image goals..WE have to take control of ourselves!

I totally agree that the fashion industry is not sexually geared toward straight men.

I'd say, it's not necessarily geared for sexual benefit in general. When the average Jane sees a skinny model in an ad, the thought isn't "I wish I could attract men like that sexy twig!" it's more of a "If I were skinni*er* I would be sexier. Look at this twig, she's so skinny, which is more of what I want to be! She's beat me. I can't get skinny and she can/is."

Also, I know for runway/high fashion modeling in general, models are there to be walking clothes hangers. Its been said by designers, that if a model's too thick, she (or he) disturbs the lines in their creations. They don't even wear underwear so as to not disturb the lines and flow of the garment(s).

The key to looking and feeling your best is lowering your body fat percentage. Regardless of your size, if you keep the percentage between 15-25% you will look fine.