Women’s fashion promotion posters feature overly skinny bodies. Men’s measurements are normal.
Too thin. Female model models used by fashion boutiques convey a problematic body image due to their thinness, according to a study from the University of Liverpool published in the journal Journal of Eating Disorders. The finding is not, however, found in male models.
To arrive at this observation, the authors studied the models put forward in the windows of stores located on the main streets of two cities in the United Kingdom. The measurements of both male and female mannequins were measured using visual rating scales.
Severe underweight
The researchers were thus able to observe that, on average, the bodies of female mannequins were representative of severe underweight. In other words, in most storefronts these models were way too skinny.
Which is not true for men. On average, the measurements of male models were larger than those of women; only a small portion was underweight.
“Because the ideal of ultra-thinness encourages the development of a problematic image of one’s own body, especially among young people, we must change our environment to reduce the emphasis placed on valuing extreme thinness” , write the authors.
Inappropriate ideals
“Of course, we are not saying that changing the size of mannequins in the windows of the high streets will in itself solve the image problems” that some women have of their bodies, explain the authors. However, they believe that these posters reinforce inappropriate and unattainable ideals, which may increase the prevalence of behavioral disorders and, overall, harm mental health.
In France, lawmakers have adopted provisions to regulate the extreme thinness of models – real, this time. The health law requires the addition of a “retouched photograph” mention in magazines, and requires top models to undergo a medical examination. For those who want to exercise in France, a minimum body mass index is required.
But the law has still not entered into application, for lack of publication of the decrees. The deputies at the origin of the text and the actors who militated in its favor fear that the text will never be voted by the end of the presidential mandate, which is approaching, in fact, its extreme end.
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