Bravo, Spain. Bravo.

[majorgal]

I know, I know.  It's possible that some of these models are just naturally thin and may have a below-normal BMI just because.  I know.  BUT, I still applaud Spain for going this route....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060916/ap_en_ot/spain_skinny_models_4

Comments

[waves-particles.livejournal.com]

You know, I haven't read the article yet but I agree...

Also, I was annoyed reading "The Devil Wears Prada" where the "main character" describes herself multiple times as 5'10" and 115 lbs and says she's the fattest one at Runway and the "normal" one and wears a size six. Hello, I'm that height. I am a size 2/4 and I weigh WAY more than that. Way for her to screw with the poor minds of other girls. I was pretty pissed off reading that - clearly written by someone who is 5'2" and has a shorter person's view of weight.

[waves-particles.livejournal.com]

Having read the article, I applaud... :-)

[majorgal.livejournal.com]

I just loved what the officials had to say about the messages.

[jenny-myer.livejournal.com]

Not to be argumentative, ;) but I'm 5'2" and when I weighed 115 lbs, I wore a size 2/4, so I'm not sure that it's necessarily a shorter person's view of weight either.

[waves-particles.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with you - 115 lbs is super light for a person who's about that height. What I was trying to say was, if you want to talk about skinny weights for people 5'8" and up, you start having ultra thin people at about 125-130. People 5'10" and 115... well, I've yet to see that, and they'd be a size -4, since 5'10" and 125-130 is a size zero, in my experience. But the general population, at a lower average height, probably aren't as impressed with reality. So while the general public resonates with 115 as "really skinny" for average height, and that's the image the book was trying to evoke, in reality 125-135 is the "really skinny" reality for a taller person (and we could add a whole discussion on bone structure, etc. but I think I'll stop because I do agree with you that 115 is skinny in the first place for shorter heights).

[majorgal.livejournal.com]

Holy crap, if I were 125-135 (I am 6') I would look like skeletor.

"Thin" for me, with my build is 155. Hell, that's not even plus size for the modeling industry. That's heifer size.

[waves-particles.livejournal.com]

Wow, you're 6' - that's really cool!!! (Did you row?) Yeah, I think that people resonate with numbers (remember the Pfeiffer scene in Batman?!) and don't realize that the meaning of the numbers is totally dependent on the height/size of person they go with. I just checked on the damn 5'10" and 115 lbs that pissed me off so much in that book, and if it were true, the girl would have had a bmi of 16.5 which is severely underweight (18.5 is under) which is just not even close to reality - they'd be hospitalized. Why did they choose to print it that way and glorify a fallacy that far off and call it "more normal"? (Seriously, I was livid when I was reading it). I dunno, but it did tick me off. I agree that thin for your height is definitely 150-165. I rowed with a gal who was 6'3" and she would have looked like Skeletor if she had been a pound under 170.

[majorgal.livejournal.com]

I did row. It was the one team sport I was actually GOOD at. I was recruited at Choate because the coach saw me walking around campus and he noted my height. I really sucked at first, but, kept working at it and ended up doing well. I miss it, actually.

I think my body is at a setpoint of about 170....it's really hard for me to dip under that. And, right now, because I have been lazy I am definitely above that (thus, Weight Watchers). But, even though I am OK with those numbers, and myself, I admit that it feels a bit oogy to post that because SO many of my friends are teeny size 0s and 2s and I doubt that they can imagine seeing that number. Just goes to show you how much society can eff you up to be obsessed over weight...

I never read Prada. Now I think I am really glad I didn't!

[waves-particles.livejournal.com]

Was Gordie coaching then? Mr. Sylvester? Our nov coach was Dave Miller and then Kathy Hannon (I think she was from Brown) and Gordie. Wow - that's a lot of overlap we had! I definitely got tucked in the bow because I was relatively small and puny-muscled (only 5'9") and actually almost got relegated to cox at some point... until I learned the power of protein shakes. I rowed in college for three years before focusing on classes and grad school apps (I wasn't particularly strong compared to the other v and jv girls and again, rode around in bow and did fours a lot). Cracking up at the oogy but totally know what you mean. Yeah, you're definitely on the taller and prettier than average side of the equation so much so that I'd bet 95% of people just can't relate - I think your weight sounds totally normal (esp given all the tall people I've been fortunate enough to know and I mean, people's perspectives are so OFF - no one would bat an eye at what a 6' man weighed, right?). I think what I generally do is akin to WW on crack - I totally endorse their principles, I just have my own way of doing things. Some of the daily_stats girls do WW also (no one cares what your regime is on daily_stats, is just sort of sharing support). And the thing that I am so jealous of is on tall people - they look so elegant/stately all the time anyway that you wouldn't even notice that much if they did gain or lose 10-20 lbs. Sigh. John's just a couple inches taller than me, so I don't think we will have super-tall kids in our future but tall people are so striking (and usually end up in management, eh? hehe).

[majorgal.livejournal.com]

Yep, Gordie was my coach. I adore that man. Just a good person at heart. My first year, Dom Lupino (he was a grad from 1987, I think) was my primary coach, but Gordie was the main girls coach. Ben Sylvester hung around a lot, but didn't coach too much.

I decided not to row at Cornell. It was hard not to, but I knew that it would be my life if I did row...and I wanted more balance.

I was in seven seat (or three, in a four). My stroke for one year was no more than 5'5". She worked SO hard, and she was awesome. No one thought she could be a good stroke and be so short. I love that she proved them wrong.

I don't think many people think I weigh what I do (and certainly not now), and the height definitely helps there. I can definitely carry some extra weight pretty well. But, I know when I start getting a bit pudgy and that's when I work on it....when Aidan was younger, I just didn't have the time or energy. And, as a result, I really let things slide. So, I am being a lot more careful now, given that we hope to try for #2 in the spring/summer.

Tim is tall, too, and Aidan is certainly taking after the both of us!

[449bklyn.livejournal.com]

It's crazy how body types can differ. If I go below 175 I look sickly at 5'9". I tried it for my wedding and ended up having to plump myself back up from 170.

[majorgal.livejournal.com]

I don't even think I was 170 at my wedding. I am pretty sure I was about 175. I am definitely north of that right now (more than I am comfortable with). I have to say, it almost feels liberating to post all this!

I really don't have anything to hide, I guess. I am what I am, right?

[waves-particles.livejournal.com]

Speaking of which - you might know the gal I rowed with?
http://www.alexaandjefferson.com/

[majorgal.livejournal.com]

She looks familiar, but it's not ringing a clear bell. When did she graduate? I was 1991.

[waves-particles.livejournal.com]

We're 96ers (just survived the 10th reunion, eesh). But her brother was a few years earlier (GdP).

[majorgal.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we wouldn't have crossed paths there, then. Email me with her brother's last name (the initials aren't doing it for me) and I can tell you if it rings a bell (kvs 3 @ cornell . edu).

You know, we were probably at Choate at the same time for reunion. I hung out on the SAC lawn with the other 91ers at our 15th!

[waves-particles.livejournal.com]

Ok, will e-mail. And I am SO going to be there to celebrate your 20th with ya (I'll be at 15th, probably. That is really cool that if our paths don't cross at any other time - although they've been unncannily similar only 5 years off each other! - we may very well run into each other due to the difference being exactly 5 years since we'll have overlapping 5-year off reunions at TWO places, hehe.)

[majorgal.livejournal.com]

I know...crazy! Fun, though!

[waves-particles.livejournal.com]

Oh, I also friended you... you're welcome to come visit. I like people who speak up and let me know if I've managed to inadvertently put my foot in my mouth or interpret what I've written differently than I would have.

[m-nicole.livejournal.com]

I heard this on the news and totally agree! It is about time that waif thin is not looked up to as "normal" and for others to want to strive (or is that starve) to be like them. Hopefully others will follow and then our children won't grow up in a world where they think a size 8 is "fat".

[majorgal.livejournal.com]

I know. I have to say, I am so fortunate that, for whatever reason, my weight was never an issue for me. I mean, I am not "fat", but I definitely carry extra weight and I am far from "skinny", yet, for some reason, negative body image has never been a big issue for me. I am what I am, and I know I am healthy, so I don't really care what the number on the scale says. I am trying to lose weight, but I am doing that because I know I will feel better--not because I am hating myself.

BUT, I recognize that most women my age, and those younger than me are not like that. Women in the US are so obsessed with body image it is frightening. I am glad Spain took a stand to try to curb the very dangerous trend.

[daphne0904.livejournal.com]

Go, Spain! I'm so happy to see that they're taking a stand!

[majorgal.livejournal.com]

Me, too. I love that they acknowledge that when 100% of your models are well below normal in regards to BMI you are sending a negative message to young girls.

[agustina.livejournal.com]

This is AWESOME. Yay Spain! It's about time, no?

[majorgal.livejournal.com]

Damn straight. I think that, in America, we have a problem on both sides of the spectrum. We have more and more people becoming obese (and seemingly being OK with it), and on the other end, we have more and more people striving for unhealthy (and unrealistic) extremes of thin. It's frightening, really.

I wish I knew what to do to stop the madness. I suppose all I can do is to teach my son about a healthy body image and work to ensure that he takes the messae to heart.