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There are currently 20 responses to “Cindy Crawford on super-skinny models and eating disorders”

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1. 1 On November 12th, 2009, merri said:

   I had an eating disorder before I ever paid attention to one bit of fashion. I never read magazines, never knew what the styles and trends were… I didn’t follow the celeberties or watch tv often, and when I did, it was shows like x-files… I lived in a smallish town in NH, and then a small college, and no one was fashionable in either place, or super skinny. I knew almost nothing about popular culture. Now that I’m healthy, I DO pay attention to all of that stuff, so I am exposed to all of that. So, I can’t say that any of that ever influenced me to become sick. I’m not saying that models and etc have not influenced anyone to get an eating disorder, I think they probably have, but I am certain that it’s not the main cause. I think the main causes are other problems that manifest themselves through an eating disorder. That being said, I am naturally skinny so I believe SOME of those models are too; it’s probably a mix.

   posted on November 12th, 2009 at 7:04 pm

2. 2 On November 12th, 2009, Lauren said:

   I’m a little disappointed in Cindy Crawford’s response. I guess I expected her to be a little more “let’s get real” and a little less idealistic. But modeling and fashion is her career, and I doubt she wants to besmirch it too much.

   I do agree, however, what she said about fashion magazines and eating disorders. I’m sure seeing skinny models on the glossy pages can be a catalyst, but anyone in chemistry knows that a catalyst is never included in the equation for a reaction. Because a catalyst may start a reaction, or speed up the process, but it’s not the source or cause of it [/has taken too much chem].

   posted on November 12th, 2009 at 7:14 pm

3. 3 On November 12th, 2009, Hil said:

   Interesting. I do believe that there are people who naturally have extremely low BMIs, so it does seem unfair to leap to conclusions about a given model solely based on her body size. At the same time, it seems crazy to deny the existence of eating disorders in the modeling world.

   posted on November 12th, 2009 at 7:55 pm

4. 4 On November 12th, 2009, CharlestonAnon said:

   I agree that it is unreasonable to ignore the eating disorders present in the fashion worlld. I do think people often neglect to realize that very few women are models because they have to be -genetically taller than most women and -they are more and more frequently very young, barely teen girls who have not hit puberty, have not developed hips, breasts etc. One has to wonder if getting into modeling at this prepubescent very thin age sets them up for an eating disorder as some of them begin to grow and develop and may attempt to starve themselves into longevity in their careers though.

   posted on November 12th, 2009 at 11:18 pm

5. 5 On November 12th, 2009, Samantha said:

   I get so tired of hearing people say “I’ve seen her eat.”
   For crying out loud Kate Moss is\was a very sick woman. People with eating disorders DO eat.

   Reminds of when I think Shannon Doherty said she knows that Shenae Grimes & Jessica Stroup don’t have eating disorders because she’s seen them eat.

   **Bangs head againts wall**

   posted on November 12th, 2009 at 11:23 pm

6. 6 On November 13th, 2009, Bronwyn said:

   I’m with Samantha- it’s all to easy to say “So and so ate this huge hamburger, they’re obviously not disordered.” But it’s just not the case.

   That said, I think that Cindy’s either really naive or she’s trying to make sure that she’s still liked in her industry. I’m betting on the second, and as for her second quote, I tend to agree. It’s also really easy to just blame the fashion industry and I don’t think that’s completely it, either. There are a lot of things that contribute to eating disorders and I think that certainly when it comes to the very thin models (and we can say that there are naturally thin people- I’m sure there are, but I think that there are a lot more disordered models than we know), I think the industry certainly contributes to the disorder, but there are still personality components (thinking about the type of people who might want to model in the first place) there so you can’t JUST blame the designers.

   posted on November 13th, 2009 at 1:06 am

7. 7 On November 13th, 2009, Alex said:

   The fashion/beauty industry is not the sole cause of eating disorders, but they do help foster a social environment in which extreme thinness is not only covetable but the only way to achieve beauty and glamor. I don’t think anyone can deny that.

   Sure, there are naturally small people–but to be naturally THAT small is incredibly rare. And to say that most models are naturally thirty pounds underweight is absurd, and statistically impossible.

   I just don’t understand why it’s so difficult for people to just acknowledge that the modeling industry encourages eating disorders among models, and that a vast majority of employed models are clearly suffering. I guess then we’d have to admit how barbaric we are as a society to view starvation as a beauty goal? Like, to REALLY admit it as opposed to abide by it and pretend we don’t?

   posted on November 13th, 2009 at 1:26 am

8. 8 On November 13th, 2009, Lenore said:

   On the “naturally thin or not?” issue, yeah it is pretty unusual for people to be that thin naturally, although it does happen. I think it’s important to remember, though, that these days there are sooo many models who are teenagers. If a girl is 14 and 5’10″, it’s really not surprising if she’s also incredibly thin, even if she won’t stay that way once she reaches adulthood. I think when you take that into consideration, you’d actually end up with a bigger percentage of models who are naturally thin than you’d see in the general adult female population.

   Of course, then the problem becomes what happens to these girls when they get older and they’re no longer so thin naturally? I think regulations on the industry will only get you so far and really won’t address the biggest source of problems. Sure, Elyse Sewell is correct when she says modeling isn’t a right. If you’re not so extremely thin naturally, it’s easy to say “Well, don’t hurt yourself to get down to that weight! Find something else you’re good at!” But the fact of the matter is, in our culture girls are taught that physical beauty is paramount and the fashion industry represents the glamorous pinnacle of that ideal, and so it’s going to hold an intense attraction that other careers just won’t. Until we change the culture enough that a wider variety of roles and careers are genuinely seen as just as desirable, we’re not really going to make all that much of a dent in the number of women who are willing to go to extremes to try to make it in modeling.

   And this concludes tonight’s edition of Lenore’s Heavily Medicated 3AM Ramblings. Thank you and goodnight!

   posted on November 13th, 2009 at 6:37 am

9. 9 On November 13th, 2009, JeninCanada said:

   “I think an eating disorder is way more than a girl looking at a magazine and seeing a picture of a skinny model.”

   Of course it’s not a girl looking at A magazine, it’s a combination of being bombarded by messages that thin is healthy and thin is better most of her life that helps to cause the low self-esteem than can lead to and eating disorder. I am so disappointed with Cindy for this article.

   posted on November 13th, 2009 at 10:48 am

10. 10 On November 13th, 2009, Ayame said:

    I find it a bit problematic that she can’t or won’t make the connection between seeing skinny models (or maybe saying “not seeing a variety of body shapes and sizes” is more accurate) in the media and poor self-esteem in at least SOME people. Obviously I can’t speak for anyone else, but the more I look back at my teenage years the more I realize that not seeing any positive representations of people my size and shape really didn’t help me at all. I have no idea if seeing people who look more like me represented in a positive light would have changed any part of my life or not. I probably never will know. But it seems to me that for at least some people, going through life seeing nothing but the unrealistic-for-most-people beauty standard sure doesn’t do much GOOD for their self-esteem. It would have been nice for her to acknowledge that with a bit more firmness.

    posted on November 13th, 2009 at 11:31 am

11. 11 On November 13th, 2009, Alex said:

    But just because some teenage girls are that thin naturally doesn’t mean that should be held up as an aspirational standard for all teenage girls and adult women.

    I really don’t see how defending “natural thinness” does any good whatsoever.

    I think it’s a safe assumption to say that in order for MOST women to look the way models (and even most actresses) do starvation or extremely unhealthy amounts of exercise (or both) are in order.

    I only knew about three people in my high school who looked like models naturally. Just because you’re fourteen doesn’t mean you are super super skinny. In fact, sending that message to adolescent girls is just as harmful.

    Sure, a tiny percentage of teenage girls are very very underweight and tall (and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that), but there is just as much diversity in body size of adolescents as there is in adults.

    posted on November 13th, 2009 at 3:02 pm

12. 12 On November 13th, 2009, earwicga said:

    I read this article on the Guardian website, and don’t know how much is on the audio clip but the whole section, which is quoted, but clipped, above is:

    “Fashion gets blamed for encouraging eating disorders.

    That’s a little bit of a stretch. I don’t know that much about eating disorders, but I’m certainly not one of the people they’ve blamed, because I’m not super-skinny. I think people want to find something to blame. An eating disorder is way more than a girl looking at a magazine and seeing a picture of a skinny model. Maybe that’s one tiny piece of the puzzle, but I think it’s a lot more about self-esteem and self-love and control, so it’s too simplistic to just blame it on models who are skinny.” (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/nov/12/question-time-cindy-crawford – I don’t know how to embed!)

    Now, I can’t see why Crawford doesn’t “know that much about eating disorders” but think she is spot on with the “self-esteem and self-love and control”.

    And she even, almost admits to being a feminist – shock horror!

    posted on November 13th, 2009 at 5:05 pm

13. 13 On November 13th, 2009, Meryt Bast said:

    My anorexic-bulimic sister did Cindy Crawford’s video workout for hours as a young teen. Her room was wallpapered with photos of skinny models cut from fashion magazines. Fashion didn’t cause my sister’s illness, but it sure didn’t help.

    posted on November 13th, 2009 at 7:34 pm

14. 14 On November 14th, 2009, hsofia said:

    There’s really nothing I could say in a paragraph that would sum up this issue, but it does bother me a little to see eating disorders so tied up with wanting to be thin. I’ve known several women who were anorexic as teens and they’ve all said the same thing: it’s about control, control, control. They weren’t trying to look like fashion models. They were trying to exert control over their bodies, and over their lives. A 15 year old high school student who is anorexic is not necessarily motivated by the same things as a 20 year old super model who is trying to keep her job.

    Is the fashionable size becoming increasingly unrealistic? I’d say so, but not even just in terms of size. I mean, to flip through a fashion magazine, every woman is not only super thin and super tall, but also completely flawless in terms of complexion, hair, eyes, teeth, bone structure, and all sorts of miraculous proportions and improbabilities. I mean, seriously – 95 lb women with C cups? The whole thing is unlikely, and thinness is just piece of it.

    posted on November 14th, 2009 at 2:34 am

15. 15 On November 14th, 2009, Alex said:

    I don’t know, I definitely think that the media does have some hand in encouraging some eating disorders, due to the fact that it can sometimes glamorize eating disorders and thinness (basically saying that the thinner you are, the happier), and also, it’s sometimes what initially exposes girls to the idea of eating disorders. I don’t know, I used to be anorexic, and while it was about control, it was controlling my weight and my thinness as a way to be the best and the prettiest. When my aunt tried to step in and tell me that it was wrong I was so obsessive about my weight, I turned around to her and explained that, “the world is a sad and unfair place, and my weight does have a huge effect on my life. When I was fat, people hated me, and now that I’m thin, people are nicer to me. It’s not fair but it’s my life, and to have a good one I need to keep down my weight because I’m not going back to being the fat girl.” I’m 15 now, and that was around two years ago that I was suffering, but where I live in Orange County, is absolutely obsessed with size and such, as well as the media. The media also introduces to guys, it seems, that any girl of a larger size is basically not human, and it also pits girls against each other, as they’re all trying to compete for who’s the “hottest” or most popular at school and with these guys. Maybe it’s just where I live, but while the media isn’t completely responsible and my mind was obviously warped from being tortured by classmates and called fat and ugly by my parents, it definitely has a hand in my opinion, messing with people’s perceptions. Even if you can escape the media, you can’t escape all the people who’s subconscious are affected by it.

    And I’m still not better and still write down everything I eat, etc, and probably exercise too much. Like said though, it’s my life and there’s good points, and I’ve accepted that, where I live, I need to watch what I eat.

    posted on November 14th, 2009 at 1:06 pm

16. 16 On November 14th, 2009, Alex said:

    I think we’d all agree that having an eating disorder has little to do with wanting to be thin.

    But living a culture in which thinness represents something very deep and desirable (and almost socially necessary) certainly propels women young and old into that territory.

    posted on November 14th, 2009 at 2:45 pm

17. 17 On November 18th, 2009, Freya said:

    “I have a hard time believing that a BMI four points (or more) below what the WHO deems underweight to the point where the model doesn’t have enough body fat to support menstruation is “just their body.””

    …and half my body image issues as a teenager came from people who said things like that. I was just too thin to have a regular cycle until I got put on birth control. I definitely didn’t have an eating disorder, as I’d eat well over 2000 calories of a relatively well-balanced diet a day and didn’t “work out”, but my BMI still dipped below 14 at one terrifying point. I’m not saying it’s healthy by any means to be that thin, but “natural” doesn’t necessarily mean “healthy”.

    posted on November 18th, 2009 at 10:07 pm

18. 18 On November 21st, 2009, Ashley said:

    I had a BMI of 15 in high school. I ate quite a bit more than most people, and I went to doctors to make sure nothing was wrong, and I was healthy. People told me, “Oh just because it’s natural doesn’t mean you are healthy.” You should try harder to gain weight.” But why should I have? I got all my needed vitamins, kept my body active, had a normal period, and didn’t suffer from any illnesses or complications.

    posted on November 21st, 2009 at 1:51 pm

19. 19 On November 21st, 2009, Mulberry said:

    If people describe fatness as being “out of control” and thinness as being “in control”, it’s little wonder that the desire to be model-thin gets confused with the desire to be in control. I daresay that if some other cultural standard were used to determine self-control, then that is what those currently prone to eating disorders would try to fit. But that’s just a guess on my part.

    posted on November 21st, 2009 at 11:49 pm

20. 20 On November 22nd, 2009, Lucy said:

    OK, i’m just wondering, if media is not to be blamed for anorexia or bulimia…EATING DISORDERS and so on, everybody keeps saying that being to thin is not fashionable at all…BUT CAN U JUST TELL IF MEDIA IS NOT RESPONSABLE, AND THEY ARE NOT ADVERTISING…WHY DO YOU PEOPLE JUDGE BRITNEY SPEARS SO MUCH?????, I MEAN…EVERYWHERE IS WRITTEN THAT SHE IS FAT…EVEN AFTER SHE HAD HER CHILDREN…THE MEDIA AND MAGAZINES KEPT MOCKING…SHE IS FST SHE IS FAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! so now?????? does the media advertise eating disorders or not????…sorry people, but it’s so damn confusinggg….

    posted on November 22nd, 2009 at 7:56 pm

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