Magazines are sites of contention with regard to ideologies around body image
I will be investigating the arguments for and against the controversial issue of Size Zero, how the media portrays a negative image which may be highly influential. I will be also be producing a linked production of a 5 minute documentary discussing size zero, and its harm and how common this size is becoming within the society and how acceptable. Magazines are usually publishing skinny models from size 0 -8 some girls may even be selected if they are a UK size 10. However celebrities are also offered magazines covers highly on the basis of their success, if people are willing to buy the magazine if a certain celebrity is on their, which means more sales for the magazine title.
Celebrities, who carry a more curvaceous body such as Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey and Louise Redknapp, often appear on men’s magazines such as FHM and women magazine such as Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire etc. These magazine which are most popular are the ones who offer covers for these celebrities as they are known for their full figured bodies, they also encourage women to see, that these celebrities are healthy as many magazines also create strap lines showing how these celebrities got and maintain their healthy bodies, most of these magazines produce diet plans for readers, which may interest them in buying the magazine after all. This can link into the hypodermic needle theory, where the media feeds the audience in what they publish. The audience will therefore think that the bodies these magazines are publishing are the ideal and acceptable image in society today.
The hypodermic needle theory can be applied here, whatever the media publish and broadcast the audience believe as if they are being spoon fed the information and being ‘brainwashed. ‘There’s loads of them, Nothing tastes good what skinny feels’ [1]sis one of her quotes she was asked. You try and remember , but it never works , this was also a quote from Kate Moss, how she tried to cover up what she had said as this was acceptable by the media, this also created much havoc in the industry how she is promoting size zero. Celebrities have a major impact on the audience as they are seen as role models , therefore readers will look up to celebrities in the magazine and however they are being portrayed the audience will accept. Many readers will aspire to become like the celebrities whatever their appearance. Magazines such as FHM most commonly have models and the ‘sexiest’ female celebrities. The latest issue of the FHM December issue, the girl band ‘The Saturdays’ were given the front cover. All the group members are of sizes 8 to 10, and have been titles one of the sexiest girl bands of the decade. This may be discouraging for females as this may be seen as an advertisement of what men want, as it they are the ones picking up the magazines with size 8 models posing on the front covers. On the other hand if FHM were to publish a model of a larger figure example a UK standard size 12, the audience will may consider it to be acceptable in the industry today as they are publishing models of bigger sizes, this way if magazines did start to show models of the ‘healthier’ size the issue of size zero would be as controversial as it is in today’s society.
The media is one of the biggest platforms in which the audience follows, mostly whatever the media publishes and shows the audience believes and accepts. This is a major issue within the magazine and print society. Nicole Richie was in the public eye for a while due to her significant unexpected weight loss in 2008. She was photographed running on the beach in a bikini. This image of her became a huge issue and controversial as she was dangerously under weight and was classed as a US size 0. Nicole Richie is an a-list celebrity and is a role model for most young girls; the image of her had an impact on the trend of size zero cases in USA.
Magazine mostly publish models with small figures and how are tall. Television shows such as Americas Next Top Model is a good example of how the modelling industry does accept larger models and models who do not meet the casting criteria. As Tyra Banks herself was a larger model compared to other supermodels she has become very successful even though she wasn’t the perfect size 2 or 4 in America a UK size 6.
In 2007 a documentary was broadcasted on channel 4, ‘The Truth about Size Zero’. The documentary was based on Louise Redknapp a well known successful model and mother, who took on the challenge to become a UK size zero in the space of just 5 weeks. ‘Louise was finding her quest to be a size zero very unglamorous, and her life was no longer how she would like it to be. She was irritable and constantly felt hungry, and having to prepare her family’s food when she could not have any was difficult.’[2] This one of the quotations made by her husband , Louise took on this challenge of becoming a very skinny and unhealthy size zero to show young girls and women what it takes to become this size and how it can affect your everyday life, and how it is so unhealthy and its further consequences it has. Some girls may not even be able to have children as their menstrual may stop as their organs begin to dysfunction and stop working.
This can also link to the death in 2007 of the supermodel that died on the catwalk after suffering an unexpected heart attack due to the model starving herself. Eliana Ramos who was only 18 years old, she followed her sisters footprint after her elder sister Luisna Ramos also suffered a heart attack due to malnutrition. ‘Louise was finding her quest to be a size zero very unglamorous, and her life was no longer how she would like it to be. She was irritable and constantly felt hungry, and having to prepare her family’s food when she could not have any was difficult’.[3] By the death of these models it is showing how the industry of modelling is becoming more pressured for models to ‘make it big’, as size matters a lot these days. Magazine such as Vogue have banned sizes below a UK size 8 due to occurrences of these starving themselves and losing weight to become skinnier than they already are. They are always under pressure and are in constant pressure to lose weight. Leading magazine such as ‘Sugar’ publish ‘healthy models’ and celebrities such as Rihanna and Beyonce also they publish celebrities such as Kelly Clarkson. This is a good example of showing young girls that you don’t have to be skinny to be in magazines.
However gossip celebrity magazines such as ‘Hello’ and ‘OK’, are always criticizing celebrities whatever size they are, for example, Brittany Spears was criticized of being ‘too skinny’ and when she did put on weight she was criticized for being too ‘fat’. By what these magazines are publishing does not help what young girls helping them to see what the right size is and what isn’t. Many celebrities such as Victoria Beckham are mostly on UK magazine covers such as ‘Elle’ and ‘Hello’. This is not a good representation as Victoria Beckham is always under the public eye die to her size as the is classed as a size zero, then is being published on magazine front covers such as ELLE, and OK magazine. This may miss lead females into thinking this might be the right size if magazines are publishing models and celebrities on front covers and think it is acceptable.
Kate Moss who is a successful supermodel and has her own brand line for ‘TOPSHOP’ is also criticized for being far too skinny. However she may not be classed as a size 0 but her BMI is low, and is still unhealthy. She also stated how ‘Nothing tastes good what skinny feels’. She is also been accused of encouraging the UN healthy size zero, and also caters sizes 4 and 6 in TOPSHOP. ‘Superman actress Kate Bosworth and our own "skinny icon" Victoria Beckham, size 0 is now touted not only as an attainable, but a must-get goal by dedicated followers of fashion’.[4] This is a quote from an article found in ‘The Sunday Times’. The article is discussing how celebrities have become icons and role models for young girls, this is seriously affecting how they themselves too. ‘When women aspired to be a perfect size 10? Well, forget that notion because these days a size 10 is seen as positively obese... at least in Hollywood.’[5]This is a quote from a British newspaper; it is discussing how USA is one of the biggest influential countries which promote skinny models and smaller sizes. It has mentioned how the average size 10 is seen as ‘obese’ in the USA today.
Magazine are of the biggest and influential platforms in media , and can mislead the audience into thinking whatever, and by publishing skinny models and criticizing celebrities about their weight can influence young girls and females about the perfect body, therefore always creating a negative image of the body. The fashion industry today especially in Europe , America are accepting fewer models now, mostly everyone in the modelling industry want to cast skinny ‘boy’ framed girls. Comparison to the last 20 years magazines and fashion industry has changed as supermodels such as Twiggy who was a healthy size 8 was covered mostly everywhere and on magazine, now the stakes have been risen and only smaller models are being chosen, ‘I remember the "shock horror" when waif models emerged in the early 1990s, and it happened with Twiggy in the 1960s. But now we are so much more extreme than we used to be. Instead of aspiring to go down to an eight or six, they're going even further’.[6] This is a quote from an BBC article where a woman has expressed her view about the 60’s and comparing to what the situation is now, back in the 60’s women aspired to be a size 6 or eight which is much healthier than what models and females are aspiring to become now, size zero.
Girl band ‘Girl Aloud’ have been criticized for their skinny frames especially Cheryl Cole who is always in the public eye, as she is appears on mostly every magazine cover and is casted for advertisements and reality shows, she is criticized for being too skinny as she is also urging towards becoming a size zero, due to her significant weight loss. It makes me sick, should be banned these celebrities look ill yet young girls want to be like them and starve themselves to death.[7] This is an expression made from a fan; there had been much argument about skinny celebrities appearing on magazine covers and how this is becoming a moral panic. By the increase of these skinny unhealthy models and celebrities appearing on magazine covers is making young girls and a woman think twice about their bodies and is creating a negative body image. Most of the magazine also link to diets that celebs have followed, this can link into the cop cat theory where the audience will copy and undergo diets the celebrities are also taking, however they do not publish how these celebs are also taking professional medical attention and are being monitored.
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[1] Daily mail Kate Moss article
[2] ‘The Truth About Size Zero’ review website
[3] Daily Mail article website ,‘Death of model on catwalk’.
[4] The Sunday Times, article on size zero
[5] Sunday Mirror Newspaper, Size Zero in USA article
[6] BBC News article , ‘Downsizing’
[7] Girls Aloud Forum ’magazine cover debate’
