[AnnieDrews]

...or does this model look completely anorexic? How could anyone think this is attractive? I hate to think what a normal sized teen with body image issues thinks when she sees this. Sad.

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/produc...tegoryID=12420

[candy love]

I don't think she looks anorexic, yeah shes slim but not anorexic.

[astrophe]

I don't know her health profile. ED's are serious and nobody needs to be put down for them. I also don't know how much photo retouching this image has had.

That said, no, I do not find super slim physiques like this image attractive. I prefer a more voluptuous look in women.

HTH!
A.

[zamzam]

Yes she does look Anorexic, eww.... She looks so fragile.

[Starrynight]

I can't say anorexic because that's an ED.. but.. she definitely looks like she'd fall under the "healthy" category for her BMI. She doesn't even fill out the swim suit... While I'm not trying to criticize her as a person, her as the abstract or the selling point of "ideal" does bother me.
I've met plenty of healthy slim girls my age that are already at the lower ends of their BMI, but want to lose more weight.. and these are the girls that influence their internalizations.

It's weird how disconnected the media can cause people to become about their own bodies.
It's bad when a person that is actually overweight and dieting has to tell another person to eat and stop working out twice a day if she wants her period back! (old roommate) *sigh*

[beautifulone]

Yes, I think she looks unhealthy. It seems that few women, especially Caucasian women, are naturally that thin. I hope that's not an inaccurate misconception, it's only something I've noticed.

I don't want to say she looks anorexic, but if I saw someone like this on the streets or the beach I would probably question whether her weight was related to an ED. It is sad that this is an image young girls and women in general strive for or are said/supposed to strive for. I do not find it attractive, primarily BECAUSE it makes me think she's unhealthy. If I knew for a fact she was healthy and she was simply this thin, I think my perceptions would adjust (because I wouldn't want to judge someone who's naturally that thin for their natural body size, in the same way I don't like how overweight people get judged). Hope that makes sense.

[bunnythesAINT]

I think it's the position she's in for one. It doesn't do her a whole lot of justice.

[ANewCreation]

Hummmm that picture sure caught my attention and not in a good way. Maybe that is her body type, but I certainly understand where you're coming from. Maybe it's a camera angle or retouching thing but she doesn't look healthy at all.

She reminds me of my half sister, when she was anorexic, that's for sure

[AnnieDrews]

Originally Posted by astrophe

I don't know her health profile. ED's are serious and nobody needs to be put down for them. I also don't know how much photo retouching this image has had.
A.

Firstly, I did not intend to put this model down if she is indeed anorexic, nor anyone else that might be dealing with an eating disorder.

I should have also said, "Does anyone think this is an appropriate role model image for young girls to be comparing themselves to?" (and we know they do) Rather than, "How could anyone think this is attractive?" I don't want anyone suffering from an eating disorder to think they are unattractive. I could have used better wording.

Sorry if I offended anyone.

[astrophe]

No worries. I'm not offended.

I just know that not everyone at this board is adult. Impressionable teens lurk at diet boards reading what we write. It's the same as impressionable images. YKWIM?

Does anyone think this is an appropriate role model image for young girls to be comparing themselves to?"

Ad images are for selling product. So I woudn't think ANY ad is appropriate as a role model for building body image and self esteem. That isn't what they are for. The main function of an ad is to make you think you need a thing so you buy it. Sometimes, the ad does this by creating anxiety and make you wonder if you have a "problem" so you can buy the product to "fix" it.

Some ads are in poor taste, and others are designed quite well. But I don't think catalog images and ads are good for basing self-esteem and body image on.

Better to build your own fashion style according to what you like and flatters, be healthy and fit, and take pride in yourself and your skills. To hold yourself in good esteem because you know you are a capable person of substance.

Not just all surface or image like some throwaway catalog pix.

A.

[saef]

She is not a role model for me, and I'm basing that mostly on the shape of her arms.

In particular, I am somewhat troubled by her right arm, the one holding the hose which is sprinkling her bare feet.

I would rather have arms like Michelle Obama than like this model's. With such arms, I am assured of being able to carry & lift heavy things, which we all pretty much have to do in this life.

[lauralyn]

I just showed the photo to my 14 year old daughter. She said for a "normal" person she is a bit on the thin side but as far as models go she thinks she is pretty normal.

[GradPhase]

Definitely unhealthy looking.

I think my generation (20-somethings) has a very skewed view of what "healthy" is, since the majority of us ARE overweight, and the majority of the model industry is underweight. It's really hard to find an in-between to aim for. But that little girl's arm looks like its about to snap like a twig, bless her little cotton socks.


ETA: My best friend is 5'7" and 130 lbs MAX, soaking wet, with her winter-fat and parka on. She eats like a horse, but it's just her body type. Tall, skinny, legs for days - and she has to try HARD to gain weight. And she's definitely got more meat on her bones than that girl. And doesn't look nearly as sickly..

[redsox33]

Boycott Nautica!

[giselley]

She's sitting in a funny way, but she looks slender, not anorexic.
Eskinomad has it right, I think. Many of us (not just 20 something) are overweight. I think, for instance that when a person is of the "right" weight, they should be a little "ribby" like a sight hound. I also think that underweight is healthier than overweight. I think that an Anorexic person has an eating disorder in which they do not want to eat. That is different than someone who eats a decent amount of calories and is slim.