Does Abercrombie And Fitch's Models Cause Eating Disorders?

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Have you ever wondered how thin can you be before it’s unhealthy? In our society, four out of ten girls are struggling with eating disorders (Ekern). One of the most common types of eating disorders is Anorexia. Anorexia is an eating disorder causing the victim to be consumed by losing weight and how much they eat. The person struggling with this disease is uncomfortable by his or her body weight and wants to lose weight (Segal). Models have extreme physical expectations that they have to live up to. These unrealistic goals can have major effects on not only the healths of themselves, but others too. There should be changes in the physical requirements for modeling because the guidelines give men and women unrealistic values for themselves; …show more content…

The CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch, Mike Jeffries, has stated that he only wants ‘thin and beautiful’ customers to wear his clothing. Jeffries has also said that he doesn’t want ugly and larger people to wear his clothing which is why the company does not sell a large amount of bigger sizes. All of Abercrombie and Fitch’s models are skinny and have muscular bodies. If a teenage boy or girl is exposed to this, it can cause Anorexia. If an observer doesn’t look like the models at this particular store, then they will feel ugly and fat. This can then lead to Anorexia. If more plus size models were being shown in stores like Abercrombie and Fitch, then the amount of people struggling with anorexia will go down …show more content…

Over time with the help of technological advances, more models are being shown every day than they were 50 years ago. This is why anorexia is increasing. If the standards for modeling were changed then people would have a chance to focus more on achievements in politics, academics, athletics, and the arts. Individuals are so consumed with their physical appearance that it affects all other areas of their life. Not only do Anorexic models cause Anorexia in others, but it encourages other Anorexic viewers to think the disease is normal. Anorexic models can cause other Anorexic viewers to feel okay about this health condition. One out of three Anorexic people receive treatment for their condition (Ekern). Anorexic models that are shown in magazines and television ads appear every day. This is accepted as normal to people that already are dealing with Anorexia. If Anorexic viewers see these images, it influences them to either not get help or to continue living with this disease. If the standards for modeling were changed, then viewers would see more healthy, normal looking models in their everyday lives. Instead of influencing viewers negatively, the healthier models would influence people in a positive way. This would also help the percentage of Anorexia in models go

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