The Negative Impact of the Fashion Industry on American Teens

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“Fashion is the most powerful art there is. It’s movement, design and architecture all in one. It shows the world who we are and who we'd like to be” (Marsi). Blair Waldorf captures the essence of the fashion industry perfectly and how truly influential it can be. While there are many positive assets to the fashion industry, it has a negative impact on children and teenagers of today by promoting an unhealthy body image like that of the scrawny fashion models seen in current runways and magazines.

Over time, the beauty and fashion standards of women have changed drastically. Take a look at the 1950’s, for example, and notice the admirable qualities many fashion stars possessed. In the 1950’s, models were purely utilized to show off the clothes in fashion shows – isn’t that what fashion is about? They were naturally thin and fit, as they are presently, but extreme gauntness and striving to be the single scrawniest human being on the planet wasn’t an issue. Models back then didn’t make the general public feel self-conscious; it was all about the clothes. Lesley, a Vogue model from the 1950’s explained that models “were a standard size twelve and never as thin as they are nowadays,” and even though sizes are measured dissimilar to back then, it is a substantial difference from the size double-zero models of today (1950s Vogue Model). Models and fashion icons in the 1950s not only had a fuller figure, thus promoting a healthy body image, but a natural look as well. Vintage photographs reveal thick thighs, curvy figures and full busts. These women appeared voluptuous, feminine – and above all – normal, inspiring the 1950s to soon become one of the most admirable eras of fashion in history.

In comparison, supermodels...

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