Some call it the event of the year, others the media’s most highlighted fashion show. But is the Victoria Secret Fashion Show a fashion show at all, or just another way for the body image of young girls to become even more skewed?
On Wednesday, November 13, Victoria Secret had its 2013 Fashion Show at the Lexington Armory in Manhattan. Models such as Adrianna Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Karlie Kloss and Behati Prinsloo strutted the runway in lingerie, elaborate costumes, jewelry and the occasional set of wings. Candice Swanepoel (pictured above) was the model chosen to wear the $10 million dollar jewel-incrusted Fantasy Bra. The show’s performers included Taylor Swift, Fall Out Boy and Neon Jungle.
Although the fashion show will not air until December 10, the premise of the annual show, which began in 1995, is constantly called into question. Since its 2001 airing on television, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has continuously received complaints from parents concerning the models’ lack of clothing.
While it is great to see artists such as Taylor Swift and Fall Out Boy perform and revel in the detailed artistry that surely most go into making the detailed costumes worn by the models – when is enough…enough?
The Victoria’s Secret Angels are undeniably gorgeous and with the rigid diet plans they must follow, all have achieved what most Americans would consider to be the “perfect body”- tall and thin with the sought-after “thigh gap.” To do editorial and fashion modeling for the company, a woman must be between 5’8 and 6’0 and weigh between 90 – 120 lbs.
The problem with those numbers is that the average American women is 5’4 tall and weighs 166 lbs. Furthermore, the models, who all range from 5’8 to as tall as 6’1 like Karlie Kloss, weigh less than 120 lbs — which falls below the healthy standards of 132 -145 lbs for women of their stature.
While the models may claim to exemplify healthy standards such as balanced dieting and intense workouts, their presence only makes young girls question why their bodies do not resemble that of the models.
At a 2012 TED event in Washington, D.C., Cameron Russell, a Victoria Secret fashion model, spoke about her experiences on the runway.
She explained, “Image is powerful – image is also superficial.”
Russell went on to say the images are all “constructions” built by “professionals” such as photographers, make-up artists and hairstylists.
After showing images of herself in her everyday life versus in a photo shoot, Russell cited a statistic explaining that “53 percent of 13-year-old American girls are unhappy with their bodies” and that number rises to 78 percent by the time the girls reach 17 years old.
With those numbers in mind, it is obvious that seeing models with toned legs and defined abs walk the runway on national television will only make young girls feel more self-conscious about their own bodies.
So what are we to do?
Ban the Victoria Secret Fashion Show? Stop using Photoshop on all images? Put out disclaimers for young girls?
Since none of that is within our control, we as women need to start valuing our bodies and understanding that every woman feels the same way.
Even Cameron Russell, one of the world’s most beautiful women, explained how she always feels “insecure.” Instead of promoting the perfect body, we should promote the realistic body and the healthy body.
Perhaps Victoria’s Secret should remember, “the true essence of beauty is being comfortable in perfect imperfection.”