You wouldn't want to experience this! Discover the gloomy reality behind the pretense of glamorous lives of models
The thinner the model, the higher her chances of success - unfortunately, this statement still rings true. Yes, the fashion industry has begun to bring women of fuller shapes to the forefront, but agencies still crave skinny beauty!
It's no secret that models wear children's clothes and their luxurious life makes their hair fall out and their gums bleed. They are often victims of ridicule, and prostitution is more common than one might think. Thirteen-year-old girls are on a diet and have to strike sexy poses. They are constantly compared to others and chastised for their weight. Things like this happen all the time.
It's common for models to travel across half the country for a casting without even knowing what kind of campaign they'll be applying for or who will be judging them. It's a complete hit or miss. The constant waiting in hallways until it's their turn is also part of the modeling game.
Tell me, who on earth decided that models had to meet the 90-60-90 ratio? God alone knows, I guess.. But if you look at the body measurements of the most famous models, you find out that these very numbers rule the world! It is no wonder, then, that models eat cotton wool soaked in orange juice instead of lunch or one apple a day.
However, measurements are not the only condition for success. They can also kick you out of a casting because of your skin color or because you have curly hair. Those features aren't considered "classy" enough.
Young models literally go through hell, they usually live in cramped conditions, worse than student dorms. They often get into uncomfortable situations, where they have to reject the photographer's advances while being forced to undress more than they would like.
Over my dead body! That would be my answer if a manager of a modeling agency stopped me to ask if I wouldn't like to sign up my daughter for a casting.
The Dutch Victoria's Secret model Romee Strijd has her own story to tell. She was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) for no reason other than her hectic life as a model. Romee and her partner have been together for more than 10 years, of which 7 years her body hasn't been working as it should have. She lost her menstruation and wasn't able to get pregnant.
This topic is a delicate matter for every woman; we usually find it difficult to talk about it. The model's desire for family was immense, and so she decided to visit experts. If she had neglected treatment, the disease could have caused serious complications.
The doctors' verdict was: "Your body is under constant stress!" "No, that can't be," you're probably thinking. After all, Victoria's angels are happy women who inspire the whole world with their lifestyle. The most famous Victoria's Secret models work out 7 days a week and their food regime is much more strict than in case of ordinary mortals. And no wonder. Fashion shows of this luxury lingerie are the most watched in the world and cost more than 12 million dollars.
Romee says that constant travel, time shifts, daily exercise and excessive control of food were a shock for her organism. That's why she decided to change her lifestyle, slowed down the work out pace and probably also benefited from quarantine, since she announced to the world, with tears in her eyes, that she was finally expecting a baby.
She also speaks about how important it is to slow down and give one's body what it needs. She's never actually felt the stress, because being one of the "angels" had been her lifelong dream and she was happy through it all. But the fact is that a human body needs something other than lifelong sacrifices.
Despite all the not so nice things we know about models, we women want to continue to be deceived, we want to hear that a magical cocktail or pill will help us lose weight and we'll eventually achieve the measurements of models, or that this and this anti-cellulite cream will make our skin perfectly smooth overnight and if we use this miraculous shampoo, our fine hair will suddenly turn into a lion's mane. The topic of wrinkles, breasts and cosmetic surgery never goes out of fashion, yet at the same time, we long for genuineness and real, natural women in advertisements.
Although the fashion industry is gradually beginning to change and becoming more open-minded, it still has a long way to go. We can only hope that this trade in mannequins suffering from eating disorders will end once and for all, and genuineness rather than retouching will come to the fore.
