The incredible shrinking model →

It’s funny how Natalia went from this:

‘I come from a poor background,’ Vodianova told the carefully vetted crowd of fashionistas and their critics. Anna Wintour, the editor of American Vogue, sat to her right. ‘I ate because I wanted to stay alive, and it never occurred to me to think of food in any other way.’ In 2000, when she arrived in Paris at the age of 17, she discovered that her fellow models were obsessed with weight. ‘At first I kind of sneered, thinking that this would never affect me. But as I began working, I began paying attention to my body shape for the first time … Eating was secondary. But I found a lot of new friends who were living the same lifestyle, and things were far too exciting to worry about it.’

At 19, Vodianova gave birth to a son and quickly became skinnier than ever, impressing the fashion world. At five foot nine, she weighed only 106 pounds, her hair was thinning, she was anxious and depressed - and she was a runway star with her first major advertising contract. After a friend confronted her, she sought help and got healthier, adding a few pounds. But when she got up to 112 pounds, her agent sat her down: Designers were complaining she wasn’t as thin as she used to be. ‘I defended myself, saying it was crazy to consider measurements like 33-27-34 to be normal. I think because I was one of the girls most in demand it helped me to be able to forget the incident quickly. On the other hand, it makes me think that if I had been weak at the time, I can really imagine how it could have helped me endanger myself.’

The models she had met on her way to the top, she told the audience, were more malleable. ‘They were very young, a lot of them were very lonely, far from home and their loved ones. Most came from poor backgrounds and were helping their families. They left their childhood behind with dreams of a better life, and for most of them, there was nothing they wouldn’t do to live those dreams.’

To the post below… “Come on, guys! It’s better to be skinny than to be fat!” I am actually irate right now.

luckypaperstars:

“WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!” “WHO ELSE IS PREGNANT - AND WHO’S JUST FAT!”

This disgusts me to no end. NO. END.

Why do the tabloids insist on commenting on women’s bodies? Why?! They have no right to do so. They have no right to scrutinize every inch of a woman’s body for any reason. Women are allowed to do whatever they want with their own bodies and it is of no legitimate concern to anyone else. Especially the media.

Magazines will sell regardless of whether or not you comment about someone’s weight. Magazines will sell because people are interested in celebrities’ lives (which is a whole ‘nother ball of wax). People will buy magazines to find out what their favorite singer’s house looks like or how he raises his child or how their favorite actress likes to spend her free time. What is unnecessary is picking apart what they eat, how they work out, or what “medical professionals” say about the way they look. You know why? Because now people are not only buying magazines, but they are buying into the idea that health doesn’t matter. They are buying into the idea that a 1200 calorie meal plan and 2 hours of working out every day is okay. They are buying into the idea that weight is connected with worth. They are buying into these unrealistic images that for some reason celebrities choose to perpetuate. They are giving young girls permission to be scared of being fat, to compare themselves to other girls, to make connections between sexuality and weight, and ultimately hate the way they look.

I try to not curse on this blog, but I only have one thing to say about tabloids’ obsessions with weight: IT IS FUCKING US UP.

(via amyohconnor)