Excerpts from an online survey of 25,000 individuals in 45 countries (Jan. 30, 2007):
Female fashion models are “too thin” reported by:
- 81% of all people sampled.
- Close to 90% of people in the fashion capitals: New York, London, Paris and Milan.
- In the U.K.: 89% of people, 93% of women, 93% of women in the age range 35-39 and 97% of women in the age range 45-49 (Note that the overwhelming majority of the women in the age range that have the most disposable income to spend on designer clothing finds female fashion models too skinny).
- 89% in Brazil and Canada, 88% in Austria and Spain and France, 91% in Argentina, 83% in Italy, 87% in U.S.A.
- 94% of Norwegians, 92% of New Zealanders and Swiss and 90% of Australia.
- 59% in Vietnam, 64% in India, 63% in Japan, 65% in Lithunia, 72% in Russia.
Comment: The low figures in Vietnam and India may be partly related to the weak physical build of their people, whereby European high-fashion models may not look too weakly built to them. Alternatively, these people, along with Eastern European nations, do not have much of a high-fashion scene and may not be sufficiently exposed to the norm among Western high-fashion models or their own fashion models may not, on average, be as skinny as Western ones.
Nevertheless, it is clear, once again, that people should not be referring to the “societal obsession with being skinny” to explain why the highest status female models, namely high-fashion models, are typically skinny because there is no such societal obsession. Women in Western societies typically want to be slim, not skinny.
Comments
People got different standard, I find kate moss is skinny eventhrought I like her shape and don't mind her skinny shape. some of my friend ( european) find kate moss has good shape for him and not skinny.
I also know some guy that his girlfriend is skinny and weight only 99-100 IBS, tall 168 cm., almost no breasts. he finds his girlfriend has got the good hourglass shape and fatter than some women that most of people find she has average shape. I think this depending on the different openions. such as, if you like this woman so you find she has got the good shape eventhrought everyone find she is too skinny.
in south east asia, many of good shape women have got the weight around 80-107 IBS. the tallness is 165-177 cm. that's too small and skinny for western people.
Regardless of ppl having different standards though, the point is MOST people of the general public and straight community - men or women- find most fashion models TOO SKINNY as there is a BIG DIFFERENCE between SICKLY SCARY DYING THIN as embodied by FASHION MODELS many of whom HAVE DIED for their jobs as seen in the news recently and tragically- and between HEALTHY FIT NORMAL SLIM by normal women in society. This stands true even taking other factors into account. And the reason is obvious. But I doubt it will change soon unless the writer of this site can get through to more ppl.