Rudd to ban thin models (2 Viewers)

[Enteebee]

Well obviously it's extremely contentious, but... well we have more of a problem with fat kids than anorexics, all said and done (quantitatively, IDK, I guess you could argue anorexia's a much more serious problem in most cases). In Singapore they set up a program through the schools of excercise etc to get the fat kids thin, those who don't sign up for it get ridiculed by their peers for not doing something about it and it's been extremely successful at getting kids fitter.

Perhaps this will down the track lead to a few suicides or something, so I'm not too comfortable with it... still, it's pretty interesting.

 

[Graney]

Eating "disorders" are a legitimate lifestyle choice, I'm sick of government meddling with my right to be self-destructive.

 

[^CoSMic DoRiS^^]

true, but

it's not a snap judgement.

there's a different between those girls there, and these ones:
http://www.ljplus.ru/img/n/i/nicky_santoro/run30.jpg

we could bring the whole male-modelling thing in here as well
what's with gucci hating the 'buff' look?

I see your point but I don't think it's right to draw the line based on visuals. Someone can look unhealthily skinny without being so, and someone can look a bit overweight without actually being unhealthy, etc. The only person who can really measure whether someone's weight is right for them or not would be a doctor, not the government looking at some magazines and going omg so skinny, someone think of the children, real women yeah.

Obviously there are models out there who really need to pick up a fork. But I don't think that should condemn a whole category of women who really are for one reason or another, very thin.

 

[Enteebee]

Truthfully, how is our domestic legislation going to change things anyway? Unless they're saying we will no longer be getting foreign tv/magazines? :\ I mean tbh I think most girls idolise Hollywood icons more than 'models'.

 

[maad]

i really disagree with the PM's take on the issue
i wish that girls in the modelling industry didn't feel pressured to be thin- that sucks, i know
but people shouldn't be discriminated against because they're too thin
i have a BMI of 16 (4 below what is considered healthy) and i have never been on a diet, i don't eat vegetables and i have so much junk per day it isn't funny
and what's more is there are plenty of people like me
and because of this new policy of the PM, we're gonna be discrimnated against in the modelling industry

we shouldn't be punished because we don't have the kind of metabolism that allows people to gain weight

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

Well obviously it's extremely contentious, but... well we have more of a problem with fat kids than anorexics, all said and done (quantitatively, IDK, I guess you could argue anorexia's a much more serious problem in most cases). In Singapore they set up a program through the schools of excercise etc to get the fat kids thin, those who don't sign up for it get ridiculed by their peers for not doing something about it and it's been extremely successful at getting kids fitter.

The day I take advice from dem pointy head, slanty eyed mutha fuckers is the day you call me a demicrat!

But what a ludicrous policy. Is mental distress worth nothing to those Singaporeans?

Obviously we are misunderstanding each other. I don't think health testing would be a bad thing, and I'm certainly not advocating exploiting people who are not physically fit to work. I'm just saying that considering the relative lack of regulation in the modelling industry as it stands now, that to suddenly introduce measures where every model has to undergo a health check every time she steps onto the runway, would be quite hard to establish and regulate. For sure it would be a good idea. Actually making it happen in a way that can be monitored properly is a whole other thing, girls will slip through without being checked, how are you going to stop that?

A gradual implementation would be acceptable too. As for the last part, obviously we would aim to minimize slipping through the cracks somehow. How? Iuno. Launch and inquiry and go from thar!

Also I would worry about models who are just naturally quite stick like being turned away from jobs on the basis of stupid measures like BMI.

Eh, I was under the impression doctors didn't even use the BMI that much anymore. There are other ways, likesay.

And another thing, at the end of the day I really think it's up to every individual person to take responsibility for their health, not for other people to do it for them. Girls who starve themselves to be skinny are ridiculously stupid but I'm not going to say I think we should step in there and force them to stop, at some point it's gotta be up to you to take control of your own circumstances.

I thought that Rudd was trying to stop these people from being rolemodels. Snowball effect, ya? One model is skinny. Succeeds. Others emulate. Repeat lots.

 

[Captain Hero]

Eating "disorders" are a legitimate lifestyle choice, I'm sick of government meddling with my right to be self-destructive.

If you fuck yourself up by eating too little or not too much that's your choice.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

Self-destruction is ok, but encouraging it is bayd.

 

[housah0lic]

this whole debate is gay

fashion models should stay skinny

simply because clothes looks good

they wanna starve themselves because so sample sizes fit well and they bag more jobs, so be it.

i don't know anyone who has looked up to ana models and longingly thought "oh i want to look like that with all my bones and shit poking out" . it's more of a 'hot/attractive body' mantra with teenage girls these days

ones who do want to look all bony are the ones with the mental problems, or other unerlying problems, e.g. stopped eating cos of family issues or the like

yeh you get those odd few who do look up to the models , but the whole issue is stupid

rudd the fuck should focus on other things than something as miniscule and inane as this

 

[Hollieee]

I just think you can't win- you're either skinny and 'unrealistic' (which is odd, because there are quite a few skinny people, therefore it can't be too unrealistic?) or you're too fat and 'lazy and lacking self control'.
Thing is, I know people that are bigger than skinny people, and a whole lot healthier and fitter, so obviously skinny doesn't equal healthy, but nor does it equal unhealthy.
Pretty stupid to ban skinny models. There are plus sized models out there as well, so where's the problem? Didn't one win Americas Next Top Model recently (mind you I wouldn't have called her 'plus sized'... just not skinnyskinny)?
My point is, why not just leave them alone. You have all types of models, and therefore everyone is represented. Surely people are smart enough to know whats healthy and realistic when it comes to lifestyle choices.
Women don't just see a skinny model and go OMIGOD I HAVE TO LOOK LIKE THAT I'M NOT GOING TO EAT?!!?!! are they? On top of that, I thought we were fighting an obesity epidemic. I wouldn't have thought the way to do that was to ban skinny models and force bigger women on society. Not that bigger women aren't gorgeous =)

Anyway, the whole thing is pretty stupid. People shouldn't be encouraged to be a particular size, whether that's an 8 or a 14. They should be encouraged to be healthy and maintain the weight right for their bodies. I have a friend who is fairly tall and doesn't have a naturally small build. She started losing weight, looked brilliant at 60kgs, but kept going and ended up about 50kgs, and let me tell you now, she looked ridiculous skinny. Bones were jutting out everywhere and she looked completely emaciated. More or less, ideal weights are different for anyone.

Sorry, bit of a rambling mess...

EDIT; if you didn't want this shit, you probably shouldn't have voted for Ruddy-dear.

 

[^CoSMic DoRiS^^]

I thought that Rudd was trying to stop these people from being rolemodels. Snowball effect, ya? One model is skinny. Succeeds. Others emulate. Repeat lots.

While I will concede that people who are in the public eye a lot (models, actors, musicians, whoever) can be used as role models by other people, I don't think any of those people have a responsibility to be a "good" role model. They're still people who should be allowed to make their own decisions. E.g. Amy Winehouse is a one woman drugfucked disaster but I see no reason why we should condemn her for that on the basis that she's a bad role model for young people. Yeah she probably is, so what? If you're dumb enough to emulate her you deserve to end up in the same place.

Same sort of thing applies to models. Yes models are more likely to succeed if they are skinny so obviously aspiring supermodels will follow suit. Yes, some girls and women are going to look at that and use it as their own personal standard to reach. Should the model be held responsible for these women's stupidity and made to look "healthier"? I don't think so.

As others have said, if a girl has an eating disorder it's pretty unlikely that viewing fashion shows was the sole contributor. TBH I do not even know many people if any who follow models to a point where they would become their role model. Clearly some people do try to emulate them, but that's a personal choice and I think it's wrong to censor what a model can and can not look like just because some people cannot handle...life. Models are skinny, get over it people.

 

[Captain Hero]

Dieting is fucking retarded anyway. The only thing that affects you losing weight is doing exercise. It's also cumulative in that doing exercise stimulates your metabolism by increasing your overall level of muscle mass. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

EDIT: BMI is also fucking retarded.

 

[scarybunny]

Omg Whitney wins this season?

Fucking HATE her.

Haha yes. Megan cares about the big issues.

 

[chicky_pie]

Pfft Kevin Rudd is just jealous these fabulous models aren't fat like his whale wife, Teresa.

 

[housah0lic]

you can lose weight only dieting, but you'll lose more quicker and have a better body when exercise is supplementary.


lol america's next top model. rubbish show. tyra does not know how to pick a model. out of all the cycles probably less than 5 contenders had true potential and even then any formidable reputation they had was tarnished by the fact that they were on antm.

australia's next top model, on the other hand...

 

[Hollieee]

Lol I'm actually quite addicted to both versions. And yeah, Whitney is fucking annoying. Pretty sure she is the most fake person I've ever seen on TV; sort of like a typical American cheerleader type you see in the movies. I didn't think they actually existed, I always thought they were some sort of exaggerated sterotype.. But nevermind. =) When I found out she won I was so surprised. Actually it took me a really long time to realise she was even 'plus size'- I didn't realise ANTM let plus size models on? So yeah, I hardly noticed. Then again, I rarely notice other peoples bodies...

I don't know enough about modelling to be able to pick a true contender. I just know which ones I think are pretty and have a good personality, and which ones are shit. That said, I'd prefer Whitney there than Lauren. Urgh.

Actually, having thought about it all, when I watch the Top Model shows, they motivate me to do exercise. It's really weird. Not because I want to be as skinny as them by any stretch of the imagination, but for some reason the show just motivates me to be healthy. Weird =) Maybe it's just cause I wanna be as comfy in a bikini as they are?... Hmmm.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

While I will concede that people who are in the public eye a lot (models, actors, musicians, whoever) can be used as role models by other people, I don't think any of those people have a responsibility to be a "good" role model. They're still people who should be allowed to make their own decisions. E.g. Amy Winehouse is a one woman drugfucked disaster but I see no reason why we should condemn her for that on the basis that she's a bad role model for young people. Yeah she probably is, so what? If you're dumb enough to emulate her you deserve to end up in the same place.

I think that's a strange comparison to make. If being Amy Winehouse was a promising career path then yes, she should be stopped by a government, but as it stands she's a dud and not many aspire to be dud's. On the other hand, if being horrifyingly skinny gives greater access to a particular career pathway, I think that ought to be limited.

As others have said, if a girl has an eating disorder it's pretty unlikely that viewing fashion shows was the sole contributor.

But it's still a contributor, no? What benefits come of allowing skinny models, hmm?

 

[^CoSMic DoRiS^^]

I think that's a strange comparison to make. If being Amy Winehouse was a promising career path then yes, she should be stopped by a government, but as it stands she's a dud and not many aspire to be dud's. On the other hand, if being horrifyingly skinny gives greater access to a particular career pathway, I think that ought to be limited.



But it's still a contributor, no? What benefits come of allowing skinny models, hmm?

When did I say there were any benefits? I just don't think the government ought to have the power to say what is and isn't an acceptable body type to show. Unless their attitude is going to be "every HEALTHY body is okay no matter what it actually looks like" instead of "someone think of the children, if you're skinny you're a BAD influence on vulnerable girls" there will be no benefit to Rudd's idea.

Also our opinions on whether someone is "horrifyingly" skinny or not don't really matter. The issue should be health not aesthetics. Someone who looks too skinny to you might be perfectly fine, and its not up to anyone except a doctor to say they aren't.

Not to mention that I don't think the government should have the right to put limits on people's personal aspirations. We are supposed to live in a free society, if you want to go and do ridiculous things in the name of beauty so you can enter a cutthroat industry that I find it hard to believe anyone really enjoys being in, well so be it. Go right ahead. I shouldn't have the right to stop you just because I don't like what I see.

 

[Hollieee]

Here here =)

 

[Alfred.Einstein]

models actually do inspire girls to want to become thinner.
this is what the fashion industry is like, and has been since twiggy became a highe sensation during the 1960's.

models are plainly hired to be "walking clothes hangers"
so girls naturally shouldnt feel as though they should be that thin
but they obviously do.

no matter what this is going to happen so the gov. should just leave it.

plus more people die due to illnesses releated to obesity; rather than anorexia/ bulimia.

its virtually discrimination.
many girls livings depend on the work they are getting as a model, and they cant help it if that is what the industry demands.

designers need certain models of a certain small size to fit into their sample clothes.
it is all standardised.