I came acorss an article a couple days ago with an interview from Lara Stone, whom is apparently, a size four. In the article she revealed how "depressing," and difficult it is to be a model in an industry where a size four is considered straight up fat. As a model myself, I know that this certainly true. Stone even explained a scenario that occured a week prior to the interview, "It's depressing when the clothes don't fit and you are always the odd one out...I was on a shoot last week and the stylist took out this tight corset and said, 'here, put it on,' and I was like 'Who are you kidding?' " Lara also discusses her attemtps to lose weight via diet pill, excercise, extreme diets, etc. but claims nothing worked for her. This weight sturggle caused Lara to develop a dependency on alcohol. She cites at one point in the article that she needed a drink to even begin her day. However, after admitting herself into a 1 month rehab program, she has not had a drink in 8 months. This revelaion was shocking to me. I had no idea that she had an alcohol problem. But like she states in the article, these kind of habit (drinking and drugs) often go completely unnoticed in this industry because they are kind of the norm.
This interview made me really sad as well because after modeling for about five years now, I know all to well how she feels and the pressure that follows this career. While I understand and almost kind of sadly agree with, the aesthetic of a clothing hanger to better display the charactersitics and the drapery of a particular clothing item, as a size 2 myself, I have certainly been told to lose weight more than once.
Yes, the rumor are indeed true, the camera (especially when clothed in an unflattering ensemble) definately puts on ten pounds to subject or model's frame.
I find it sad that Lara is still being ridiculed for her truly beautiful, and very THIN! body. I mean she is so tall, she still looks pretty skinny to me!
However, it is indeed, also inspiring to see how much success and popularity Stone has acquired in her four years of modeling. Even more remarkable is staying power and longevity in an industry that can barely guarentee work after two runway seasons.
I also read a lot of other blog responses to this article and they were less than understanding of her Stone's situation. While I understand that her complaining of her weight struggle at a mere size four sounds ridiculous and essentially like utter BS, those of you ciritiszing these statements should really reconsider your words. It is difficult for those not working in the fashion industry to understand the kind of pressure put on models to lose weight, the comments that are made and heard on a daily basis about hw the clothes fit or don't fit, and the extreme and intense sense of competition both for jobs and for thiness in this industry. PLease be sensitive to this industry. Ciritiszing and debasing her statements is not a way to advance or help promote healthy figures in the media.
I think that Lara is doing a wonderful thing by pubicisizing her struggles as model because it lets the rest of the world know that it is difficult to be a model and a lot of times, models do have eating disorers to maintain and keep up with the rest to make a living.
Modeling is not just standing around looking pretty and, I am tired of defending what I do for a living.
Those who say "boo hoo," or "Hand me the kleenex," saracastically in response, are only further making it harder for women to get ahead in the pursuit of being treated and percieved equally in comparison to men. You are also, demeaning and de-validating her experiences and her depression as bull shit rather, than taking her seriously as a human being. Models are mere human beings like the rest of us and a lot of times are treated just as they are supposed to like, coat hanger.
We are not expected to get cold, hungrey, to make mistakes, to have off day, to be sad, to put on a couple of holiday pounds like the rest of America, etc.
This is why, I always say, modeling is acting.
It is not a peice of cake job and it is not just simply "working," when you are on set shooting.
You must go to daily castings, your schedule is subject to change at any moment, just like your financial stability, you must exude the feeling of the shoot no matter how happy or sad or whatever you are that day.
Anyway, I didn't mean for that to go on so long or turn into some kind of feminist rant, I just wanted to say that we should be applauding Lara Stone's courage in coming out about her struggle with weigh at a size 4. Because yes, like a lot of people blogged, it is fucking ridiculous. However, it is, nonetheless going on everyday in this industry and causing a lot of emotional and health related stress to models as well as females across the globe fighting to stay thing because it is what is in fashion or makes us look beautiful, desirable, and whatever else the media is selling to us, and we are buying into.
I think her body is so flawless. And I also by the way, think she is very thin! So sad that others find malnutrition so aethetically pleasing (I am guilty of this as well :( )
V Magazine Shape Issue
On stands January 14th, the shape issue will feature a variety of fashion editorials as well as articles focussing on embracing all different shapes from thin to curvy to plus size.
One pet pieve of mine is the confusion and overlapping of these words. Plus size and curvy in my eyes, are not the same thing. I am very curvy, however, I am a size 2. However, I love how they are focussing on all shapes and sizes because I hate it when editors go overborad with just featuring plus size models.
What we should be focussing on is the acceptance of all shapes and sizes whether you are really skinny, curvy, short, plus size, etc., you can still look beautiful in clothes and love fashion not on how it is healthy to be plus size or the fashion industry should start making these models the center of their ads (because that probably is not ever going to happen.)
This is why I love V magazine! And, Lara Stone. She is skinny but she is healthy looking.
There does NOT have to be such extremes all the time.
Anyway, just stumbled across these to articles around the same time and thought that was ironic and significant.
Cant wait for this issue!
