by Danielle Hieronimi

Created on: July 18, 2008

Taking a look at fashion and modeling brings many topics to mind; only which a few I can properly address. You see, the instant people hear the word 'fashion' or 'modeling', they automatically assume the worst. This is because we have been taught that the media is always false and pushes girls and woman around.

This is most certainly true in some cases, but in others, fashion and modeling are not things to be considered, evil, degrading, or bad. It has been hammered into our heads for so long that the fashion and modeling industries are all about the 'it' look. This is partially true, but in most cases, people take this statement in an entirely wrong way.

Fashion may seem pressuring, as told by many people these days; but that is not the point of fashion. The point of fashion is to create something beautiful and artistic and full of expression. We as people make certain fashions popular, then blame the designers for making it a 'must have' item. This is all wrong. I will show you an example. You see, fashion is an art, as well as Andy Warhol's famous Cambell's Tomato Soup paintings. Did Andy Warhol force people to rave about his work and share it with others? No, he did not. People liked his work and made it popular; this in turn started an uprise in popularity. The same goes for fashion. Allegra Versace does not demmand people to buy all of her things. People like her line and this creates an uprise in popularity. Popularity creates pressure and stress to fit in. Do you see the pattern? It is simply not ALL the industry's fault.

Modeling on the other hand brings up the main topics revolving around eating disorders. People are always accusing models of being bulimic, or anorexic or some other sort of quick weight loss. These statements are also found to be most commonly true, but did it ever occur to them that WE, the consumers, unconciously demand skinny people to advertise things. Take a minute and think about it. Would you be appealed or attracted to buy pantyhose that is advertised by a model with cottage cheese thighs? Most likely the answer is no. Again, instead of blaming it ALL on the modeling industry, we should view it as a way of society. We should accept it, and then also support the more healthy looking models such as Whitney Thompson. She just won America's Next Top Model's recent season. She is a proud young 'plus size' woman of size fourteen and she looks beautiful.

Next time, instead of blaming the fashion and modeling industry for corrupting young girls minds, bossing people around, and setting bad influences, remember this; we believe what we want to believe, and if we want to believe that fashion and modeling are bad, then so be it; but if we admit and acknowledge that we provoke and insinuate these tradtional thoughts, then the world will be a more honest less pressurizing place.

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