Do Women REALLY Have Issues with Skinny Models?

I’m already shaking my head at the amount of hate I’m going to get for this article, but I’m ok with that because I think we need to start looking at the bigger picture of things and stop looking through dirty glasses and only picking and choosing what we see and decide to complain about. We all know we have an obesity epidemic on our hands here in the United States—if you are denying that fact, this article is surely going to make your head explode. For those of you open-minded individuals who like to hear other people’s thoughts, opinions, and point of view, you might just see my side of the story and believe it’s accurate.  But, do women have issues with skinny models or with clothing sizes when it comes to their health?

Perhaps it’s a matter of Instagram models are tricking you?

This all began when I read an article online from a female on Facebook who is a counselor and she was complaining about how many young women she sees who have body image issues and therefore skip meals, vomit, etc. in order to lose weight and look like these skinny models. They feel like they have no self-worth if they aren’t skinny. She herself (the woman on Facebook) said it’s unrealistic to look like models today because of all the photo editing they are having done to make them look perfect.

While I agree with the statement of the photo editing, for the most part, the “skinny models” are pretty similar in real life though. It’s not like they are taking women who are 300 pounds and putting them on the cover of a magazine looking 100 pounds. That’s not the case. She then went on to show everyone pictures of her wearing pants in a size 5, 6, 8, and 12. Her complaint was that each pair of pants, regardless of size, fit her exactly the same—no difference. She then stated that the size of pants worn does not determine the beauty of a woman. I completely agree with this. But, it now seems like her beef isn’t with models and the perception of beauty, but rather clothing companies changing their sizes where a size 5 is now a size 12. So again, the wheels in my brain started to turn and I began to wonder what all of this was really about. Does she have a beef with skinny models, or with the changes apparel companies are making to their sizes?

Why We Have an Issue with Skinny Models

These days it seems like both men and women have issues with models. Sure, there are some photo editing being done for magazines and such as I mentioned earlier, but for the most part, many of the models we see today look pretty similar to what you see in magazines. Women seem to be particularly hard on themselves about their weight and their appearance. Why is that? I’m not saying a size 0 is more attractive than a size 18 or vice versa, but the fact of the matter is, if we travel back in time and watch how we evolved, we have gotten larger with every passing year. While body fat is needed for survival, having 35%+ body fat is not exactly the epitome of health. I think we can all at least agree on that?

Related Article: Workouts for Pregnant Women Rocking a Baby Bump

The standard of physiques is constantly evolving. What we all looked like a century ago is not what we look like today. Our eating habits have changed as have our physical activity levels—both have gotten worse. We eat too much processed junk and sugar and sit on the couch when we should be eating lean proteins and green leafy vegetables after going out for a jog or after hitting the weights. Sigh. I digress.

With the change of technology also comes cosmetic procedures. While I feel everyone has their own beauty, many women (and men) are self-conscious about something about their appearance and can generally have a procedure done to change just about any aspect they want altered. I mean heck, we have women becoming men and men becoming women—that’s how far we have come technologically that we can change parts on a gender.

For women, enhancing their breasts is extremely common, as are lip injections and Botox. Men these days are even getting Botox. There is no gender-bias when it comes to cosmetic surgery—especially if you live out in LA. So, because the trend is to get your boobs done, does that mean you need to? No. Remember when your mom said, “if Billy jumped off a cliff, would you jump too?” Same principle. You don’t need to hang amongst the sheep, be your own individual and separate from the herd.

Not everyone is going to look like a model, and therefore we need to stop comparing ourselves to them. Likewise, not everyone is going to be an athlete. Sure, I personally look at them and think I want to be as talented as them. However, I’m a 5’ 9” white boy with muscles and the vertical of a 6-year-old (but don’t get it twisted, I can shoot the lights out if no one is guarding me). This realization is reality. I’ve gotten over the fact that I will never play in the NBA. Stop comparing yourself to other people and be comfortable in your own skin.

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Matt Weik

Matt Weik, BS, CPT, CSCS, CSN, is the Owner and Head Keyboard Banger of Weik Fitness. He is a well-respected, prolific writer with a global following and a self-proclaimed fitness and supplement nerd. Matt’s content has been featured on thousands of websites, 100+ magazines, and he has authored over a dozen published books.