Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Super Thin Models

No, this isn’t' about politics - exactly. I just watched an interview on The View. They interviewed a "plus size" model. That is somehow who models clothes above size 10-12. But, according to most statistics, more than 60% of American women where a size greater than 10-12.

I'm not here to say it's OK to be overweight; by whatever criteria you want to use. What I find interesting and sad is the notion that to be a really famous model you have to literally be emaciated. That got me to thinking, why is it happening?

I think that this trend started with Twiggy back in the 1960's. I don't think it is a coincidence that the first generation she affected was also the first generation born after WWII. In fact, Twiggy is of that generation, as I am. We don' have a personal memory of seeing the emaciated survivors of Hitler’s concentration camps. The generations before us see very thin people and immediately relate it to the horrors of WWII. To them this is no look to emulate; it's just the opposite.

And, as we move further away from WWII, it becomes less real, just an historical event. It loses its power over us. That's too bad. I guess it does show how even the most horrific events fade in our memories and into the past; losing their power to effect us.

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