Pressures on Women in the Modeling Industry

INTRODUCTION

In today’s society there is an obsession with body appearance and the role the media plays in determining what is considered beautiful. Young women all over the country see these incredibly thin models in magazines and on television commercials and strive tirelessly to achieve this unattainable image. In many cases their obsession can lead to serious illnesses such as anorexia or bulimia. In the 2004 article by Kelley Massoni entitled “Modeling Work: Occupational Messages in Seventeen Magazine”, the author discusses how the process of genderizing begins very early and is heavily influenced by what children see and read in the media. According to Helga Ditmar and Sarah Howard’s article “Professional Hazards?” The impact of models’ body size on advertising effectiveness” many women in western cultures appearance is central to their self-definition. Women’s body image and the way it relates to their own sexuality has been a very important aspect of the feminist movement in the past century. By showing that they own their bodies, they have fought to fight off the way men perceive them and find their own self-identity. Our class reading, “Sexualities, Identities, and Self-Determination” discusses in detail many ways in which women are finding their own self-identity. In the modeling industry, women have learned to master their control over their bodies. As we continue to further our research with the women we are interviewing, we will see how these real models feel they agree with this.

PURPOSE OF RESEARCH

The purpose of our research is to explore the pressures that young women face in the modeling industry. Our objective is to ask them questions to see how being a model impacts their lives and how that affects their body image and self-confidence. We want to know the women’s opinion on how modeling may positively or negatively impact their lives and how it may change how they view themselves and others. Through this project we seek to get an inside look on an industry that has a wide-spread impact on young women everywhere. We interviewed three different models to see if/how they have to cope with societal pressures of being skinny and fitting a certain appearance. The three models we interviewed are; Sarah Pope, Caitlin Gonick, and Ashley Hill. One reason we decided to interview these girls was because they were all close to us in age. We also thought these girls would be beneficial to the success of our research, because they were all well experienced in the modeling industry. We wanted to find out if their self-image has changed at all as a result of modeling and if so, how they decided to go about dealing with having to change their appearances.

INTERVIEWS

Sarah Pope

The first model our group interviewed is a junior at the Kennesaw State University named Sarah Pope. When people first hear that she is a model she is often approached with negative stereotypes, which question her intelligence. Sarah happens to be a Biology major. Sarah got started in the modeling industry as a child when she was approached by an agent while working as an extra in a movie. She chose to model for her specific agency because they did not force her to change who she is. “It’s not going to be my career, but I enjoy spending minimal amount of time for the amount of money that I get.” She explained to us that the classic movie stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn were her big influences to get started in fashion and modeling. Sarah has done many different types of modeling including runway, showrooms, modeling for individual stores, and wholesale modeling. She told us that even though there is a lot of pressure to be incredibly thin, she feels comfortable with her body image. Her agency typically signs models from sizes 4 to 6, however she explained that there are agencies who want their models to be sizes 2 or lower. Sarah told us that eating disorders are very common in the type of modeling that she does. “Some girls talk about the two cornflakes and raisin that they ate in a day… tiny, model lunch, it’s interesting.”

Caitlin Gonick

Elizabeth and Brie met Caitlin Gonick, a 22 year old model from Atlanta, Georgia. At first glance, it was noticable that she was naturally very beautiful and thin. Caitlin does not attend college, and modeling is her full-time job. She has worked for several companies, doing advertisements for Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and other clothing companies, which include Guess and Jovani. Caitlin’s sister owns a restaurant in Atlanta, where many people who are involved in the modeling industry work. When eating dinner one night there, an agent asked her if she would like to get involved in the modeling industry. After working a few runway shows, Caitlin’s family really motivated her to become a full-time model. All the members of her family convinced her that she should "use her beauty and passion for the style industry as her career." Despite her natural way of being thin, Caitlin admitted to feeling the pressures of magazines, such as Vogue and Glamour, and the models who work the runway for top designers, to stay thin, or become even thinner. Celebrities, she said, also influence her to try to look as beautiful as she can when working. Caitlin told us that “when she tells people, men in particular, that she is a model, she feels that the men only talk to her and are interested in her because of her appearance.” In the end, despite the pressures that Caitlin has felt because of the modeling industry, she told us that she feels secure about her body and herself because her family and friends support her in everything she does and accepts her for the person she is, not because of what she looks like or her career as a model.

Ashley Hill

Our third and final interview was Ashley Hill. She has been modeling for three years. She was approached by a modeling agent while shopping at the Mall of Georgia. Heidi Klum is a woman who inspires her because of her extreme courage and show of strength in leaving her home in Germany to come to the United States to pursue her dreams even though she did not know anyone. Ashley stated that "The pressure to look thin is always there but you have to have enough confidence in your own body to overcome what other people want you to be". She believes that men view her as a stuck up and shallow person because she is a model. She also mentioned that "men view her more as an object than as a person". In response to our question regarding body image pressures Ashley responded "I have good genes, thin runs in my family, but I know that when models see someone thinner than them they feel that pressure to achieve 'ultra skinny'. This goes back to being confident in your own skin". Overall Ashley gave an approach of confidence and positivity towards the pressures involved in the world of modeling, even though she is constantly confronted with them.

Conclusion

After interviewing these three women regarding their experiences in modeling, they all provided us with both a positive image of modeling and also enlightened us on the negative aspects of as well. Caitlin, our third interviewee, really explained how she has relied on her family and friends for extra support. All our models have a very positive attitude towards their body images and do not let the pressures from the modeling world affect their careers. Although they have noticed how the industry does have an affect on other models, the models we interviewed were strong women who have broken the stigma and overcome the cruel industry and their harsh standards.

Group reflection

This project was very interesting and informative. The women we interviewed gave us great insight into the world of modeling. We learned that many of the stereotypes people and society hold about models are untrue. We felt the women were very candid and open about the good and bad things that happen in the industry. The project was a great experience for all of us because we were able to get a real life story on a topic that we are inundated with everyday. This really gave the group a different perspective on models and the impact the modeling industry has on them. For instance, we learned about the unhealthy pressures agencies can put on models. However, we were pleased to find out that one model, Sarah Pope, signed with her agency because they did not push her to be smaller than her natural, healthy size. Overall, this was a positive experience that taught the group a lot about the modeling industry and the women involved in it.