Most women wear a size 16 rather than a 0, 2, or 4, so why do stores and designers continue to ignore the needs of average and plus-size women? In a world where perfection is desired, it is not a surprise that women deal with low self-esteem and eating disorders; society now selects what is considered “beautiful.” To end this epidemic, society needs to readjust its portrayal of a “perfect” body and looks. Both stores and designers need to lend a hand in ending this serious problem because every woman deserves to feel gorgeous and accepted in this strenuous world. All stores and designers should showcase models of different sizes because it would help raise individuals’ self-esteem levels, aid in preventing eating disorders, and would assist in adjusting society’s depiction of a “perfect” body.

  All stores and designers should feature models of different sizes because it would help boost up individuals’ self-esteem levels. Many women around the world deal with poor body depictions; this fact is not surprising due to the amount of pressure society puts on women. Society’s message states that to be blissful and successful, women must be thin. That message can manipulate a woman’s vision of herself which can turn out or be negative. If a woman has little self-esteem, she can swiftly point out her flaws and overlook her positive features. Radar Programs states, “A study showed that women experience an average of thirteen negative thoughts about their body each day.”It has also been proven that many women overestimate the size of their bodies. In a study, the women chosen miscalculated the size of their waists by 25% and hips by 16%; these same women could correctly estimate a box’s width.This can be a colossal problem because it can lead to mental disorders or diseases. Stores and designers are not helping by showcasing the same type of models. A lot of women have revealed that they feel insecure when they examine stores’ catalogs because they do not have the body type of the models. In the future, if stores and designers would feature models of various sizes, it would help in raising individuals’ self-esteem levels and in sending the message that people should strive to be healthy, not thin.

  Eating disorders affect 24 million Americans and 70 million people worldwide. Eating disorders are serious problems all over the world; they can be fatal both mentally and physically. Eating disorders have an impact on different varieties of people including models. North Dakota State University states, “The average model is 5’11 and weighs 117 pounds. An average American woman is 5’4 and weighs 140 pounds; most models are thinner than 98% of American women.” Many models are also below their ideal weights. For example, Gisele Bunchen is 25% below her anticipated weight; it is no shocker that most models are underweight because it is praised in the fashion industry. Georgina Wilkin- a model- was told by her agents to lose a couple of inches off of her waist, so she would be eligible for the best jobs. She did exactly that and was still turned away for being “too big.” In result, Georgina developed anorexia from the pressure to be thin. She declares, “The problem was anorexia brought results. My agents told me that I looked great when I hadn’t eaten for 48 hours. At one point I was hospitalized because I was so ill—a few weeks later I was booked for a Prada campaign.” ?Models are not the only ones that are dealing with the pressure to be thin. Girls are taught from a young age to obsess over the appearances; anorexia is the third most chronic illness among adolescents. This is a problem because a woman with anorexia is twelve times more likely to die earlier than a woman without it. If stores and designers showcased models of numerous sizes, it would put less pressure on girls to be “perfect,” which would lead to a smaller amount of eating disorders.

  Over the years, society has come up with a depiction of a “perfect” body that women feel pressured to achieve if they want to be successful.” That message is expressed through all different kinds of media. A controversial topic in the world today is photoshopping (when a photo editor alters a model or celebrity’s body). Rehabs announces, “83% of adolescent girls read fashion magazines for an average of four hours every week.” When young girls see the edited bodies of models or celebrities in fashion magazines, they start to feel insecure about how they look which can lead to low self-esteem and eating disorders. They are made to believe that the clothes featured will not look excellent on them if they do not have the body type of the models; in a study by Rehabs, anorexic women in outpatient programs reported that they used fashion and beauty magazines as motivation for their own weight loss. The message to be thin is also in television. Skinny female characters are far more common, and are treated much differently than average- weight or overweight female characters. Larger women were more frequently the subject of negative comments; when those characters were insulted by men, the laugh track represented an audience laughing 80% of the time. A People Magazine survey showed that 80% of female respondents felt that women in movies and television shows made them feel ashamed about their bodies; once western television was introduced in Fiji, the rate of eating disorders sky rocketed. The pressure to be thin also comes from commercials. It was proven that 50% of commercials aimed at women mention physical attractiveness. To adjust society’s depiction of a “perfect” body, stores and designers would need to present models of different sizes.

  While many women agree to the idea of stores including models of diverse sizes, some do not. Nigel Barker- an English photographer on America’s Next Top Model- explains that designers can not afford to make clothes in a size 10 or larger. He says, “They (designers) want to make one size that’s a sample size, and for whatever reason, they decide it’s gonna be a 4, or if it’s a large size, it’s gonna be a 6. Quite often it’s between a 2 and a 4, and it fits a girl who’s around 5-foot-9, and that’s their look.” Some stores do not to include plus-size models because they do not want to attract the “wrong crowd.” For example, Abercrombie & Fitch’s CEO Mike Jeffries has stated that he only wants the “cool kids” shopping at his stores, and that plus-size women are not a part of that group. Maayan Zilberman told reporters that her brand wanted to include plus-size models in their first fashion week show, but were shot down immediately by agencies and other designers; there will always be people who do not support plus-size models and clothing, but there is a superior number of people who do and will eventually win out.

  At the end of the day, real women come in diverse shapes and sizes. Once stores and designers realize that, their businesses will extend and they will gain more wealth. Most importantly, there will be millions of delighted customers worldwide. Every woman, man, and child deserves to be confident and to feel accepted and treasured. Society should not have the power to bring people down; if everyone bands together, the world can become a brighter, more positive place where people spread love instead of negativity. In conclusion, all stores and designers should display models of different sizes because it would help raise individuals’ self-esteem levels, aid in preventing eating disorders, and would assist in adjusting society’s depiction of a “perfect” body.