SKIN AND BONE - Model.Life.

Firstly, I would like to apologize for my silence as it has been quite an interesting couple of passing weeks. It’s always a little bit harder keeping a routine going when the rest of your life doesn’t really have one. But I am definitely not writing this to talk about that. The whole reason for starting this blog was to give the outsider and insight on what the heck is going on in a models life. So for this piece I thought maybe we should start at the beginning to see what the word ‘model’ actually means. It has changed the way I think about myself that’s for sure.

Matt Hind 2016

The word model means a thing (in this case a person) used as an example to follow or imitate. Ok so here has been my thought around this. The first thing people recognize about a model is that she is tall and skinny right? And I guess skinny could just be used to describe slim but what it has come to is that models and well the rest of the world has made it out to be that a model needs to be super skinny, as in skin and bone skinny. That’s what we see on the runway.

I still remember casting for SA Fashion week, or any other Fashion show actually. All models are asked to wear fitted clothing, most of the time we were not allowed to wear jeans to those castings because the client wanted to be able to see your legs, so shorts or a skirt with a fitted top so they can see your body. I always walked in there not feeling skinny enough for the job. Honestly looking at some of those girls, I really felt like I was almost double their size. Anyway I remember going to a fitting for one of the designers and he asked me to put on this jacket… Ok so I’m going to pause here because I don’t really have broad shoulders, but I do know that if you are going to give me an extra small fitted jacket with no stretch my shoulders won’t fit into that thing. Moving on, this designer gave me this tiny little jacket (with no stretch) and asked me to put it on, I did but it was snug, so much so that if I had to completely relax my shoulders the jacket would’ve torn. Like that scene in the movie White Chicks where the one detective is trying to fit into all of the women’s clothes and when he finally relaxes everything just bursts open. (if you haven’t seen it, go watch it, it is hilarious) That’s how I felt in that moment, and when I told the designer it was a bit snug, he looked absolutely disgusted at me and just said it’s not going to work. I felt so big leaving that place, but let’s just be real, even if I lost 10kgs my shoulders wouldn’t have changed.

The country of France made a law that they won’t be using unhealthily thin models on the runway, in fact this law spreads all across Europe. They said that models will be required to provide a doctor’s certificate attesting to their overall health and proving that their BMI (body mass index) sits within a healthy range in order to work. My thought on this… Models were never supposed to be that skinny. I am grateful that someone saw something and decided that it should be against the law for a model to just eat cotton wool or stick her finger down her throat just to fit into the designer clothes. Models were always supposed to be, well, models to the rest of the world. Meaning people should look at them and want to imitate what they look like or the lifestyle they live, that is in essence what the word model means.

I for one have never been just skin and bone, in the model world I’ve always had a bit more of an athletic build, meaning I have some muscle to show instead of just having skinny arms and legs. I always thought to be a great model one must fit into the smallest of sizes and if the client gives you something to wear and it doesn’t fit, you will definitely not get the job. This is all a lie. Being a great model means that whatever you are given to wear, you make it look good, even if they have to pin you into it. I always felt embarrassed telling the stylist or client that something they gave me doesn’t fit, but sometimes they actually give you the wrong size or the make is smaller or you just don’t fit. But if you as model know that you are living a healthy lifestyle, meaning you try to eat healthy and get in the exercise you need, then if the clothes don’t fit, it shouldn’t be the models problem. But we have always made it our problem. If a designer wants a petit model they should book a petit girl with very small sizes. If they want a normal or every day type of look, they should book a person with that body type, or then make the clothes work for them. Models know that they’re jobs are based on what they look like so already the pressure is on, we don’t need to now constantly worry if we are going to fit into clothing that in fact can be altered at the end of the day.

SA Fashion Week 2011

The role as a model is supposed to be a healthy one, where others look at the model and want to also be healthy. Even plus size models can’t just eat what they want, people have different body types, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be healthy just because you won’t fit into that smaller size jean. Our role as models have to showcase a lifestyle that make others want to imitate not because we are super skinny but because we are healthy, doesn’t matter what size or body type you have.

In conclusion I think the role of a model has changed drastically over the past years. Clients are looking for more ‘normal’ looking body types. Within the industry it has become more relaxed on the ‘thinness’ of a model. We still try to keep slim of course; we are measured by our agents and have to keep those measurements to keep us accountable, but in a healthy manner. Now the rest of the world must also jump on board, like Europe has. Don’t look at models with the mindset that she doesn’t eat enough, but rather that she is fit and healthy. I’m sure if people start realizing that there could be a lot less eating disorders and maybe a bit more people exercising, whether it’s in the gym, taking a walk or just doing something in your home. Models carry that responsibility to show the world what it looks like to be healthy and it should draw people in, not make them dislike themselves.