Article: Renata Harper from FAIRLADY
Image: AFP

Have models become skinnier?
"I think the 'ideal' woman in popular culture has become thinner,’ says Kubi Rama, CEO of Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA).

"Most older women don't subscribe to this ideal body type, while girls and young women have become more influenced by it."

But editor Suzy Brokensha feels that what's different today is the way that people look at models: "1960s models like Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton and Veruschka were just as thin as today's top models.

"I think in the ’60s the attitude was much more one of "that's them, I am me", whereas today people tend to feel that they too should look like that."

Do fashion magazines take enough care to choose healthy models?
"We always try to choose women who aren't too thin," says Brokensha, "but there's many a kilo dropped between the casting and the shoot.

"Having said that, vast quantities of research agree that women prefer to look at women they aspire to, rather than 'real' women." Still, Rama feels that few magazines pay attention to the shape of real women.

"This is problematic for young women who have become fashion slaves – they want to be skinny and wear fashion that is designed for an ideal body type."

Is the problem competition between models rather than actual industry standards?
Definitely, says Brokensha. "Catwalk models have always been much thinner than editorial models. They are, literally, walking coat hangers: the clothes hang off them, and I agree, that is not healthy.

"But in magazines, we want the woman to wear the clothes, rather than the other way around. Our emphasis is completely different."

Nevertheless, says Rama, competition amongst models is as a result of a fashion industry that feeds this culture. And thanks to the media, this filters down to teenage girls.

Surely, though, some of the responsibility lies within women?
Absolutely, says Brokensha. "It's about being able to look at something and recognise its beauty without allowing it to make you feel inadequate.

"Granted, in a society that values self-improvement over contentment, that is difficult to do." Rama agrees, adding: "We are also responsible for the messages we put out there about each other. We have to respect each other and each other's shapes and uniqueness."

Where do Hollywood standards for thinness fit in?
"What celebs like Posh and Nicole Richie are doing is not about beauty or desirability – it's about competitiveness," says Brokensha.

"But in magazines, fashion is about aspiration. Thinness is not our currency – beauty is." Perhaps, says Rama, "but many of us still subscribe to the white, blonde, skinny ideal body type.

"Diversity of shape, size and race is largely absent from the media and 'glamorous' is epitomised as the ideal, as opposed to how normal people look."

What is your view on the skinny model debate? Share you thoughts with us in the comment box below.