Did you see this: Marie Claire magazine posts "Should fatties get a room?" article.

[RitaE]

You mean to tell me that the lower pic of the model is the one that was fired because this was her body and Ralphy, thought she was too fat?

Yep. And right after her Agent had received a letter from Ralph Lauren saying they were terminating her contract because of her size - she was walking through a mall in Japan and spotted that Ad of her head photoshopped onto that really skinny stretched out body in the blue jean outfit. IIRC correctly they used and an Asian model's body, but even photoshopped that to be longer and skinnier than her natural shape.

That's when she went public.

And that is when I became an ex-Customer of Ralph Lauren clothing.

 

[hambirg]

Isn't it also in the real world?

Uh. . .not really.

Here are some interesting pics. They are from a Mark Fast fashion show. He hired two 14 "plus" size models to walk with the non-plus size models.

Apparently the fat girls:

And their "normal" model counterparts:

 

[Mermaid02]

Those girls all look like they need a shower.


The "skinny" girls look like they are ill in addition to being dirty.

 

[RitaE]

OMG! HIPS AND THIGHS! HIPS AND THIGHS! EEEEEEKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!

 

[luvmy3]

Those girls all look like they need a shower.


The "skinny" girls look like they are ill in addition to being dirty.

I disagree, I think the skinny girls look fine and I'd rather have their body than the bigger girls.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Whomever is designing THESE clothes, and styling THESE woman, feels that they can decide what is attractive?????

 

[Mermaid02]

I disagree, I think the skinny girls look fine and I'd rather have their body than the bigger girls.

I think there should be a happy medium.

 

[luvmy3]

I think there should be a happy medium.

Oh me too, but since those were the only two types to choose from, I'd pick the thinner girls. I also don't see those thin woman as sickly either. I once looked like those thin girls (long ago) and I was far from ill.

 

[Mermaid02]

Oh me too, but since those were the only two types to choose from, I'd pick the thinner girls. I also don't see those thin woman as sickly either. I once looked like those thin girls (long ago) and I was far from ill.

I think sickly is the look they are going for- it's not so much their build as the make up coupled with their build.

AND WHY do they all look dirty??

 

[RitaE]

Oh me too, but since those were the only two types to choose from, I'd pick the thinner girls. I also don't see those thin woman as sickly either. I once looked like those thin girls (long ago) and I was far from ill.

I think they all look grumpy.

I don't think the thinner girls are ugly - but neither are the size 14 models. I do think the size 14 models are more representative of an average Caucasian woman's body size. It is quite normal for an adult woman to develop hips and ****s. There isn't anything unhealthy about it.

 

[luvmy3]

I think sickly is the look they are going for- it's not so much their build as the make up coupled with their build.

AND WHY do they all look dirty??

Gotcha
They are looking garbage chic, maybe Mugato was the designer
(okay that joke may be lost on you if you aren't a Zoolander fan )

 

[luvmy3]

I think they all look grumpy.

I don't think the thinner girls are ugly - but neither are the size 14 models. I do think the size 14 models are more representative of an average Caucasian woman's body size. It is quite normal for an adult woman to develop hips and ****s. There isn't anything unhealthy about it.

I agree with everything you said.

 

[hambirg]

I find this type of oversized, 'bodybuilder' type to be unattractive and disgusting....

I find this to be an unsightly and unhealthy problem issue with body weight and body image, just as I do anorexia and morbid obesity. (the true, 100% excess body fat morbid-obesity)

PS: My husband just walked by, heading out to work and saw this.
It caught his eye because he has been improving his diet and working out.
He knows quite a bit about this, and he says that this posters statement (about what is truly 'morbid obesity'), is not true.
Something about the difference in 'weight', 'body fat', 'body mass'.....

Well, I guess if they actually did a true body composition test, but that's not how BMI is calculated. It is a measurement of height to weight. It does not measure percentage of body fat. It is only a tool used to estimate healthy body weight assuming an "average" body composition. Body builders and strength athletes are told they are morbidly obese all the time. I just ran Derek's stats. He's 6'1" and he weighs 341lbs. His BMI is 45.0. That's morbidly obese according to the definition. Elaine, I'm sure would come in as morbidly obese as well. That's why BMI is not a good tool. And that was kind of my point.

 

[Mermaid02]

I think they all look grumpy.

I don't think the thinner girls are ugly - but neither are the size 14 models. I do think the size 14 models are more representative of an average Caucasian woman's body size. It is quite normal for an adult woman to develop hips and ****s. There isn't anything unhealthy about it.

The third girl down scares me.

 

[FireDancer]

Here are two morbidly obese people I know.

I would clearly rather watch them make out than some of the models in Marie Claire. Be your own judge.

I do think it is odd that we let the fashion industry, heavily made up of gay men, dictate what is considered a beautiful woman. Does anybody remember the Ralph Lauren scandal over this picture?

The more muscular you are the less accurate BMI becomes. The reason that those top two people may be morbidly obese according to BMI but not in reality is because BMI uses only measurement and weight and makes no account for actual body composition.

If a person is one of the normal old overweight sedentary Americans then BMI can be used as a guide but should not be treated as definitive. If someone with no muscle tone and a gut has the exact same BMI as the top photo they could very well be morbidly obese while that particular person isn't because one has much more of their weight coming from muscle and the other has it coming from fat.

I find it at least an over simplification and in reality disingenuous to claim that obesity or morbid obesity is not really that hard of a threshold to reach because according to BMI people who aren't obese are labeled as such. It is only one tool for determining body type and one that in certain situations is known to produce false positives. In that case labeling someone like the first two photos obese based on a method that is prone to mis-diagnose their body type is a way to shift the focus from the obesity onto the faulty measurement tool.

Someone with some common sense can look at a muscular person with 8% body fat and know they are not obese while that same person should be able to look at someone who looks like Precious and know they are.

Also, that last picture was photoshopped so it is meaningless. I can make the fatest person on Earth into a stick figure in photoshop but it would mean nothing.

 

[Mermaid02]

The more muscular you are the less accurate BMI becomes. The reason that those top two people may be morbidly obese according to BMI but not in reality is because BMI uses only measurement and weight and makes no account for actual body composition.

If a person is one of the normal old overweight sedentary Americans then BMI can be used as a guide but should not be treated as definitive. If someone with no muscle tone and a gut has the exact same BMI as the top photo they could very well be morbidly obese while that particular person isn't because one has much more of their weight coming from muscle and the other has it coming from fat.

I find it at least an over simplification and in reality disingenuous to claim that obesity or morbid obesity is not really that hard of a threshold to reach because according to BMI people who aren't obese are labeled as such. It is only one tool for determining body type and one that in certain situations is known to produce false positives. In that case labeling someone like the first two photos obese based on a method that is prone to mis-diagnose their body type is a way to shift the focus from the obesity onto the faulty measurement tool.

Someone with some common sense can look at a muscular person with 8% body fat and know they are not obese while that same person should be able to look at someone who looks like Precious and know they are.

Also, that last picture was photoshopped so it is meaningless. I can make the fatest person on Earth into a stick figure in photoshop but it would mean nothing.

I disagree- it means that the fashion industry is putting a standard out there that is IMPOSSIBLE to live up to.

 

[FergieTCat]

I disagree- it means that the fashion industry is putting a standard out there that is IMPOSSIBLE to live up to.

You left out the end of that sentence:

unless you buy what they are selling.

 

[locolala]

I think they all look grumpy.

I don't think the thinner girls are ugly - but neither are the size 14 models. I do think the size 14 models are more representative of an average Caucasian woman's body size. It is quite normal for an adult woman to develop hips and ****s. There isn't anything unhealthy about it.

I agree that it's normal to have curves, but that doesn't mean you have to be a size 14. I'm a size 4 with curves, and I like to think I'm representative of the average woman.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, Firedancer and Hambirg,
After my husband had walked thru, I went and did a quick search, and then edited my post to add:

EDITED TO ADD: I JUST DID A QUICK SEARCH, AND THIS IS THE FIRST INFO THAT I FOUND:

Who Is Considered Morbidly Obese?
__________________________________________________________
According to the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), the term "morbid obesity" is defined as being 50-100 percent above one's ideal body weight, or 100 pounds above one's ideal body weight.

A person with a BMI (body mass index) value of 40 or greater would also be considered morbidly obese. An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered merely "obese."
__________________________________________________________

Looks like we could use a MUCH better definition of obesity.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

I agree that it's normal to have curves, but that doesn't mean you have to be a size 14. I'm a size 4 with curves, and I like to think I'm representative of the average woman.

And exactly how tall are you? Because models are in the 5' 10, 5'11 range.

Height makes a difference, you know.