German magazine swaps thin models for real women

[JackLuis]

Real or Thin, which do you prefer?

[Liar]

I think thin women around the world would be quite befuddled to find out that they are, in fact, not real.

[3113]

Originally Posted by Liar

I think thin women around the world would be quite befuddled to find out that they are, in fact, not real.

This has been known for a while, actually. They're walking fantasies of what some real women want to look like. The pity is, we can't seem to get women with this amazing feminine psychic talent to create anything else. They go into a clothing store, can't fit into a size 8 pair of jeans, and *bam* another fantasy thin woman comes into existence.

[jomar]

No pics?

[DeeZire]

I saw an article in the morning paper recently. The gist of it was that women who gain weight as they age see a corresponding decrease in their health and life expectancy.

On the concept of "real" women, are athletes real women? In other words, is being physically fit considered unreal or unacceptable? Or is being physically unfit seen as an acceptable norm? If so, I'd suggest our society has a very strange values system. Granted, some runway models do look a little emaciated, but some look just fine. Suggesting that they all need to have the same appearance as a corn fed midwesterner who is 20 pounds overweight seems a little small minded to me.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm

Percent of noninstitutionalized adults age 20 years and over who are overweight or obese: 67% (2005-2006)

[JamesSD]

Like most men, I've never been that much of a fan of the rail thin model. Men like tits, hips, and asses; compare the physiques of pornstars and playboy models to runway models. The middle ground tends to be swimsuit/lingerie models, although they're often super skinny chicks with huge (natural) boobs.

However, the US has a serious obesity problem amongst both men and women. From a public health perspective there definitely is a point where heavy becomes too heavy. Risks from weight gain tend to be incremental, so that first 20 extra pounds isn't as risky as the 100th.

The definition of "real" or "normal" can be difficult to nail down. Weight trends are complicated by age. What's heavy for a 20 year old can be considered pretty normal for a 40 year old. Also, the mean weight of americans is heavier than the median. This is a mathematical result of the fact there are 250 lb. and heavier individuals out there, but no 50 lb. adults. If you define normal as the tallest part of the bell curve, the median weight is actually lower than the mean, which is often widely reported as "average".

Really, a wide range of weights can be healthy, and showing a range of body types is good for culture. Idealizing underweight women is certainly not beneficial to society.

[Stella_Omega]

As a generality, "real" in Europe tends to be much more fit than "real" in the US.

Originally Posted by Liar

I think thin women around the world would be quite befuddled to find out that they are, in fact, not real.

I remember when Photoshopping the models caught on; I watched an art director take a magnificently svelte swimsuit model-- a black woman-- and turn her into an Anime caricature with hips half her real size, legs a third longer, skin much lighter and-- bright green eyes.

I wondered why he had paid a model in the first place.

[voluptuary_manque]

IMO, waif-like models are used because it's easier to make clothes look good when you don't have to take into account real curves. It's just bone laziness on the part of fashion designers. Think wire clothes hangers . . .

[voluptuary_manque]

Originally Posted by Stella_Omega

As a generality, "real" in Europe tends to be much more fit than "real" in the US.

I remember when Photoshopping the models caught on; I watched an art director take a magnificently svelte swimsuit model-- a black woman-- and turn her into an Anime caricature with hips half her real size, legs a third longer, skin much lighter and-- bright green eyes.

I wondered why he had paid a model in the first place.

I would have agreed with you a while ago, but the epidemic of ultra processed food has caught up with the Europeans as well. While it make garner popularity points for some Euro-centrist to make disparaging remarks about fat Americans, has any one looked at the Danes or the Germans, lately? And the only reason the French remain thin is they smoke so much!

[JamesSD]

Originally Posted by Stella_Omega

As a generality, "real" in Europe tends to be much more fit than "real" in the US.

I remember when Photoshopping the models caught on; I watched an art director take a magnificently svelte swimsuit model-- a black woman-- and turn her into an Anime caricature with hips half her real size, legs a third longer, skin much lighter and-- bright green eyes.

I wondered why he had paid a model in the first place.

Interestingly, we may not be that far off from believable artificial images. The human body is pretty limited in its range of motion, and there already are excellent poser programs out there. Rendering realistic movies takes a lot of processing power, but believable still images are a lot easier to pull off, especially when the standard of believability is heavily altered images already. Realistic hair and lighting are the trickiest bits to pull off, and trends in body hair removal mean that for women it's really only the hair on top of the head you need to worry about. Skin, hips, breasts, and even noses and lips are pretty trivial to generate. Eyes are a little trickier, as many artificial models end up having a certain dead-eyed zombie look to them.

Still, with improvements in technology, we can't be too far off from convincing computer generated images of people. This could drastically change a lot of things.

[lance gt]

I guess "Real" is a matter of personal choice. How big is big and so on. To me, I know women put on their weight on their ass and legs and it's a bitch to get off. I like a woman with some lovin' wrapped around her body. I consider too big to be when she spreads her legs two feet apart and her thighs are still touching. There was a joke out when I was a kid about bigger women, "What do big girls and mopeds have in common? They're both fun to ride, but you don't want your friends to see you." I met lots of larger framed women who I consider gorgeous and prefer over any bone-rack with fake parts. To me, if she's real looking, she's real acting as well.

[TE999]

Making the beast with two backs with a thin woman is like riding a ten speed down the railroad track...and you don't get to ring the bell.

[voluptuary_manque]

Yup, I like the Yiddish word for it. Zaftig!

[Katyusha]

Originally Posted by voluptuary_manque

IMO, waif-like models are used because it's easier to make clothes look good when you don't have to take into account real curves. It's just bone laziness on the part of fashion designers. Think wire clothes hangers . . .

Don't forget the "sample size" thing.

[fieryjen]

Louisa von Minckwitz, who owns the German-based Louisa Models agency, told The Associated Press she believed the ban on models was a marketing gag that would not last for long.

"Women want to see clothes on a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing person," von Minckwitz said.

Have to say this line really pissed me off and thought it deserved a special mention.

Variety is what I'd like to see in the magazines. Not a ban on thin figures, but thin models along with medium-sized and big ones.

[Stella_Omega]

Originally Posted by fieryjen

Have to say this line really pissed me off and thought it deserved a special mention.

Variety is what I'd like to see in the magazines. Not a ban on thin figures, but thin models along with medium-sized and big ones.

She's looking at a reduction in her paycheck-- of course she's going to say that!