Loftin Mara

Dr. Colombo

UWRIT 1104

20 February 2017

How Does the Fashion Industry Shape Individuals Perspectives On Body Image?

Research Journal Entry 1

Citation

Fruth, Carey. Photographer Challenges American Beauty Standards With 14 Women Of All

Shapes. Edited By Paulina Tikunova, Bored Panda, Bored Panda, Jan. 2016,

www.boredpanda.com/body-positivity-women-photography-american-beauty-carey-

fruth/.

Main Claim

San Francisco-based photographer Carey Fruth has set out to redefine what American

beauty is with a photo series of the same name that has women of all body types posing in

romantic beds of flower petals.

Through this article and the photographs, the trend of only a skinny image in the fashion

industry is being put to shame through Carey Fruth and her photographs of women of every

shape and size.

Summary
 Attempting to break the fashion industry norm of the ideal body, Carey Fruth decided

to take photos of different women of all shapes and sizes in the same scenery and background.

Fruth does this to portray that every woman should be showcased on their unique and individual

beauty. She was inspired by a Kevin Spacey movie where a man fantasizes about a girl. She took

this idea of the fantasy and turned it into photos using a bed of purple flowers that the women lay

on and cover their body in, only revealing certain parts. She uses the idea of a fantasy girl to

reveal that all girls should be thought of in that way instead of the typical body type that the

fashion industry portrays.

Evaluation of the Source

This body-empowering article was published in 2016 and has not been updated since. I

believe that this article and its time works well for my topic because the fashion industry is

always changing, sometimes it is even repetitive, so I believe that having sources from different

years and times is essential for my topic. The link to this article is functional and will pull up the

website and the pictures from Fruth with just one click. The information and the attempt to break

fashion industry norms is very relative to my topic, which is why this article makes a great

source for my research. The audience is for women of all ages, sizes, and race so they can realize

that there is no problem with the way their bodies are. The audience is also for people, like me,

who are interested in the fashion world and who would like to change the negative influence that

it implies. The information is appropriate for all ages and is easy to read so that it can relate to

everyone. Out of all my sources, I believe that this is a great source to use because the use of the

photographs help to illustrate the main point of breaking the societal norms of body image. I

would be comfortable citing this for my paper because it showcases my thoughts on the subject

and is a good source of evidence for my research. The author, Paulina Tikunova, is a member of
the websites staff and is qualified to write about popular topics in the society. Tikunovas contact

information can be found on the website. The website ends in .com, revealing that it is a

company based website.

Important Quotations

set out to redefine what American beauty is

with a photo seriesthat has women of all body types posing in romantic beds of flower

petals.

By stepping into a fantasy dream girl world and letting go of that fear, they free themselves

up

direct the energy they once wasted on telling themselves they werent good enough

Research Journal Entry 2

Citation

Amed, Inram. The Fashion Industry (Still) Has an Image Problem. The Business of Fashion,

Business of Fashion, 18 Mar. 2013, www.businessoffashion.com/articles/right-brain-left-

brain/the-fashion-industry-still-has-an-image-problem.

Main Claim

As beautiful as fashion imagery can be, the so-called 'dream' that the industry projects

can lead to unhealthy behaviour. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, twenty

years ago, the average model weighed 8 percent less than the average woman. Todays models

weigh 23 percent less.

 Fashion is a form of art that highlights different styles, patterns, and changing of seasonal

wear. To showcase the fashion world, models are gathered to walk the run way and reveal the

trends; however, these models can feel so much pressure to look good and uphold the standard of

beauty that they begin to take drastic measures on their bodies and appearances. The models

have also been underweight of the normal woman, but recently the models have gotten so far

below the standard weight for a woman.

Summary

Imran Amed is bringing the concern of the image portrayed by the fashion industry to

light. Amed reveals personal anecdotes making her wonder if the fashion industry should keep

portraying this broken image, or if they should begin to showcase a more ideal and realistic look

for women. A cab driver began to bash the fashion world on their distorted influence of only

skinny body types, asking why they did this and she was stunned and responded that she didnt

understand why. She recalls a fashion show with her sister, who could not enjoy the fashion show

because of how repulsed she was by the unhealthily thin body types of every model. These

experiences prompted confliction with the fashion industrys behavior. She received a link to an

article about a store showcasing mannequins and advertisements for every body type; giving her

new hope for the future of the fashion world.

Evaluation of the Source

This article was published on March 18, 2013 and has not been updated since. This is a

great source for my topic because this reveals how drastic the fashion industry has changed and

how the distorted image of models have been continually getting worse overtime.
 This information is perfect for my topic and gives insight on the ways in which the

fashion industry favors and praises skinny and tall body types. The audience is for anyone

because the influence of the industry affects all people of society. This article is relevant and easy

enough for all to read and understand and adds the personal and relatable touch through the

anecdotes.

The author of this article is Imran Amed, who works in the UK in the business side of the

fashion industry. She is extremely qualified to write on this topic due to her position involved in

the fashion world and how she can use her experience to relate to the influence and pressure. She

is a very credible source and her contact information cannot be found on the website, but she is

very well-known and can be found through researching her name.

Amed uses her fashion-related occupation and personal experience to discuss the topic of the

fashion industrys image and its negative influence on society. Amed accurately depicts the

problems in the fashion world and includes credible resources and references to verify her stance

in a professional manner.

The purpose of her article is to reveal the problems with the influence on body image

pressured by the fashion industry and ways in which it can be helped. She uses her stance to

inform others on the manipulation of the fashion world and how it affects the models showcasing

the products and the people who are influenced by the body image superiority. She includes her

personal experience while remaining impartial of the fashion world and its values. Amed makes

her purpose of writing clear by detailing events that made her question whether the fashion

industry should include a better variety of body types in their advertisements or if they should

keep their chase for the dream body.

Important Quotations

"Why is it that you lot insist on putting clothes on models that are stick thin and 6 feet tall, when

the average woman is curvy and only about 5 feet 6 inches tall?"

the average woman in the UK is about 5 feet 4 inches tall (in many other countries, she is

even shorter).

Apparently, H&M had introduced normal-sized (not 'plus-sized', as we might like to call them)

mannequins

Research Journal Entry 3

Citation

Graham, Ashley. Ashley Graham Explains Why You Shouldnt Call Her a Plus-Sized Model.

Edited by Charlotte Alter, Time, Time, 30 May 2015, time.com/3902544/ashley-graham-

body-acceptance-talk/.

Main Claim

Body activist and model Ashley Graham made a moving TED Talk speech about the

power of self-acceptance and the problem with the term "plus sized."

Ashley Graham, who is known as a plus-sized model, is attempting to show women that

there is no reason to stress over not having the standard body type of the fashion industry, and

how it is better to love who you are and how you look. She wants to get over the stigma that

skinny and tall is the only accepted way to be

Summary

Ashley Graham is tired of being known as the plus-size model instead of simply just

another model. She believes it is important to love yourself and be content with your body type

instead of wasting time glorifying the false image from the fashion world. She shares personal

body-specific aspects that the fashion world labels as flaws and reveals how much she accepts

and loves them. Graham describes how labels such as plus-sized are the reason women have

insecurity and self-image issues, and how she used to let it affect her. She felt like a loner in the

fashion world, regardless of her successful modelling career, due to the fashion industrys

perceived standard of beauty. She has always been looked at as a plus-sized woman and has

grown to accept who she is and not worry about others opinions, and she hopes to shed light on

the issue for other women.

Evaluation of Source

This article was published on May 30, 2015 after Ashley Graham appeared and hosted a

TedTalk on self-acceptance, and has not been updated since. This is a very relevant article that is

a great source for my research as Ashley Graham and myself are taking the same approach on the

issue. The audience is mainly targeted at women, especially any woman that does not fit into the

fashion worlds definition of beauty, or anyone who has seen or been affected by that pressure

and influence. Graham is a professional model and a highly-expressive body activist, making her

a qualified candidate and author for my research. Ashley Graham is a very famous and well-

known model and her contact information can be found on all aspects of the internet and through

social media. Her information is personal yet also factual as she includes her own experiences

incorporated with the influences and pressures of the fashion world and what it stands for. Her

stance as a professional model is credible and factual enough to provide a clear evidence of
where the information is coming from. Although Grahams stance can take on a biased tone, her

main goal in writing this is to inform others that it is so important to have self-acceptance and

self-love for your body instead of being persuaded by the influence of the fashion industry. In the

last quote of the article, Graham makes her intentions clear by revealing that the fashion-

influenced version of beauty needs to be redefined and we, society, need to work together and

become a role model for others and for their individual selves. Her point of view mixes her

objectivity through personal experiences with her impartial call to action to justify the need for a

change in the portrayal of beauty in the fashion world.

Important Quotations

And cellulite, I have not forgotten about youI'm going to choose to love you, even though

you want to take over my whole bottom half."

the term "plus-sized model" made her feel like she was an outsider in the fashion world, even

though she had a successful modeling career.

"I felt free once I realized I was never going to fit the narrow mold society wanted me to fit in,"

"The fashion industry might persist to label me as plus-sized, but I like to think of it as my-

sized."

I was known as the fat modelthe girl who was pretty for a big girl,"

"We need to work together to redefine the global image of beauty, and it starts by becoming your

own role model

Research Journal Entry 4

Citation
King, Amanda. Body Image, Self-Esteem and the Influence of Society. Live Life Get Active,

Live Life Get Active, 2 Aug. 2016, livelifegetactive.com/blog/body-image-self-esteem/.

Main Claim

The media in particular, has increasingly become a platform that reinforces cultural

beliefs and projects strong views on how we should look, that we as individuals often

unknowingly or knowingly validate and perpetuate.

Throughout the societal influence from the fashion industry and the media, individuals

are held to an impossible standard for the way in which everyone should look. The force of this

pressure and influence is so strong that often it is hard for a person to even realize that they are

holding themselves to this comparison.

Summary

Amanda King runs a fitness and healthy living company called Live Life Get Active,

which promotes self-acceptance and a healthy mindset and lifestyle. She feels that the media and

the fashion industry have conditioned our minds into believing that if we all arent tall and thin

then we must not be accepted by the standards of society and fashion standards. King lists many

ways in which the media attempts to persuade us to believe that a skinny body type is the only

one worth of acceptance in our society. She believes that to get rid of this stigma, people need to

stop attempting to emulate the distorted body image of society and start learning to realize that a

healthy body image comes in various sizes. King wants everyone to figure out how to be loving

and accepting of your body image and of who you, individually, are.
Evaluation of Source

This article was posted on August 1, 2016 and has not since been updated. This is new

information and it works very well in my research because it is up to date with current trends and

statistics regarding influences on body image and ways to have a healthy lifestyle. The article

definitely relates to my topic by providing detailed examples of the persuasion of the media on

body image, and of ways to overcome these influences and be content with ones self. The

targeted audience is any person that realizes the pressure that society and fashion forces on our

body image. Amanda King is the author of this article and is the owner of Live Life Get Active,

which promotes self-acceptance and healthy lifestyles. She is a credible source considering her

background and involvement with body image and healthy living. Her contact information is

easily accessible from the websites contact page. She gets her information through research and

self-involvement and is able to easily support her claims through evidence from these findings.

Her information ran through other peers through her organization before getting published. King

writes her article free of emotion and does not offer any kind of bias or personal statements. She

chose to write this article to inform others of the importance of body image acceptance and self-

love. She makes her intentions clear by stating how important it is for individuals to stand above

the pressure from fashion and society.

Important Quotations

Body image is both internal (personal) and external (society)

The more we look at perfect images of others and then look to find those same idealized

characteristics in ourselves and dont find them, the worse we feel about ourselves.

They are unrealistic images of beauty, genetically impossible for many of us to emulate.

Intolerance of body diversity has a lot to do with prejudice of size and shape in our culture.
understanding that healthy attractive bodies come in many shapes and sizes, and that physical

appearance says very little about our character or value as a person.

Research Journal Entry 5

Citation

Oakes, Summer Rayne. The Skinny of Fashions Body-Image Issue. The Huffington Post,

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 May 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/summer-rayne-

oakes/the-skinny-of-fashions-body-image-issue_b_3308004.html

Main Claim

Too often young women in the industry shrink under insecurity and pressure to maintain

an ideal that isnt realistic for their own bodies, especially as they mature.

Throughout the fashion world, individuals, especially models, are falling under the

distorted spell that they are not accepted into society unless they match a certain standard beauty

size that proves to be too unrealistic for themselves.

Summary

Summer Oakes is a qualified fashion blogger and healthy lifestyle activist while also

have a career in modelling. Oakes would like individuals to realize that they are beautiful in their

own way and in their own body image. She uses her own experiences meshed with experiences

from other models and sources to realize that the fashion industrys portrayal of only being

skinny to be accepted is not okay. She wants others to see that the modeling life and involvement

in the fashion industry is not as glamorous as it is made out to be. People are manipulated and

put to shame if they do not fit the specific standards for their body. Oakes reveals that fashion
may not be the total blame for body-image insecurities; however, it can play a big role and can

be used as a solution to end this stigma.

Evaluation of Source

This article was posted on May 22, 2013 and was updated on July 21, 2013. This is a

great topic for my research because it reveals the past incidents of body-shaming in the fashion

industry, the present pressure from the fashion world, and the future of negative body image if

something is not done. This information is one of the most relevant sources for my research, as it

is targeting women of all ages and body types to realize that models are not role models and

people to look up to for their bodies, because the industry is not all that it glorifies itself to be.

Summer Rayne Oakes is a well-known model, body activist, fashion blogger, and healthy living

enthusiast. She is a credible source for this research and provides evidence for her claims by

listing sources such as models themselves, affiliated organizations, and personal experiences.

Her contact information is easily accessible from the link of her name on the article and website.

While she does list personal statements, she keeps her writing free of bias and emotion by getting

the input of other models and credible sources. She wishes to write this article to shed light on

the improper glorification of the fashion industrys models. Oakes wishes to inform women that

there is no reason to want to look like the models on the runway because they are promoting an

unhealthy and underweight body image. Oakes claims do come from some her personal

experiences; however, she also includes source other than herself to remain unbiased and

opinionated.
Important Quotations

always been interesting for me to navigate the self-obsessed world of fashion, where you are

not (at least initially) measured on your merit, mind or healthy habits but by the

measurements of your bust/waist/hips.

The pressure to be unreasonably thin is a reality.

The thing about fashion, high fashion in particularis that people take it very seriously

We need a greater push from all members of the style community: advertisers, clients,

designers, agents, models, media and consumers.

Though fashion cant take all the blame for all insecurities of body image It is a part of the

problem, but it can also be a part of the solution.

If we have the chance to help and use our images and voice for the better, then we should.