Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Modeling Standard

Ralph Lauren encouraged a s--- storm of publicity, firing that model for breach of contract -- at 5'10" and 120 lbs, she was fired because she had become too obese to fit in their sample clothes. Dumb model, letting herself go like that. Especially since all 'normal' women are over 5'8 and weigh at least 5 lbs lighter than that. What was she thinking?? I modeled four years in college and just out, in the states I lived in at the time. Nothing national. I modeled in print ads, TV, and runway. It was great money but horribly tedious, and generally people you were hired to work with didn't treat you with respect. The models themselves were pretty cut-throat and catty, and you could tell they'd just as soon throw you under a bus. You could see it in their eyes, a whiff of desperation as they quickly sized you up as you entered the room for a call back: Is this the one who could beat me out of a job? I was invited to go to NY to meet Eileen Ford of the Ford Agency in 1982 but by then I'd decided I'd had enough and wanted to get a job in the writing field -- plus I was ancient by modeling standards then, at 23. There were good moments of course, but mostly I remember deprivation. One day I came home all indignant that someone had told me I was too skinny and needed to eat. (I was between 115 - 120). I remember saying to a friend, "I eat! I had an apple and a potato today!" "Yeah, you eat!" she replied. Geez......

12 comments:

strokeofliving said...

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog SOL to leave a comment. I have a few posts about my current disability and my struggles with that when you have a chance to read them, I hope that you enjoy them, and please feel free to leave comments when you do,I love reading comments.

I just finished reading Modeling Standard - wow what a lifestyle you had there for a while. We have something in common, I love reading "Nanny Goats..." too, she's hysterical! I look forward to chatting with you at some point.

Again thanks for reading SOL.

Dame Nuisance said...

And did you see the picture of her that they had grotesquely photoshopped because she wasn't thin enough? It was sick - she looked like an alien stick bug. RL claims it was unintentional and that they 'caught' the error before the photoshopped picture was published in any other markets than Japan or somewhere over in the far east. She was on the Today show this morning - said she's modeled for RL for 8 years and that her weight hasn't changed since she started, it's the sample clothing that's gotten smaller. Unreal.

adrienzgirl said...

Models are "cutthroat and catty" as you so eloquently put it because they are starving. Nobody is happy when they are hungry! :P

And that "whiff of desperation", that is them smelling the food that is 3 blocks away, which they couldn't get to if they had to because they would pass out on the jaunt from lack of nourishment.

Just sayin'! If somebody would just feed them, perhaps they might don a real smile once in awhile.

I Wonder Wye said...

You hit the nail on the head, girls. "Alien stick bug?" SS, you crack me up -- I am so making an apple pie tonight...:)

Unknown said...

I saw the picture of the model and the photoshopped one. She's beautiful; the cover photo was grotesque.

Deborah said...

I heard that today also, that is horrible, I was a model, once, very long ago, I'm very tall 6'1" and then 125# (I weigh much more than that now) Again, not thin enough, my daughter who is 5'7" and only 105# is not tall enough..are they ever happy! NOPE! I think the models are too thin anyways. I think they should look normal!!!I love the Dove adds. Normal women, all the time!

Anonymous said...

The body image distortion that runs rampant in our society is so sad.

Chris said...

I hired a girl once who worked as a model for a short time in New York and Milan. She told me she quit because her entire goal in life wasn't to marry a movie star like the rest of the girls.

Twincerely,Olga said...

great post! So true! Stopping by from SITS to say hi! i am now folowing.can't wait to read more

Favourite Vintage Finds said...

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Anonymous said...

Wow, five ten and 120 lbs? I don't know how someone that enormous dares leave the house. I mean does she buy two airline seats? What an abomination.

I know that modelling's notorious for forcing skinniness to extremes but how can anyone that height and weight be too obese for ANYTHING? If she was five foot two she still wouldn't be obese at that weight. I say she needs to eat a freaking sandwich.

Melissa aka Equidae said...

LOL you call that eating? I always wonder how they manage to remain like that and it really wouldn't be my life :)