The below image is of the new 'it' model of the moment, Karlie Kloss. Vogue has just christened her 'the New Body' (as opposed to supermodel Elle Macpherson, who has been referred to as 'The Body' since the 90s, in case you are not up on your model gossip!)
When I saw this image, it really stopped me in my tracks, and not in a good way. I actually found it quite grotesque. I think Karlie looks scary and just plain wrong- like you can see every sinew and fibre of her emaciated frame. It just doesn't seem right.
I speak as someone who actually does think skinny (or slim, at any rate) is beautiful. I think a slender frame is more elegant and appealing than a curvy one- its a matter of personal taste, of course, but that is my opinion.
I've spent a lifetime torturing myself for not being as lean and taut as I would ideally like. But these images are a step too far, even for me. They seem to speak of nothing but suffering and self-denial. I find them starkly unattractive. It was a revelation to find I didn't like them.
Normally, I'm envious of skinny models but this just seems like a sick, sad joke. I think Vogue are vastly irresponsible in celebrating this as the ideal shape, it's hideous.
God knows how many impressionable young minds will be branded with this image. It makes me shudder.
And I'm not alone. There's been a huge outcry on the web about the images, and Vogue Italia pulled them from its website after discovering that pro-anorexia websites were using them as 'thinspiration'.
I've collected 'thinspiration' myself in the past. I still want to be beautiful , desirable and think I will achieve that by losing weight. But this girl just looks like a holocaust victim- and that's no joke.
What on earth does it say about our society that this is the body of the year? It's not enough to objectify women anymore (and other women,myself included are the worst culprits for that in my opinion)- now they have to suffer to be desirable.
It makes mad that this is what were all supposed to aspire to now, because we deserve so much better. Celebrate being healthy, celebrate being slim even, but dear God, let's not celebrate looking as if you have a terminal illness. That's just harmful.
For contrast, compare those two images with the similar first picture of the woman previously wearing the mantle of 'The Body'. Really slim? Yes. But there's a world of difference- Elle doesn't look like she's about to keel over!
She's slender, but in a healthy, daily gym session way. Why isn't that enough anymore? Gah. Epic fail Vogue!
Speaking of gym sessions, today was the first session of week four of my
Couch to 5k programme. And it's the first week it's actually been really tough.
I'm not good at the mental side of running- the part where you tune out and try to push through any discomfort. So as the running intervals get longer, that becomes the real challenge. I really hope I can stick with it.
All this running will hopefully pay off and carve me out a body like Elle's- because THAT'S sexy, not the miserable denial Karlie Kloss represents.
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