In yet another example of the fashion world’s body shaming bullshit, a 5ft 11inch Swedish model with a BMI of 17.5 (which in medical terms means underweight) was told by agencies she was too “big” for the industry. So she called them out in the best way possible, by posting a YouTube video for the whole world to see, and for every publication worth its salt to report on.
Standing in front of the mirror in her underwear and pointing at her body, the 19-year-old beauty talks about being rejected by almost every modeling agency because of the way her body looks and her worries about not being able to support herself financially as a result. “I don’t get any more jobs since the industry thinks I’m too big. They think my butt is too big, and they think my hips are too wide. According to the modeling industry, you cannot look like this. You need to be thinner.”
Over 725,000 people in this country are affected by eating disorders, and with the climate of body shaming bullshit that riddles the fashion industry, examples like this are simply unacceptable. While social media has certainly paved the way for a more body positive future, with campaigns like #effyourbeautystandards and #droptheplus going viral, it seems we’ve still got a long way to go before the fashion world abandons its unrealistic ideals of beauty.