What??? Some models are then and some have eating disorders??

It is Australian fashion week, and so far the only real coverage has been about how skinny the models are. WHAT?? Skinny models?? That's outrageous.

This is Cassie van der Dungen- she is wearing Alex Perry and she is the model who started the controversy. Apparently she has just come back from Paris so she is "Paris thin". She is also the bogan from an earlier season of Australian Next Top Model. She was good watching and for the record was thin, but not this thin.

I am not making light of the situation, but I can't believe it is making news like it is. Bottom line models are thin, have always been thin, and will always be thin.

I understand the danger. What we see in the Media is what we aspire to be. We think that skinny =beautiful. Women want to look like models. Note I said women because lets face it what men and women find attractive is very different. I can relate to this because I had always had a little struggle with my weight. I have always wanted to be skinny. But in the last  couple of months ago some things have  happened. I have had some lightbulb moments. And no, it wasn't the great scale disaster of 2014.  Let me start at the beginning.

This is more from the Alex Perry show. Interestingly Alex has decided to change his style from making beautiful red carpet gowns to more wearable to appeal to an Overseas market.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful Princess.. (well in my mind I AM a beautiful Princess. I am also 25 and funny) Once upon a time there was a middle-aged ( I am middle aged because I use phrases like " Young people today" and then shake my head) working mum, who had struggled with her weight her whole life. She loved fashion, and knew that clothes really only looked good when you have no lumps or bumps. I she could only ever lose those last 5kgs her life would be totally perfect.

One day the Princess, sorry MAWM, went on shopping trip with her friend who has a model figure, and she realised something very weird. Her friends with the model figure had more trouble finding clothes to fit. The MAWM was perplexed. That wasn't how she thought it was. Clothes finding was meant to be easy when you were thin.

The one other day our delusional Princess was sitting in an airport terminal waiting for a flight when she notice an amazingly tall and thin young child- sorry young women. Then she saw another, and another and another. It was as a whole tribe had arrived from another planet. And this is the point. They looked like a tribe of completely different tribe. A tribe that I could never belong to. This was my light bulb moment. I couldn't look like a model any more than if I decided I wanted to look like an eskimo. Or if a short person wanted to be a basketball player. These girls are freaks of nature (I mean that in the nicest way possible because they are not freaks, well maybe apart from Naomi Campbell) They are tall like I could never be, they are thin like 95% of the population could never be. Whilst I was tucking in to my skinny latte no sugar for breakfast, they were tucking into hotcakes. They had long limbs. I have solid limbs. They are naturally like this. 

 This is a Carla Zampatti. Interestingly Carla's target customer is women in their 30's and over. Very few would have this shape. 

Now this is the bit that I need to clarify. Models can be naturally thin. It is their job description like mine is being completely bonkers- oh and having a degree in teaching. But some models, like the ones at fashion week have taken their natural thin to unnatural. I think you can always tell because naturally thin people tend to have normal faces. It is when the face become emancipated that there is a problem. Apparently it is called Paris thin. Well Paris thin you suck. 

So here is my recommendations to help with the body issue debate. (yes in list form because I love lists)

1. All images of really ultra models  need a little asterisks next to it saying " Body shape is for demonstrational purposes only- do not attempt this at home.

2. Fashion designers need to stop being nasty gay men who have never touched a womens body and to be honest don't really like then that much. (I'm looking at you Karl Largerfeld). Maybe they need to design clothes to fit the women's shape and if that is a little harder so be it. They get paid enough.

This is Karl Largerfeld. Not quite sure what to say. Nice gloves?

3. Women need to be realistic about their shape. It's like this. Although you may like to be taller or shorter you would never try to stretch yourself because you accept there is nothing can be done. Well I know theoretically you can - there is an operation where they break you legs, put in extra bits of metal and stretch you. Yet somehow we think dieting will magically do away with out natural shape. We want to diet away our booties and our thighs. (Well my generation does, apparently the younger generation wants booties. Huh?).

No amount of stretching will ever make you this tall

4. Models need to all aspire to be Victoria Secrets models so they can still be their amazing shape but not have to eat tissues to fill up their tummies. On a side note, sometimes I am puzzled as to why girls want to be models. I couldn't imagine a job worse for your self esteem than this. 

This is Candice Swanepoel. She is a successful model with some flesh. By model standards, not normal people standard. Normal people standards she is thin.

I read a tweet from a magazine editor saying it was a shame that the media is making such a big deal out of the skinny models and not the clothes. Well Miss editor the point is the girls are so skinny you don't notice the clothes. There is nothing more shocking than an emaciated young girl who looks like they need a burger. Or even a green smoothie.

So there you have it. Problem solved.

all images via Pintrest.