Angel’s Secrets

Photo Credit: Hollywood Reporter

The infamous Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is once again upon us, with less than a month to go before the 2015 edition airs and concerns regarding model’s health are once again running rampant. Indeed, the VS Fashion Show has been under close scrutiny for years, with critics complaining about the effect it has on adolescent girls’ self esteem, dietary issues and various body image issues.

Victoria’s Secret models, or angels as they are affectionately called, are notorious for their unthinkably thin waists, long legs and disproportionately large assets. This can cause serious self esteem issues when adolescent girls compare themselves to said models, especially when they don’t realise the ludicrous lengths that angels go to in order to achieve such a body image.

Nina Melkonyan, a sophomore at SLU said: “I think it is beyond ridiculous that the models have to comply to such strict dietary restrictions as well as have to look in a specific, unhealthy way”. When asked about her views on the health issues in modelling, “I should not be considered beautiful when a woman is six-feet-tall and only weighs 130lbs!” She further adds that “people simply don’t understand that a model is a model and not ideal, and that they are serving a role as a ‘life hanger’ for the clothes and not as an example of how women should look like.”

Indeed, it is rather odd that a society which is beginning to approve of women’s empowerment has a tendency to glorify women as sex objects at the same time. Further, by encouraging such artificial perfection, the media inadvertently puts massive pressure on adolescent girls to attempt to achieve such a body image as well.

Cristina De La Vega, also a sophomore at SLU believes that Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and fashion shows in general are incorrect and highly immoral in perpetuating such false body image. “It causes extremely high standards for young girls and women who become unhappy with their own body image, and perpetuates high stress and eating disorders which can cause a lifetime of physical and mental issues”, she said.

One should not feel pressured to achieve such a body image as it is extremely unhealthy. To close, while Victoria’s Secret’s angels are stunning examples of eye candy, adolescent girls and the public in general would be well advised to remember that such perfection is exactly as it appears – artificial.