Every year people huddle around the TV to watch gorgeous models prance down the runway in The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. It’s an iconic event with performers, behind the scenes interviews and beautiful lingerie pieces, causing people to envy the models or the models boyfriends, depending on who’s watching. For 26 years now, girls young and old have looked up at the screen from their couch with a glass of wine or a handful of Oreos and wondered how they could become like those women walking down the runway.
These models work extremely hard to be where they are and do what they do, and I want to give them credit where it’s due. The grueling workouts and diets are something to be proud of and if that's what you enjoy and want to make a life out of, I commend you. I truly believe in following your passions and I understand that sometimes that includes doing things that seem crazy to others. But, I do feel that we should reflect on what happens behind the scenes, that it’s totally okay to not look like the angels (because it's virtually impossible, I'll explain) and to embrace what we individually have goin' on.
First things first, look at the consistent body type between the models. I grew up watching Kendall Jenner, a VS rookie this year, on Keeping Up With the Kardashians and her frame has always been small. In fact, she was always criticized for being "too skinny." Not to say she doesn’t work hard to look her best nowadays, but she was born with a VS body and that goes for the rest of the models. Kendall was born with the minimums of 5’9” height and a 24-inch waist, a silent rule from the company. Those are things you can’t just obtain, y'all; it has to do with the size of your bones and your genetics.
Another requirement for the models is a maximum of 18% body fat. In comparison, for athletes, the average body fat is 14-20% and a typical healthy person is 21-24% body fat. So, 18% isn't totally uncommon, but recognize that numbers higher than that are seen as very healthy and in shape as well.
Their job is to be good looking at all times.This includes their makeup , which is very elaborate and in my opinion, overdone. I mean, how beautiful is Candice without makeup?
The same goes with their hair, which for most models includes extensions to make it fuller and longer. For the 2015 show, Maria Borges requested to go without extensions, and I applaud that. That is one step in the right direction, in my book. Lots of girls are feeling a little bit more confident in themselves and their natural, beautiful hair after seeing her strut her stuff sans extensions.
Photo shop is also relevant in Victoria’s Secret ads, as it is everywhere, when it doesn’t need to be. These women are gorgeous without any corrections and most of the modifications I could find (VS does everything they can to eliminate untouched photos from being released) simply smoothed over the muscle definition that the models had. It was almost discrediting to the models, they worked hard for those abs! Why are you airbrushing them? But, this does give an unrealistic image and causes women to strive for something that’s not possible. It is simply not tangible to be that toned without showing muscle definition; it doesn’t even make sense when I try to type it. Here's an example of an unedited VS picture.
The company, fashion show and models are not to be discredited. I love all of the above. My hope is that everyone will take a step back and realize that it’s not realistic for all of us to look like that, and we’re not supposed to. Think about it this way, their profession is to be pretty. Their job is to work out, eat super well, get dressed up, get their makeup done and be flawless in order to represent a company, and they get paid well to do so. For the rest of us, we have so much going on that we barely have time to check one of those off the list. (Besides the part about being flawless, that’s just our human nature.)
Whenever I get down on myself and think “Why aren’t my boobs as great as Lily Aldridge's?” or “I bet Karlie Kloss doesn’t sit down and eat a whole bag of Cheetos in one sitting,” I remember that my job is to write about things people care about, be a supportive friend, a subpar waitress, a respectable human being and a good student. That’s my occupation right now. Pretty is not my profession, and although it’s my instinct to critique myself and strive to be better, there are so many things I can strive for that are realistic and obtainable that will benefit my future. My next ones: eating healthier, starting up a steady workout plan, studying immense amounts in order to pass my finals and finding an awesome internship. Also learning how to knit my own scarves and memorizing every song off of Adele's new album, just in case you wanted to know.
