A leg from here. . .
An arm from there. . .
And you know, that face doesn't really fit. . .
The H&M clothing company has recently gone under attack as some would say as a result of their 'choice of models'. While normally, clothing companies are subjected to criticisms concerning the strict criteria followed during the selection of these models, H&M is being criticized for the fact that the models they use to promote their clothing don't actually exist.
The flurry began when an H&M press representative told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet that the company uses virtual bodies to display their line of swimsuits and lingerie on their website. "It's not a real body; it is completely virtual and made by the computer," said H&M press officer Haccan Andersson.
Headlines ever since have read 'Clothing Giant H&M Defends Perfect Virtual Models', 'H&M Uses Fake Bodies With Real Heads for Models' and 'H&M Admits to Using Computer-Generated Bodies for Models'.
The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation has been one of the most outspoken groups to criticize H&M. "This illustrates very well the sky-high aesthetic demands placed on the female body," spokesperson Helle Vaagland said. "The demands are so great that H&M, among the poor photo models, cannot find someone with both body and face that can sell their bikinis."
H&M has defended their position stating that the virtually designed body better displays clothes made for humans than real humans can. The virtual forms are 'dressed' and then heads of real-life women or men are pasted onto the bodies.
But are the critics oblivious enough to believe that H&M is alone in its attempt to create the perfect model or body to display their line of clothing? Since when has this become news? The technique is prevalent throughout the industry.
Turn on the television and you are inundated with images of perfect bodies. Flip through a magazine and you can see image after image of bodies that have been edited in an attempt to ensure the models 'look the part'. The fact that H&M has taken it one step further shouldn't really come to a shock to anyone.
But the fact of the matter is, neither the editing that occurs in magazines or the virtual development of a model for a website is acceptable when you look at it from the viewpoint of a young teenage girl still developing her idea of self or a self-conscious adult still trying to accept herself for who she is.
Statistics show that by 14-years of age, 55 percent of Canadian girls already feel pressure to be beautiful. By the time they are 29, this number has increased to 96 percent.
And do you know how many women worldwide consider themselves beautiful? Four percent. A mere four percent!
The standard by which beauty is measured against is based on edited images and computer generated models. No wonder our sense of beauty is distorted.
The world upon which young teenagers are deciding whether they or not they are beautiful is centered on fake images. Images that are thinned, coloured, plumped, stretched, pinned, plucked, minimized, lengthened, darkened, lightened and computer generated.
But how would the average teenager know that? Do we as society do a good job of telling the children and youth in the community that these images are fake? That they are lies? That they are figments of an advertising company's imagination?
With only four percent of women worldwide considering themselves beautiful, the answer is obvious.
So, it's up to us. It's up to a community of parents and grandparents, siblings and cousins, aunts and uncles, teachers and employers, teammates and friends to create a different standard of beauty for both young girls and boys.
Want to show your youngster exactly how a model becomes billboard ready? Take a look at the Dove commercial entitled 'Evolution' on YouTube.
Want to see exactly what the beauty industry is telling your daughter or son? Take a look at the commercial entitled 'Onslaught'.
Want to know what your youngster might be thinking as a result of those messages? Take a look at the commercial entitled 'True Colors'.
Want to make a difference in how your child views themselves? Then do something about it. . .
Because everyone deserves to feel good about themselves.
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