Real women are no longer good enough...

[Vertigo_One [Ops Mod]]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/hms-human-heads-...

"H&M continues getting heat for the cyborg models on its website, this after a representative told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet the company uses virtual bodies to best display the clothes -- increasingly standard practise in the fashion industry...H&M defended the technique, explaining that clothes look better on virtual mannequins than on humans"

Me and my wife regularly discuss issues relating to perceptions of attractiveness in the media etc, and to me, this one just about goes beyond the pail. What really fries me is this line

“This is not about ideals or to show off a perfect body, we do this to demonstrate an item of clothing," Mr. Andersson told Aftonbladet.

That isn't an excuse.

Let's break it down here. Models are used why? To show an item of clothing off. Why do you want to show that item of clothing off? To make people want to buy it. But surely then, to make it most attractive you will show it off on the person you consider it makes look the most attractive? Do you not see, H&M the very small number of steps it takes people to see that when you put a model up, you are assisting in the creation of an idealised female type. The fact that you are now having to go to extremes and actually manufacture your models is kind of...socially dangerous. You're effectively presenting women with ideals, whether you intend to or not, that are not in fact real.

Does this not seem rather despicable?

[Josh Braun]

Yet Barbie is legal.

[Vertigo_One [Ops Mod]]

Barbie is a toy. It's obvious she's not real. These are photographs, made to look like they are real. The two arn't comparable.

[Josh Braun]

The two are comparable. I could tell that they aren't real people, and if companies are going to do this, then they should put under the pictures that these aren't real people.

Either way, barbie and these "models" send the same potential messages to people.

[Vertigo_One [Ops Mod]]

Because going to the stage of saying "real people arn't good enough" is taking the ideal of the body to an extreme that is fundimentally absurd. Its one thing to have examples that people can change to. IE having human models. That at least means that you can extrapolate and work out how it will look on you because while they may be very different, they are still human. Having 100% artifical people is something quite different.

[Fake Crowley]

I don't see what you intend to do about it.

 

Outlaw it because it causes harm? Who defines, "Harm?"

[PurpleCabbage]

I agree with you. Every time I go to the mall all I see are mannequins of super skinny, bone protruding models. I'd much rather see a mannequin that is of average build.

I use to be anorexic and was hospitalized for it, now I am an advocate against it. Our society is teaching our females that they have to be super skinny or they aren't pretty. My 17 year old cousin is on a starvation diet because a modeling agency told her that they wouldnt take her unless she lost weight. She was already skinny to begin with and now I can see her spine!!

I am really disgusted by the whole thing and think there should be more charities that fight against these kinds of advertizments and ideals.

[PurpleCabbage]

before anyone says "well thats (her, your, etc..) own fault" then let me just say that it is the responsibility of those with higher knowledge/wisdom and more power to protect those who are ignorant/naive/young and weak.

[Fake Crowley]

My spine has always been visible. o_0 (Note that I mean the impression of it under my flesh. My actual vertebral column is still inside me, thank god.)

 

...Unless you mean from the front. In which case, whoah.

 

In my personal opinion, we need to focus less on, "You're special just the way you are!~" and more on, "Nobody is special. Especially not you. Try to be happy instead. If that fails, try to be rich. Feel free to look good, but do so for your health's sake and for the sake of surviving High School without the other girls tearing you down due to their own pathetic insecurities. Also, most rich guys above the age of twenty five are going to want to marry intelligent girls who are reliable and independant, so start studying and taking on responsibilities. Remember, it's the nerds who get rich. The best case scenario is for you both to have high paying jobs and marry because you love each other. So seriously, stop caring about what you look like. You're not getting married in High-School, so as long as you're healthy, you'll do just fine."

 

Just my two cents.

[Vertigo_One [Ops Mod]]

Question. Why do you think this action by this shop will only affect highschoolers?

[Josh Braun]

Have you thought that maybe because they are fake, then people won't have such insecurities because they'll think that no real person could look like that.

Just so you know, the expected look for males is just as high as females, and much more subliminal. 

[Vertigo_One [Ops Mod]]

But if they are made to look real, but are fake, people will still see them as real first and formost.

[Josh Braun]

Then put these people are fucking fake.