So what has happened between Marilyn’s era and now? Why have our ideas of beauty shifted from a curvaceous blonde, to the figure of an anorexic twelve year old boy?
I have absolutely nothing against people who choose to pursue relationships with someone of the same sex, as human beings should all be held to the same standards of decent living and assigned the same rights. I am proud and privileged to have gay friends and family members in my life. Enough said. What I am proposing is that a shift and emergence of homosexual culture in fashion has translated into an increased awareness of fashion in all forms of media, which helps to explain why the supermodels all have the bodies of teenage boys. A super-thin frame, flat chest, no hips,and flattened bum are not qualities that most heterosexual males find particularly sexy, but it is typical of the sort of body type that gay men find sexually attractive.
I encourage you to challenge this theory, but before you do so, watch one of those reality TV shows about modeling (America’s Next Top Model is an excellent choice) and see who’s giving them advice and picking out who is best. Do you see any straight men there? Do you see anybody who even remotely fits the demographic that these models are chosen to appeal to? Do the “plus size models”, who actually look like women, ever make it past the first few rounds?
Right or wrong, it’s quite obvious that what our society finds attractive in a woman is decided, at least in part, by homosexual men. It is herein that lies the disconnect between that image and what heterosexual men find attractive, which is why the Marilyn Monroe-esque sex symbol has disappeared in favor of the pathetic, starving, pre-pubescent, heroin chic “women” of today.
I think I disagree. Yes there are a lot of gay men in fashion but I don’t think they’re choosing their models based on what they’re personally attracted to. Just like any business, its a way to make more money. The target audience for these models are not men, they’re women, usually younger girls/women.
I think the shift to anorexic models is a status issue in order to increase the profits of the fashion industry. There aren’t a lot of women that are 5’11 and 110 lbs so even though it is not sexy to most men, it represents to women something they are not. More women who feel like they’re not skinny enough means more women buying the clothes & makeup that the super thin models are using in order to be more like them. If the typical model was 5’6 and 140 lbs, there are many more women that can fit that physic, therefore, making the models seem normal.
Its just another harsh reality of a capitalist society. Gay men are just as greedy as the straight ones.
Well at least in this season there is one “Marilyn Monroe” body type in the final three. Maybe there’s hope for all of us yet. Whatever happened to healthy, super skinny and healthy just don’t go together in my book.
love ya
mom
There are far fewer heterosexual white men in the population today compared to 50+ years ago, in fact, they are probably a minority. So the “ideal” is no longer driven by this group as they have less members and even less power.
How many young people are driven to bulemia by the images they see protrayed in the media? But all you have to do is look around you to see that the shape of the model of today is not the norm in the population-just as Marilyn was not the norm of the population back then. Besides-she had a boatload of addiction and psychiatric issues, plus I don’t think she was too smart.
I think that in the back of everyone’s mind is the fact that “if I buy that particular bathing suit or tank top or pair of shorts or whatever, I am going to look just like that photo…” that’s really what drives the purchase.
AP