Abstract
[Purpose]The present study compared the physical characteristics and body composition of professional fashion models and women in general, utilizing the skinfold test. [Methods]The research sample consisted of 90 professional fashion models presently active in Korea and 100 females in the general population, all selected through convenience sampling. Measurement was done following standardized methods and procedures set by the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry. Body density (mg/ mm) and body fat (%) were measured at the biceps, triceps, subscapular, and suprailiac areas. [Results]The results showed that the biceps, triceps, subscapular, and suprailiac areas of professional fashion models were significantly thinner than those of women in general (p<.001), and that their waist size was also significantly smaller (p<.001). However, hip circumference showed no significant difference. Body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and body fat (%) in professional fashion models were significantly lower than those in women in general (p<.001), while the body density in professional fashion models was significantly greater (p<.001). [Conclusion]Body density in professional fashion models is higher, due to taller stature, than in women in general. Moreover, there is an effort on the part of fashion models to lose weight in order to maintain a thin body and a low weight for occupational reasons.
Highlights
Professional fashion models are thought to exemplify bodily perfection and become symbols of ideal beauty for the general public[1,2]
Research performed outside of Korea and reported by the World Health Organization in 1998 showed that 66% of professional fashion models were underweight and that around 1/4 of American fashion models had a body mass index (BMI) below 17.5, the cutoff for anorexia defined by the American Psychiatric Association[7,8,9]
Some state that the body type of the fashion model is ideal and beautiful[10,11], while others claim that female models with a waistto-hip ratio (WHR) of 0.7 are the most attractive and that they set the standard for appeal; still others list professional fashion models among the groups affected by eating disorders[12,13,14,15]
Summary
Professional fashion models are thought to exemplify bodily perfection and become symbols of ideal beauty for the general public[1,2]. Some state that the body type of the fashion model is ideal and beautiful[10,11], while others claim that female models with a waistto-hip ratio (WHR) of 0.7 are the most attractive and that they set the standard for appeal; still others list professional fashion models among the groups affected by eating disorders[12,13,14,15]. This diversity shows that professional fashion models are subject to social pressure to maintain a thin or ideal body type
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