The downside of modelling: how does modelling affect diet and self-image?
One of the biggest diet-related problems I have encountered is the impact of stress on appetite. I’ve been dealing with this since primary school. I know that stress can change the way we think about food and affect our eating habits. As a skinny teenager, when I started modelling I felt I had found my place. However, it wasn’t always that easy.
In the world of modelling, weight doesn’t matter – it’s the measurements that count.
Especially the hip circumference, which should ideally be 90 cm. As I have wider hips than usual, the closest I could get was 92 cm.
Looking back at the old photos, ordinary photos, not taken by a photographer, I have to say that there was definitely nothing beautiful there. The photos also remind me of a constant feeling of stress and anxiety.
Several of my model girlfriends struggled with their body image and diet. Apparently the willows know that the strict beauty standards of models are often not in line with healthy lifestyles and fall into the realm of utopia.
Several models struggled with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. I saw all kinds of eating disorders and all kinds of diets when I was living with girls in a model apartment.
In addition to this competition. It was common to go to dozens of casting callsand repeatedly get negative answers. However, it was a real test of self-esteem.
Most of the models are very young and their personalities are not yet developed enough to cope with such pressure.
I remember myself becoming negative in my thoughts because I couldn’t handle my emotions. I tried to explain to myself that there were a lot of girls and that there was a small chance of getting anywhere, but inside I still had the nagging feeling that it was me.
Too fat or too skinny?
I have to admit that when I went to the agency to measure, I was often given bad advice on diet and exercise by people who had no knowledge of the subject.
It often messes with a young girl’s head – the next day she couldn’t work out whether to eat three beans today instead of five.*
It was customary to get in shape before the fashion week, so that the castings that take place just before it would go well. It was especially important for the new models to fit in the measurements, as old favourites were stripped by the designers and the clothes that remained, often in smaller numbers, were distributed to the new faces. There were castingswhere I didn’t get to the showbecause my pants just didn’t fit.
I was fortunate that it didn’t develop into a serious illness, but I have to admit that it wasn’t far to go.
To be honest, I’ve never wanted to be skinny, and because I’ve struggled with lack of appetite in the past, I couldn’t figure out in my head whether I was too fat or too skinny.
Plus body positivity, which annoyed me at first. My model flatmate and girlfriend had just confessed that she had developed bulimia after years of modelling. Body positivity felt like the other extreme to me. It seemed more important to find a balance.
Standing up for the interests of models did not make life easier
Eventually, model advocacy was also taken up. While nobody was bothered about this before, now they are demanding a medical certificate that the body mass index shows a normal weight. This meant eating well before a doctor’s visit and then starving immediately afterwards, as the client’s preferences remained the same. The fact is that clothes look better on a body without curves.
Such restrictions did not make life easier for any model. A great many agencies and agents found doctors willing to sign for money without visiting them.
However, I did have to visit the doctor a couple of times. I got through the check-up because I drank a lot of water just before it and put metal weights in my trousers. I’m not kidding!
Be aware of how you eat and how much you exercise!
Having struggled with nutrition, I am sure that one of the root causes of unhealthy relationships with food is ignorance about proper nutrition and exercise.
It’s very easy to overdo yourself with ill-considered diets if you don’t have the basic knowledge. I’ve received so much bad advice myself that I certainly wouldn’t dare to give anyone any kind of nutritional advice. I recommend you start exploring and feeling for yourself what works best for your body.
*Actually, I didn’t do the bean diet myself. But a flatmate of a model once ate only a handful of beans and drank black tea every day. Luckily, I was a bit of a rebel at the time, so when a foreign agent started to admonish me about my diet, I went out for a burger instead!
Fortunately, E.M.A, or my mother agency in Estonia, was reasonable and always able to support me. In spite of the problem areas, I would never give up the experience and do it all again! The positives far outweighed the negatives and I believe that every experience enriches us.