It’s nearly Spring, and with swimsuit season on the horizon,
the magazines are filled with pretty pictures of thin, beautiful, tan models. In
today’s media, we are constantly bombarded by unattainable images of
supermodels and super athletes. The glossy, airbrushed photos tell us we need to
be thinner, have bigger breasts, and fake eyelashes. They are selling us on a
body that isn’t ours.
But you know what’s worse? They make these things seem
attainable. The truth is, for most people, it isn’t without extreme and
unhealthy measures.
Take for example supermodel and Victoria Secret Angel
Adriana Lima. In November, she did an interview for The Telegraph and detailed her strict pre-fashion show diet. Nine
days before the show, she cut out all solid food and consumed only water and
protein shakes. Simultaneously, she increased her workouts with a trainer to
twice per day. Twelve hours before the show, she stopped consuming anything,
even water.
“Water loading,” the process of drinking large amounts of
water for a few days and then eliminating it completely, is a common tool among
model athletes and professional body builders. Depriving the body of the
nutrients from water and the energy from carbohydrates causes the skin to shrink.
The skin will then act as saran-wrap and cling to the muscles, making them seem
larger. However, this is an illusion. The muscles are not bigger, the skin is
simply depleted.
These techniques are harmful in so many ways. The models are
stripping their muscles of energy, potentially robbing their bones of
nutrients, and possibly causing amenorrhea. But perhaps the most harm they
cause is that they perpetuate the myth that these models acquire these figures
purely from a healthy diet and exercise. That simply isn't the case.
Overall health and wellness is more important than an
unattainable number on the scale or a specific model look. Strive to be healthy,
not model-thin.
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