About the author: Naeemah is a sophomore in the College, studying English! She reigns from New York (and Yes! Long Island is part of New York!). She loves movies and books, especially action/adventure. A proud and fervent feminist, she hopes to make a difference in the lives of women everywhere. Read more from this authorAbout 6 months ago, the Ralph Lauren model Filippa Hamilton, was fired for being too overweight after working for the clothing line since she was 15. Despite being fired, Hamilton said that she would not have drawn attention to the fact; she had decided to let it go. However, last week, a photo of Hamilton was seen and criticized by many, and Ralph Lauren himself came under attack. Ralph Lauren continued to use Hamilton’s photo even though they had fired her. The photo that they were publicizing showed an extremely skinny, digitally remastered image of a female body. I am not sure if it was Hamilton’s that the company had photoshopped, but the photo was shocking nonetheless. The idea that a fashion company would want their models to be that skinny is nothing new. Most of us know that models are much thinner than the average person. However, firing a woman who is 5′10″ and 120 pounds gives me a more personal view because now I see how skinny these companies want their models to be. 5′10″ and 120 pounds is extremely skinny and practically underweight according to me and the National Health Institute BMI. To want someone even skinnier than that sets a bad precedent for all those young women and girls looking at these models trying to emulate them. If we want to have a healthy society, we need to create a balance between what may look good on TV or in magazines and what is good for you.
