Warning: Rant!

You cannot even understand how pissed and horrible I feel right now. I just read this article in the Wall Street Journal, about how 17-year-old model Ali Michael was rejected from the Paris fashion shows because she gained five pounds and is now apparently too heavy. This really just pisses me off. Now I have like Ali Michael's look—pale, pale skin and a strong brow—since I first saw her in Teen Vogue last year. The specific complaint about her body was that her legs were "too fat". I was like, what? But then I clicked on the picture, and I was like, whoa! She has huge calves! Then I slapped myself (almost literally) and added "for a model". That's because I'm conditioned to seeing this:

Behold, the anorexic-looking body of Lily Donaldson! Sure, most models are genetically predetermined to be thin, but Ali's mother says that Ali's model friends have struggled to get even thinner, and that Ali herself "made herself sick keeping her weight down" last season, but this season she is worried about her health and is choosing to go home home instead. But seriously, how much distance is there between Lily Donaldson and actual, lethal anorexia?

Jimmy Pihet, spokesman for the Federation Française de la Couture, says that actresses, not models, are the role models for young girls. True in many cases, for sure, but let me tell you this: since I have gotten into fashion, started reading blogs and fashion magazines and everything, my body image has changed quite a bit. I used to view myself as very thin, but now I tend to think of myself as average or a bit above average, whether this is true or not, especially since I have gained some weight—all naturally, I suppose—since the start of this school year. I had to lie down on my bed and suck in my stomach to get my jeans up today—jeans that were a little bit loose on me that year. But thankfully, I don't have an eating disorder or anything and I usually am fine with my body. I really need to shut up now. But that just really pissed me of. Oh, and here's a pic of Ali this season at the Ruffian show:

She looks chubby next to Lily Donaldson, but if I saw her on the street, I would certainly be like, wow, she's skinny! She just looks like she actually has curvy(ish) legs, which in my opinion are actually kind of attractive. But Ali, at her biggest, is probably smaller than me, and 95% of girls, and she's "too fat". What sort of message does this send? Seriously, I am pissed!

End rant. Must take deep breaths now.

Photo credit: Style.com