The fashion industry is getting paid to make fun of a deadly disorder.
Urban Outfitters recently manufactured a T-shirt with an upsetting and hurtful message stitched into its cotton: the phrase “Eat Less” in large white letters across the front of the shirt — a clear promotion for eating disorders.
We can try to overlook that Urban Outfitters is taking advantage of impressionable teens, but this won’t solve the damage being caused. Powerful industries have the ability to influence today’s culture, and, unfortunately, the idea of being slim sells. Stores such as Urban Outfitters, Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister engage their clientele by convincing them that the “cool, skinny, Californian” look is stylish and makes you popular.
Sophia Bush, 28-year-old “One Tree Hill” star and former supporter of Urban Outfitters, was completely outraged when she saw the T-shirt on the store’s website. In an open letter, she wrote to Urban Outfitters demanding it “issue a public apology and make a hefty donation to a women’s organization that supports those stricken with eating disorders.”
Bush has always been a promoter of healthy body image for women. In fact, she recently launched her own clothing line centered on the expression “Zero is not a size.” Taking a stand against eating disorders truly shows her character and compassion toward women. Her statements have influenced many, and her battle is not going unheard. She took a risk by refuting the sick-minded style that Urban Outfitters has created.
Individuals are influenced by magazine ads and life-sized posters and strive to imitate this type of look. Bush represents one of the many individual efforts to fight against these industries, but the creators of the merchandise are the ones who need to make a concerted effort to end the constant battle of the model-to-self-comparing game.
Urban Outfitters isn’t the only offender. Several companies create risky merchandise just to attract attention to their industry in hopes of earning an extra dollar. Since people mostly buy costumes only during the Halloween season, costume manufacturers produce anything possible to get their items to sell. Recently, a Halloween costume named “Anna Rexia,” also known as the “sexy anorexia Halloween costume,” reached a whole new level of pain. It blatantly makes a joke out of the eating disorder.
The Anna Rexia costume features a black bodysuit style dress with a glittery, silk-screened skeleton print, bone headband, heart name tag, measuring tape ribbon belt, and a matching measuring tape choker. The description of the costume reads, “If you’re starving for attention, this costume will be sure to put you on top of the world.”
Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that 5 to 10 percent of anorexics die within 10 years after contracting the disease; 18 to 20 percent of anorexics will be dead after 20 years and only 30 to 40 percent ever fully recover.
The thought that a company would manufacture this costume, that a model would pose in it with a smile, and that people would actually buy it is mind-blowing and simply disgusting.
Having this disease isn’t a choice. A person goes on a diet, then loses five pounds and starts to feel addicted to the feeling. They end up losing more than just weight; they lose all sense of reality. Then, they face the possibility of living off a feeding tube for the rest of their life. Please explain to me how this is funny.
Companies clearly have a difficult time determining the idea of what is appropriate merchandise. They evidently don’t understand the harm they are causing. It’s time to set some standards within the fashion industry that will catch merchandise like the “Eat Less” shirt or the “Anna Rexia” costume before it even hits the shelves.
