For women out there who strive to look runway-model thin, you may want to reconsider. In the past, the media has revealed the horror stories some professional models have experienced to maintain their sickly thin appearances, from exercising eight hours a day to eating tissues or cotton balls to combat hunger. But now, veteran Russian supermodel Katia Elizarova has unveiled an even scarier situation.
In light of the upcoming Paris Fashion Week, Elizarova spoke with the Sunday Times of London in a tell-all interview of her experiences as a young supermodel. The stories she told were horrifying — and not just for a dentist’s ears. According to the Russian model turned reality TV star, the pressure to stay thin was so immense that she witnessed her peers turn bulimic, use cocaine to make their cheeks hollow. Worst of all, some of the girls “pulled out their teeth to look thinner.”
Pull their teeth out? Is permanently extracting perfectly healthy teeth and putting oneself at risk for oral infection really necessary? Apparently, some supermodels thought so. It is both alarming and painful to hear that these young women, aged as young as 16, felt the need to inflict harm and dental damage to themselves. So what is being done about it?
Looking back at her modeling years, Elizarova admits that models clearly possess a warped vision of what the ‘perfect’ body is. Unfortunately the standards have forced them to think this way. It also has become a popular belief that models get paid enormous sums of money. Certain supermodels do, yes — the recognizable ones. But there are thousands of other models that aren’t making the big bucks.
Elizarova explained some models were worse off than you’d think, with agencies not paying them for months at a time. When this happens, the models can’t eat anything even if they wanted to because food isn’t affordable. Unfortunately, under these circumstances, when models are offered a ‘free dinner’ from a gentleman at a club, they will take up the offer, leading themselves into an environment of alcohol and drug use. It’s a vicious cycle affecting models all over the world.
Thankfully, some efforts are being made to promote health among models. Vogue launched its Health Initiative which has appeared in 19 editions of the magazine. According to Style List, the initiative is “prohibiting children under 16 from posing as adults, capping a workday at 10 hours and making sure the models receive prompt pay, proper meal times and frequent breaks.”
The Council of Fashion Designers in America (CFDA) has also updated their guidelines “to address models at risk of developing eating disorders and help those with problems seek professional help,” reports The Huffington Post. Some countries are taking further action like Israel, for example, which recently passed a law that bans models who are too-thin from runway shows or advertisements of any sort. Meanwhile, models still put pressure on themselves to appear a certain way that only ends up harming their bodies and health in the long run.
To any and all young girls out there trying to pursue a career in modeling, please take Elizarova’s warnings to heart. And don’t, whatever you do, pull out your teeth!
Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.