This is certainly an age old issue that has existed since Twiggy and other models in the 70s and 80s became more and more skinny. Have there been any brands that have spurned this trend and used less-emaciated models in their campaigns? I am struggling to think of some examples right now!

I guess I will make a guilty admission that I do watch America's Next Top Model! I don't think they even had a plus size model on the latest season that just wrapped. If they did, they certainly didn't make as big of a deal out of it as in past seasons. This is probably because they know that the plus size model will not win in today's world! Unfortunately I don't see this changing anytime soon.

I agree. Being plus-sized myself, it is rare to find a major ad campaign featuring models that don't look like they are suffering from anorexia/bulimia; even the "plus-size" woman on ANTM is probably only a size 10/12 tops. It's a shame that a size 2 and under is considered beautiful when a vast majority of the country is not. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and companies should recognize that. On a side note, Schultz, there was one commercial I remember seeing that featured woman of regular size; it was Dove.

There was indeed a plus size model on ANTM this season (Cycle 9), but she got booted becasue they thought she lost weight and became too small for plus size modeling but was still too big for couture/high fashion modeling.
The only marketing campaign I can think of that tries to incorporate "regular sized women" is the Dove campaign for real beauty. Fashion houses have not followed suit though. It seems like it is ok to use larger women for skin/beauty products but to hawk clothes you, currently, need to be tiny.

I remember when Tyra gained weight and put up this front like it was Ok to not be skinny. She then turned around and went from 176 to like 150 so she wouldn't be made fun of anymore. She allow plus size women to be on her show, but I don't think one will ever win Americas Next Top Model. I don't think society accepts people for who they are. You have to look a certain way and if you fit in a size 2 you are perfect, even if you look sick. I struggle with my weight as a women and whenever I look in the magazines I always feel that I should look that way. I have two daughters and I hope that things has changed when they get older. I feel this need to be skinny is hurting a lot of men and women all over the world.

I believe that people are beautiful no matter how big they are. Its very sad that people feel like they need to be skiny to fit in! I can't believe our society has focused on how we look, thats why we have so many problems with young girls and there image of what they are supposed to look like. I hate the thought that people make themselves sick in order to look a certain way. Raquel Esparza

Weight....some are fortunate to not be overweight, yet some are fortunate not to be underweight! I do not think being over a size 30 in women's wear is attractive. It is fat hanging from your body...since when is fat attractive. Let's be honest...it is not toned. The body is made to be able to accomplish a lot of physical feats like running, jumping, bending, climbing stairs, jogging...etc. If you are huffing and puffing, you are too overweight. Stop making excuses by saying I accept myself as this size. Don't accept the bad things about oneself..change it. It is ok to not be satisfy with oneself...that's why we change spouses, change jobs, change cars, change clothes or hairstyles, change where we live, change the way we eat, change our appearance. "Change" is good, especially if it is going to better the way you feel and look. Ok...I know many are angry with what I said...but I think it's time to face reality....yes, some overweight is genetically proned to be overweight...but 150 pounds overweight..that is ridiculous. Of course...love yourself as you better yourself. Don't get down, or depressed with the struggle of needing a change in self...just get motivated to make the change and be happy doing it! I am currently overweight, yet I am happy and doing something about it...not to look like a "model", but to not see all the fat on my body!

I believe it is wrong for our economy to make young women feel the need to be thin. Just because they don't look anorexic does not make them overweight. I think some of the best models we have had were Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth, and Bette Davis. They were not petite women and everyone thought they were beautiful. I myself am not petite and I have found that men nowadays are more comfortable with a woman that they don't feel like they are gonna break them.

I think what advertising campaigns need to realize is not everyone is a size 1. When I was in high school I wanted to be a model I had a high metabolism but I still didnt eat. My senior year in high school I could wear clothes out of the junior childrens section. Now that I look back I wish I wouldnt have done that. I was nothing but bones, I was 16-17 and stayed between the weight of 95 and 105. My mom wants to open a lingerie store but not a regualr store that you would think about when you hear that. She wants to open a store for plus sized women and for women that have had breast cancer surgery and things like that. I really think people should pay more attention. There is more to someone than their looks and how thing they are.

These advertisements are sending a horrible message to our country's young women. They have anorexic looking models selling fashion and glamour and young women are immolating and looking up to these models. Women have ended up with a distorted image of what beautiful is. Dove started their "Campaign for Real Beauty" to try to dispel this image. Their billboard of the real life-size women of all shapes, sizes and ages was put to the test by real-time voting on the billboard. The public viewing these billboards across America were to vote "Fab or Fat". For a while Fab was winning 51% to 49%, but in the end Fat won out, so what does that say about how society thinks women should look. If size 0 is what the aim is, there are going to be a lot of unhealthy people running around because women will be starving their bodies to try to become something that they can never achieve. It makes me sad that anyone would think they have to look like that to be accepted or beautiful. Those ads do not inspire me nor do they manipulate me. They are what they are, pretty pictures of digitally enhanced women. In my wildest dreams I would never want to be that thin. No one is perfect and all the "real" women out there need to be happy with who they are! Women are Strong and Powerful not Sickly and Weak!! These magazines need to rethink there advertising and start using women who have some curves. If they did that advertising would start to be believable and women could become inspired by that.