Torrid working with MTV to encourage fatties to lose weight
An e-mail from plus-sized clothing store Torrid in my inbox asks, “Have you ever dreamed of being a model?”
“MTV is looking for girls with a great attitude and a pretty face for a 3 month boot camp style reality television show. All applicants must be 5′7 or taller and must be between 18 and 25 years old.”
I’m out of the age bracket and 2 inches too short, but I decided to do a little bit of research anyway.
A site called Backstage hosts Reality TV show audition opportunities, including a listing that sounds awfully similar to the one that Torrid sent to all of their mailing list subscribers:
From Backstage.com’s casting notices:
MTV ‘MODEL MAKER’
MTV ‘MODEL MAKER’ MTV is casting Model Maker, a new boot camp-style reality show for girls who dream about being a model but whose weight stops them from reaching their dream. Shooting approx. three months (dates TBA). Seeking—Female Contestants: 18-25, 5’6”+, willing to shed 30 to 100 pounds to become a healthy, self-confident, high profile fashion model, with great attitude, pretty face, and the endurance to sweat off the weight.
Torrid is one of the few clothing stores that carries plus-sized clothing that isn’t just muumuus and other unshapely body coverings. Owned by Hot Topic, Torrid gears itself towards the fatter version of today’s clubby rocker chick - peddling fashions that range from what I refer to as Rockabilly Lite to expensive club girl with a punk twist. While their clothing still leaves a lot to be desired, Torrid has always been a great place to shop for things like tights, undergarments/lingerie, bra extenders, jeans and denim jackets. Torrid is the mall shopper’s younger alternative to stores like Lane Bryant and The Avenue.
Torrid’s models are fat and beautiful, encouraging larger ladies to come into the store and feel comfortable shopping for things that come in their size. I know plenty of women who were embarrassed to ask for help finding clothes in stores before Torrid existed. Most of the people who work in Torrid stores are plus-sized women, and you typically won’t have to worry about battling skinny girls for the items on the racks in a Torrid store. Torrid created an atmosphere where many fat people can shop comfortably without the feeling of judgement by staff or other store patrons.
The prices are absurdly high, which eliminates a lot of people from being able to shop there. However, while obviously in it for the profit, Torrid clothing stores have encouraged many fat women to wear sexier clothing, showing off the curves they should be proud of.
Now Torrid is encouraging fat women to attend a publicized boot camp to lose between 30-100 pounds in order to become a model.
Boot camp reality TV shows are designed to publicly embarrass people into changing their behavior into something more socially acceptable. Reality TV shows, in general, are notorious for emotionally manipulating young people and encouraging unsafe behaviors for the sake of entertainment. Torrid is putting their consumers in danger of public ridicule and perpetuation or development of eating disorders by working with MTV to get fat girls to lose weight on reality television.
Encourage Torrid to stop trying to recruit us for the use and abuse of MTV reality television. Write to Torrid’s president at:
http://community.torrid.com/customer_service/default.asp
May 20, 2008 at 8:38 am
You know what really kills me? The idea that we aren’t acceptable or worthy unless we’re skeletally thin. I detest the fashion industry with a passion, exactly because of what it does to people who don’t measure up to society’s standards. Honest to god, I heard a so-called fashion expert once refer to a runway model as “chubby.” I was so furious I couldn’t even speak.
There was a time when being a size 12 was perfectly acceptable, and greatly encouraged. Today, a size 12 is considered “plus-size” or, more rudely stated by some, “fat-size.” What in blazes are we doing!?
I say, Love yourself just the way you are, because the way you are is beautiful. Worthiness and acceptance should never be determined by physical appearance or material wealth (or the lack thereof), and the sooner society gets that, the happier a lot more people are going to be.
Just my two cents… ::shrug::
May 20, 2008 at 5:01 pm
i just spent 45 minutes the other day talking about this same email with my friend. i’m equally as disgusted as you. also, that whole bullshit rhetoric around “pretty face” (which of course implies “ugly body”) is so fucking tired and hideous. as soon as i saw that line in the email, my blood pressure shot up. gross.
May 21, 2008 at 7:17 am
Reality TV in general is avoidable and the particular series you’re talking about sounds particularly awful. I am sure they will find plenty of opportunities to publicly belittle and embarrass the contestants.
May 31, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I believe you guys are looking at this situation completly backwords. You have no idea how these girls applying for this show feel about their size at all. I believe a girl can feel beautiful being a size 12+ but still feel a need to loose weight and feel healthier. I have been a size 6 and am currently a size 12 and would much rather go back to my previous weight. No one ever called these girls fat besides you guys. I don’t feel fat now, i would just prefer to be thinner because i feel more energetic and happy. Society has nothing to do with it. And your opinion does not matter. People are voluntarily going through this process on their own. So if you have a problem with it…simply do not watch the show!!! Let people feel and live the way they want to.