Jay Manuel of America's Top Model on Body Image
Host of Reality TV Show Tackles Anorexia and Eating Disorders
Jay Manuel of America’s Next Top Model is the host of the reality TV show America’s Next Top Model. He tackles body image, anorexia and eating disorders in the wake of recent controversy in the fashion industry.
The coverage on the fashion world lately has been tremendous, and for good reason. Several young models have died within the past year due to complications from the eating disorder anorexia.
Ana Carolina Reston, and Luisel and Eliana Ramos were all headed for stardom. But the pressure to stay super thin took over all other concerns. They reportedly survived on little more than a handful of food a day.
These tragedies have also been linked to the deaths of countless other young women, who all looked up to these models with admiration. The debate sparked a rise in women speaking out about the dangers of having waif-like models held up as the ideal body type, as well as companies who are showing their support of a healthier ideal.
Jay Manuel, the host of Canada’s Next Top Model, creative director of America’s Next Top Model and fashion correspondent for E! Networks, has his own agenda.
He was quoted as saying, "One of the reasons I got into this business was for the empowerment of women. I think a lot of people will say, 'Oh, that's nonsense; it's all about fashion,' but for me it was really about the empowering, nurturing side of it.
“There are not enough men out there who empower women, and I see that as a really important role for Top Model, and for me especially" (Edmonton Journal, 2007).
But how does that translate to the show? Manuel says that any girls who show symptoms of an eating disorder are sent to counselling immediately. He also tells the contestants that in order to work in the fashion world as a model, you have to keep your body healthy, not just thin.
He is in charge of hiring producers, designing the set, mentoring the models and supervising the day-to-day photo shoots. His influence is all over the show and he believes that he can make a positive impact on the industry.
Although it is a show about models and viewers can expect to see only extremely pretty and slim women, perhaps this little shift in thinking will also invite curvier models to the runway.
The fashion world will always focus on the aesthetics of a model’s body, but maybe if more people in the industry with power can begin to alter the thinking that “thin is beautiful,” modelling can be a profession where beauty is celebrated, no matter what size.
Canada’s Next Top Model is predicted to be seen all over the English-speaking world, representing Canada’s role in the fashion industry. Let’s encourage the show to keep moving in a more positive and healthy direction.
Canada's Next Top Model Tackles Anorexia
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