on the Model-THIN life
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| “Did you know that women use catabolic steroids to do just the opposite? Catabolics tear their tissue apart, resulting in dropping bulk just as rapidly.” |
| “Did you know that women use catabolic steroids to do just the opposite? Catabolics tear their tissue apart, resulting in dropping bulk just as rapidly.” |
A census study behind the bar where I had worked would take in one blonde, one brunette, one Hispanic and, after I signed on, one Asian. Hmmm.
Our uniform, for lack of a better word, was also well thought out. A black form-fitting yet inexplicably tasteful spaghetti-strapped top that apparently only came in extra-small. This was outfitted with a matching miniskirt and tall black go-go boots which made me feel a bit self-conscious and silly; however, the money we made was also silly.
Where is the justification in making more money wearing an outfit that looked spray-painted on and raking in thousands dishing out martinis over engineering in national network television. Then again, why waste time wondering?
If being in shape and striving to look your best carved an easier path, so be it. Truth be told: men rank each other on money & power; women rank each other on looks. Women don’t give a second thought if their man is close with an overweight, unattractive yet powerful CEO but they will fret if he hangs out with a willowy model.
My pre-occupied focus with looks reached another level after a vacation in Vegas to visit my friend Lizzy. Her friend Billy was a photographer who took test shots of me. A few weeks after returning to NY, I sent his photos out, agents called, and voila: my entrée into the acting/modeling world had begun.
After booking a few model shoots, one gravitates towards pricey Soho shopping and hanging out at "in" spots with other models, eating up the admiration men give and even better -- the envious looks women give your Size 0 body. These are times not defined by Twiggy or Kate Moss anymore — we’ve added 3 lbs to that.
According to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Ideal Weight Range for 2005 for my 5’9" frame is 139-153 lbs. Quite frankly, I’d like to know who came up with those stats. This lost soul obviously has never passed by a magazine stand.
The Met Life 2005 Ideal Body Fat Percentage for Women is 22-25%. For fashion models, it drops to 6%. To maintain that unnatural percentage can involve reaching far beyond just "eating less and exercising more." It can get ugly.
We all know men use anabolic steroids to bulk up. Did you know that women use catabolic steroids to do just the opposite? Catabolics tear their tissue apart, resulting in dropping bulk just as rapidly.
Steroids, no matter which kind, are readily available in the industry. Just like any man can easily obtain them for athletic enhancement, it is just as easy for women to get their miracle weight-loss formula. I know women who inject themselves every day, disregarding the excruciating migraine and disorientation that accompanies the electrolyte drop and destructive internal trauma.
Ipecac is another purging secret. Poison control centers use it sparingly and only in cases where the ingested poison’s toxicity level can result in death. Ipecac is a plant extract that has the unusual ability to charge the entire central nervous system to the level of epileptic seizures. It makes the body squeeze every bit of whatever is in your system right down to the duodenum. A common indicator of its continued misuse is cardiac arrest. Yet people continue.
Karen Carpenter, best known for dying of anorexia, actually died from the severe heart damage brought on by eating then daily purging her meals with ipecac.
Speaking of dispelling dietary myths, Mama Cass of The Mamas & the Papas did not die from choking on a ham sandwich. She also died from a weakened heart brought on by the combination of crash dieting and that rock’n’roll staple of drugs, a persistent problem in the model industry as well.
These realities pose the question: is it really worth it?