As London Fashion Week comes to an end, many designers have displayed new additions to their lines, while introducing some new models. Over the years, one element of modeling that has remained fairly consistent is the look of the models. However, some recent changes could affect the future of modelling.

Five-feet, nine inches and ninety-to-one-hundred-twenty pounds with chest measurements of thirty-four inches, a waist of twenty-four, and hips of thirty-four inches.  These are the common measurements of successful female runway models. While humans range in  shape and size, high-fashion runway modelling seems  mostly to consist of people who “fit” these measurements.

In today’s day and age, almost every teenager has access to at least one social- media platform, which provides them easier access to magazines and fashion news. Being the  hip teenager that I am, I like to keep up with what’s going on in the fashion world.

Almost everyone in magazines, news, and runway modelling are extremely thin and tall. This typical model image can be dangerous, especially to teenagers because teenagers – especially teenage girls -already have a problem with accepting their changing bodies.

Heart of Leadership, a nonprofit that focuses on the health of teen girls, has studied the effect of expectations on young girls. The group notes that  “7 in 10 girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks.” This statistic is staggering in that it states that well over half of girls in the United States are insecure about their bodies. The constant pressure of girls basically having to fit this standard in order to be seen as beautiful is getting out of hand.

News Health, a health magazine, reports that  runway models are expected to follow a specific diet in order to maintain their slim figures. These diets have  reportedly caused runway models to develop eating disorders including anorexia and bulimia.

Although controversy arises when discussing modelling, the modelling world is gradually expanding its horizon into different types of people with different body shapes.

Popular supermodel Gigi Hadid entered modelling as one who did not  fit the average measurements of modelling. She stands at five-feet, ten inches  and weighs one-hundred  twenty-eight pounds. Although she’s not the prototypical representation of the average model, she’s broken the barrier of the typical super-skinny model, embracing her body with confidence.  

Another popular supermodel – Cara Delevingne- stands at 5’7”, which isn’t common in the runway modelling world. She’s successfully walked for high-fashion designers such as Givenchy, Chanel, Saint Laurent, and Stella McCartney.

The modelling industry is changing quickly as it adapts to a society that is less and less tolerant of almost-impossible body standards, so maybe we will see more change soon.