A few days ago, a photograph which looked like it was shot for a clothing campaign was posted on the World Wide Web.

The photo consisted of four women standing in a row one behind another wearing what would be safe to describe as conservative-looking autumnal clothing (a 70s-inspired mix of country estate meets Studio 54).There was nothing particularly impressive about the photo to my eyes and I was about to scroll past it until I noticed the slew of comments under it which focused on the models or, rather, their bodies.

Now, while I have honestly just learnt to ignore the salacious pleasure which people tend to take in basically ripping photos of models (and people in the spotlight) to shreds, with Milan Fashion Week coming to a close, I felt that it was a timely occasion to tackle the eternal ‘model vs man in the street’ body issue.

The truth is that models are chosen for one reason and one reason only, that is, to sell clothes and to trigger the buyer’s imaginations and aspirations

From the get-go, I want to say that I will never understand why people feel so inclined to attack complete strangers with such vitriol. It’s perfectly okay to say that you don’t like the clothes in the photo (I certainly didn’t), but when focus shifts onto how the model looks ugly/old/disgusting/anorexic punctuated by a good dose of vileness, it’s probably time to back away from your monitor and ask yourself why exactly you feel the need to project such thoughts onto the woman in question.

The truth is that models are chosen for one reason and one reason only, that is, to sell clothes and to trigger the buyer’s imaginations and aspirations.

Their primary job is to be a walking billboard for a brand and make you want to get what they are wearing. Not only are they not there to be role models, but they are certainly not put on this earth so that you can make them altars to your insecurities. Of course, there will always be those who will claim that they are merely making objective observations, but the truth is that in most photos and on the catwalk itself, you can’t even see the bodies of these people properly, let alone act as Facebook judge, jury and executioner with your sanctimonious opinion on how fat or thin you think people can or should be.

Body confidence does not come from tearing other women to shreds, but by accepting yourself as you are with all the lumps and bumps which make you ‘you’ or actively making changes in your life if you are unhappy with yourself instead of sobbing into your Ben and Jerry’s because you’re not Gisele Bündchen. You are your own responsibility.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.