A Toast to Vogue with Barbecue and Burgers
Amanda Alty
Ms. Gillhespy
ENC 1101
6 February 2013
A Toast to Vogue
with Barbecue and Burgers
In an open letter posted on “The
Daily Beast”, Tyra Banks addresses the issue of eating disorders in the
fashion industry. Unfortunately, anorexia and bulimia are quite common among
young females, especially in the fashion world. The pressure to be thin often
becomes an unhealthy obsession. This open letter was written in February of 2012
and is an attempt to eliminate this obsession. She directly communicates to
models that physical health should be a "priority", and that they should no longer
have to starve themselves to create a specific image. Banks effectively appeals
to pathos, provides source credibility, and considers her audience to argue that
reformation of the fashion industry depends upon
unity.
Banks’s letter is directed towards young models and their mothers who are
experiencing the pressure to be thin. Because she has had many of the same
experiences in her own modeling career, Banks is able to utilize pathos to unite
herself with her audience. She addresses mothers specifically as she says,
“we need to educate our girls not to fall prey to thinspirational images of beauty. So where do we start? By being very careful about how we talk about our own bodies in front
of our daughters”(Banks, 7). Banks uses words like “we” and “our” to establish a
familiar tone with her audience and create a sense of unity. By doing so, she
also appeals to ethos. She explains that she “mentor[s] girls on television,
[and] when that television goes off, [she] actually mentor[s] other girls in the
modeling industry” (Banks, 5). She speaks of modeling in Milan and Paris with
prestigious designers and photographers. As she recalls her experiences, she
communicates to the models that she has been faced with the same obstacles that
they face and she has found success. She even emphasizes her claim about eating
disorders when she says, “it was my decision not to starve myself that turned
me into a supermodel, and later on, a businesswoman” (Banks, 4). Banks reminds
her audience that she was able to achieve superstardom without starving her
body.
This article is relevant because it reflects upon Vogue’s recent pledge to halt eating
disorders. Banks begins her letter with acknowledging that “the editors of Vogue’s 19 international editions have
pledged to ban models ‘appear to have an eating disorder’”(Banks, 1). By
celebrating this major breakthrough, Banks seeks to portray the importance of
continuing to reform the fashion industry’s treatment of models. She recalls an
instance where she was modeling in Paris and “saw a model who was 12 years old
without supervision” (Banks, 6). This provides a specific example of how models
are often treated with little care or protection. The timeliness of her letter
also allows her to capitalize on her point, as this continues to be a major
issue.
Tyra Banks effectively portrays a sense of understanding in her letter to
young models. It is extremely important that young girls feel that they continue
to be beautiful, despite the changes in pop culture. If issues with body image
were to dissipate, people would be encouraged to celebrate their uniqueness,
thus creating a more diverse and healthy society. By appealing to their
personal fears and desires, Banks seeks to spark an emotional reaction that
will inspire these girls and their mothers to take a stand. Banks claims that
progress in reforming body image depends upon unity, and we all must seek to
accept our own bodies. Tyra Banks is successful in creating a sense of unity,
and is therefore successful in conveying her
argument.
Works Cited
Banks, Tyra. “Tyra Banks’s Open Letter to Models: ‘Vogue’to Ban Images of Anorexia.”
TheDaily Beast. Published
by The Daily Beast, 15 May 2012.
Web. 6 February 2013.
Ms. Gillhespy
ENC 1101
6 February 2013
A Toast to Vogue
with Barbecue and Burgers
In an open letter posted on “The
Daily Beast”, Tyra Banks addresses the issue of eating disorders in the
fashion industry. Unfortunately, anorexia and bulimia are quite common among
young females, especially in the fashion world. The pressure to be thin often
becomes an unhealthy obsession. This open letter was written in February of 2012
and is an attempt to eliminate this obsession. She directly communicates to
models that physical health should be a "priority", and that they should no longer
have to starve themselves to create a specific image. Banks effectively appeals
to pathos, provides source credibility, and considers her audience to argue that
reformation of the fashion industry depends upon
unity.
Banks’s letter is directed towards young models and their mothers who are
experiencing the pressure to be thin. Because she has had many of the same
experiences in her own modeling career, Banks is able to utilize pathos to unite
herself with her audience. She addresses mothers specifically as she says,
“we need to educate our girls not to fall prey to thinspirational images of beauty. So where do we start? By being very careful about how we talk about our own bodies in front
of our daughters”(Banks, 7). Banks uses words like “we” and “our” to establish a
familiar tone with her audience and create a sense of unity. By doing so, she
also appeals to ethos. She explains that she “mentor[s] girls on television,
[and] when that television goes off, [she] actually mentor[s] other girls in the
modeling industry” (Banks, 5). She speaks of modeling in Milan and Paris with
prestigious designers and photographers. As she recalls her experiences, she
communicates to the models that she has been faced with the same obstacles that
they face and she has found success. She even emphasizes her claim about eating
disorders when she says, “it was my decision not to starve myself that turned
me into a supermodel, and later on, a businesswoman” (Banks, 4). Banks reminds
her audience that she was able to achieve superstardom without starving her
body.
This article is relevant because it reflects upon Vogue’s recent pledge to halt eating
disorders. Banks begins her letter with acknowledging that “the editors of Vogue’s 19 international editions have
pledged to ban models ‘appear to have an eating disorder’”(Banks, 1). By
celebrating this major breakthrough, Banks seeks to portray the importance of
continuing to reform the fashion industry’s treatment of models. She recalls an
instance where she was modeling in Paris and “saw a model who was 12 years old
without supervision” (Banks, 6). This provides a specific example of how models
are often treated with little care or protection. The timeliness of her letter
also allows her to capitalize on her point, as this continues to be a major
issue.
Tyra Banks effectively portrays a sense of understanding in her letter to
young models. It is extremely important that young girls feel that they continue
to be beautiful, despite the changes in pop culture. If issues with body image
were to dissipate, people would be encouraged to celebrate their uniqueness,
thus creating a more diverse and healthy society. By appealing to their
personal fears and desires, Banks seeks to spark an emotional reaction that
will inspire these girls and their mothers to take a stand. Banks claims that
progress in reforming body image depends upon unity, and we all must seek to
accept our own bodies. Tyra Banks is successful in creating a sense of unity,
and is therefore successful in conveying her
argument.
Works Cited
Banks, Tyra. “Tyra Banks’s Open Letter to Models: ‘Vogue’to Ban Images of Anorexia.”
TheDaily Beast. Published
by The Daily Beast, 15 May 2012.
Web. 6 February 2013.