WHEN Miss Tourism Zimbabwe, Samantha Tshuma, collapsed during the launch of the Global Safety Week in Harare last week, initial media reports linked the incident to starvation.

Although she later denied that she had starved herself, the issue gave an insight into the endless desire among models to keep sleek and slender.
Some models go an extra mile to ensure that they maintain the so called “size zero” and cases of anorexia nervosa are common in the modelling industry internationally.

Wikipedia defines anorexia nervosa as an eating disorder characterised by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, and an obsessive fear of gaining weight due to a distorted self image.

Although there are no known cases of the disease among local models, the issue of maintaining light weight is a common obsession in models.
The majority of pageants worldwide have strict prescriptions on height and weight hence models have been traditionally known to be slim and tall.
So, when Tshuma collapsed last week, the primary assumption that she could have been starving herself was inevitable.

To some aspiring and half-groomed models, watching weight might even mean skipping meals consequently risking starvation.
But Tshuma maintains that she does not fall in the bracket of those that would starve to maintain “size zero”.
“It has happened to me several times before. It was just the heat that affected me.

“I had been standing for a long time and it was very hot. I was so drained,” the beauty queen explained.
She said she had had her normal meals on the fateful day but admitted that her diet is well monitored.

Models and model groomers that spoke to Standardplus concurred that there is strict emphasis on the type and amount of food that models take.
Wilbert Rukato of Size Four modelling agency said dieting and other health issues among models should be done professionally.
“There should always be a qualified nutritionists and fitness trainers to groom models.

“There is a danger that models might want to follow dieting tips in dubious magazines and such things might be misleading,” said Rukato.
“In Samantha’s case, I believe it was avoidable.

“A country’s reigning beauty queen should always have an aide who knows her health and nutritional problems.
“She is not supposed to be exposed to circumstances that compromise her health or duties as the reigning queen.
“Just imagine if she had collapsed at the Miss World contest.

“That would be an embarrassment and a huge blow to our modelling reputation. Things just have to be done in a professional way.”
Debra Chidavaenzi of Sleek and Slender Models said the emphasis was on the type and not amount of food that models eat.
“It is not about how much food one has to eat but we consider the type of food.

“We discourage our models from taking food with lots of fats,” said Chidavaenzi.
“They can take up to six light meals a day and the food should contain minerals and all vitamin types.

“We have not had cases of models starving themselves. Of course keeping light weight is important but it has to be done in a healthy way.”
Experienced model and groomer Sarah Mpofu said models should eat as much as they can burn.

“The problem is that some models end up eating salads because they want to keep slim but that is not supposed to be the case,” said Mpofu.
“It depends on the person’s lifestyle. One who is normally idle should eat little and those that are mostly active can eat more.

“It just has to be the food that you can burn and maintain your weight. It also has to be a balanced diet.”
Ironically, Mpofu is Tshuma’s groomer and she defended the reigning queen reiterating that collapsing was her natural problem.

Former Miss Tourism Zimbabwe, Vanessa Sibanda, said she had never intentionally missed a meal but always avoided junk food.  

BY GODWIN MUZARI

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