Something you can measure before I start. The average size in the UK is a 16 which measures; 40, 33, 42 in inches for bust, waist & hips. A UK size 4 is 31, 23, 34. Doesn't sound like much. Now make those measurements with a measuring tape & you'll see how drastic a difference this is in terms of the human body. The infamous American size 0 only came into being in the UK as a size 4 in recent years & never has there been such a focus on the imperfections of women's bodies & how these can be "fixed".I say that it's the imperfections that are being focussed on & not what is perfect because, let's be honest, how many of us regularly say what we WOULDN'T like to change about our bodies? I mean, my stomach wobbles, I've got bingo wings but I don't mind the wings as much as the wobbly thighs. On the other hand, I'm active, I train 3-5 times a week, watch what I eat with the usual vices of chocolate & other such yummies (everything in moderation ladies!!) so why do I, and pretty much every other women on the planet have so many hang ups about our bodies? Is it the glamorous celebrity culture we're now following like religion? Is it the media with their airbrushed models & photographs of a variety of different celebrities being ostracised for their cellulite, unflattering bikinis & wardrobe faux pas?
Many people tend to forget the sizeable role that the fashion industry plays in the grand scheme of it all. The beauty industry teaches us that our natural faces can be ok but can always be improved upon with their products. Fashion is a little bit more cruel. The more exclusive the sector of the fashion industry, the more we are taught we should want to strive to own these elegant clothes of the designers of the world. These clothes, that are made with a maximum size of 12, many only stretching to a size 10 & these being small made in the image of a waif, women must attempt to skrink themselves to fit the "ideal" of fashion. Not sure if you've noticed but women are naturally built to have curves, other than the poor souls that are built with minimal hips, bums & boobs. This may be my personal oppinion shining through but I believe women are meant to have what we're made with & we're all different; skinny ones, curvy ones, we're called apples, pears, hour glasses, rulers, we're compared to so many different vegetables, implements, told which styles suit which shape with the fashions of late favouring the skinny with butt revealing shorts & cropped tops filling the streets like iceland dinners in Kerry Katona's freezer. With fashion dictating women should be wearing as little as humanly possible, even in the midst of day, is it any wonder we prod, jiggle, wobble & pinch often the imperfections that aren't there?
Desiner Karl Lagerfeld created an absolute firestorm of controversy with his comments about "fat moms" in recent years. Lagerfeld was being interviewed for Focus magazine & commented about the decision of popular German magazine Brigette to stop using skinny models that need to be artificially plumped up due to severe emaciation & to use real women with real bodies instead. According to Lagerfeld, no one is critical of thin professional models except fat women who eat too much. The Guardian was one of the many European publications to riprint Lagerfeld's statements:
"These are fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television, saying these models are ugly." Creative director of Chanel added that the world of fashion was all to do "with dreams & illusions & no one wants to see round women." Models are meant to be clothes hangers, not individuals.
As long ago as 2000, the British Medical Association in its report 'Eating Disorders, Body Image & the Media' noted that the extreme thinness of celebrities was "both unachievable & biologically inappropriate", observing that the gap between the media ideal & the reality appeared to be making eating disorders worse. Gilly Green, a psychotherapist specialising in eating disorders at the Centre for Eating Disorders in London observed; "We live in a very image conscious society. We often find that young girls previously satisfied with tbeir body shape are going around carrying a thin image they have seen in the media. They begin to compare themselves unfavourably to that image for a variety of reasons. This is a thin culture. Thin equals success but it can be very difficult for a girl to acknowledge the impact of media images."
In 1994 Stice & Shaw exposed college women to attractive imaves from magazines & found that the images had a negative affective state (depression, stress, guilt, shame, insecurity & body disattisfaction) which predicated bulimic tendencies.
However, the distinction must be made between eating disorders & body dismorphia. Body image disorder (BID) is a concern for nearly 100% of us.
"The beauty standard for women has never been so difficult to achieve. Just a generation ago, you were supposed to be thin. Today, you have to be hin & toned, with a low percentage of body fat. And when wispy, anorexic-looking waif Kate Moss edged as our veauty ideal, it became downright scary."
Fillipa Hamilton was fired from Polo Ralph Lauren because she could no longer fit into tge sample sizes being provided by the company. This was however through no fault of her own, she had not gsined weight in any way, the sample sizes are becoming so small that well established modles that conformed to the old "size 8 is thin" ideal can no longet drop enough weight to wedge themselves into the clothes. Models really are conforming to size 0 & actually killing themselves. Luisel Ramos died in 2006 from heart failure caused by anorexia. She lived on a diet if lettuce leaves & diet coke before she died, weighed 97lb at 5'9" & had a bmi of just 14.5. Six months after her sister's death, Eliana Ramos also died of an apparent heart attack due to malnutrition. She was also a model & trying to follow in her sister's footsteps. Something she tragically did too well.
Statistics suggest that the death rste from eating disorders is 12 times higher than the death rate from all other illnesses combined for females between 15 & 24yrs old. But the question must be begged; why are we doing this to ourselves?
Models may be able to fit into tiny clothes but they couldn't run a marathon, they couldn't captain a volleyball team, they wouldn't even be likely to be able to run for a bus with so little energy from so little food.
Although we're told we should be thin we AREN'T told the healthy ways to get there. The target shouldn't even be "thin" it should be HEALTHY. We have 500 calorie diets, pills, magic potions & 90hrs of cardio shoved down our throats but there really are no quick fixes. None that are sustainable for a healthy life. What's more important? Losing weight NOW? Or shaving years off your life because you're not eating properly & becoming malnourished. And I know I've focussed a lot on the skinny is bad angle but I did mention the poor souls that have the opposite problem to myself with my jiggles & wiggles. So many girls can't help being skinny, not even thin, skinny, and would LOVE to have a bit of curve.
Recently it's been brought to my attention that muscle burns fat. Simple fact, but think about it; we don't have the testosterone that makes men bulk up into hulk-esque figures so what are we doing? Why aren't we lifting, squatting & deadlifiting our way to the bodies we want? We don't have to go as far as becoming fitness models but we all know having a flat stomach & a "grabable" tush is something we would ALL like to achieve. Why not? Why can't we? You don't have to eat lettuce all day, it has NO nutritional value except for having water. Nutrition isn't for bodybuilders, it's for everyone. Weights aren't for bodybuilders, they're for everyone. Get over the stereotypes, myths, scare stories & get yourself clued up. You have the internet or you're not reading this, which means you have Google. Whap in FoodForFitness & you'll find a lot of excellent recipes for healthy, filling, yummy & nutritious food. This is just an example of one place to find nutrition advice & recipes. There are SO many others out there. And weights aren't scary. Really!! Katie Reekie has been an inspiration in her own aims in making me think "why can't I do that"My name is Jenny, I've been fat, chubby, "festively plump" or whatever else my whole life. Currently more rotund than ever. I've set myself a goal of completing Tough Mudder in August. A fitness challenge that will lead to my improved health. I tried diets till they were coming out my ears. Swapped it for good nutrition, set myself a goal for the first time & now I have real motivation to achieve it. Ladies, it's your life. I've chosen my path for mine. How do you want to live yours?
Article by Jenny Pirie
