Screenshot while reading NYTimes online

I continue to challenge myself to read The New York Times online with complete ignorance of the advertisements; however, I am weak.  My eyes are drawn to the sexy images, flashy fonts, and familiar brand names.

While online, I was fully engrossed in today’s article. How could you not be intrigued by the emergence of love & marriage amongst first cousins? But my attention was yanked away by a thigh: A thigh belonging to a leg of a model in an advertisement promoting shoes for Jimmy Choo.

I couldn’t help but notice the unrealistic proportion of the model’s leg.  I get the fact that skinny is apparently always in.  I know there is currently a fight against our culture’s obsession with skin & bones.  We are currently losing.

Regardless, I’m still irritated by two elements of this ad:

1.)  If this model’s thigh truly looks like a child’s upper-arm, it’s repulsive.  Someone should give this woman help instead of a paycheck.

2.)  If this image was edited with Photoshop, and the model is actually a healthy thin woman, why does the fashion world still need to create this absurd falsification of a body image?

Yes, this ad was successful in that it caught my attention.  Congrats.  I never did return to my incestuous article, unfortunately.

More importantly to me, this ad was an absolute failure in our society’s struggle against eating disorders.  Send me screen shots that irritate you.

After much excitement about how my hard work has paid off and I’m about to beat myself to my target weight this fortnight I figured I’d do some research on how to enhance my results in a healthy way-such as extra exercises, meal ideas etc. This lead me to learn the horrible truth about adderall…

The following is taken from:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-532608/The-bizarre-diet-secrets-stars.html

“Paris Hilton recently admitted to U.S. talk show host Larry King that she takes Adderall for attention deficit disorder.”

However it is often used by women looking to lose weight.

“Hollywood’s party girls always seem to have access to certain drugs known to help shed pounds. At the moment, Adderall is the latest diet drug craze in Hollywood, and the number of celebrities addicted to it continues to rise. Just about every female celebrity arrested – from Paris to Nicole, from Lindsay to Britney Spears – has had prescription Adderall in her handbag. It keeps you awake while killing the appetite. For the jet-set, hard-partying girl it has become the miracle pill – one, however, with potentially dangerous consequences. Even when taken as instructed, Adderall can cause psychotic episodes, depression and serious heart problems.”

So why do they do it? It’s easy enough to lose weight and remain healthy, why treat your body with so little respect!!

Also it’s misleading young people on body image, that is realistic body image… Curves aren’t a bad thing, and no I’m not a hypocrite for trying to lose weight myself, I’m doing it to improve my health-and I’m not doing it using anything other than common sense and perseverence.

So again why not do it the natural way, yes it takes time and you’ll never be a size Zero, well it’s unrealistic for a start! But why not encourage a more healthy image?

I’m infuriated by the articles I’ve read, and also giving out this information will only be encouraging people to go out and get there hands on drugs like adderall and then have to suffer the side-effects without medical advice.

When will we learn a diet or lose weight quick scheme won’t work-it’s a lifestyle change!!

Xx

PRODUCT PRESS RELEASE .pdf file(Link)

Kareena Promoting VAIO

Making Of Size-Zero Ad

Finished Product

Ad not shown in Indian market

Uh oh. I’m rubbing my eyes over and over but she’s still right there. How the hell can I get out of this. I’m wondering what a kidney stone feel like, cause I’m convinced I’m passing one right now through the baby-maker.  If not, how do I fake it — do I scream like I’m in horrific pain or just double over and act deaf & paralyzed? Hell, it’s not like she would know the difference anyway. Better yet, I bet there’s an app that will let me stare at my phone and make it ring. Seriously, how is nobody calling me right now? That mother rings 47 times a day, but suddenly all is right in the world right now? I pretend I didn’t hear her, but she’s only 18 God damn inches away now and staring at me with that mixed “please make me feel better” and “I want to smash your face in with a car battery right now” look. Well, I’m sure today is going to be super delightful.

The problem is there are zero good answers you can give to the “do I look fat?” question. Only degrees of less devastating answers. Good chance that each word that comes out of your mouth is equal to 1 week of no sex. Even though you say something sweet and honest like, “no way babe!” — all your wife can think in her head is “CHEATER! I’M GOING TO CUT YOUR BALLS OFF AND FEED THEM TO THE DOG. HAHAHAHA” But you know what, given the circumstances you did okay with that response. It’s only a 3 week death sentence. Now, if you were to actually say something indifferent like “umm no, I guess not”, well enjoy the hand party you just signed up for idiot. And if you actually said something like “well hon, it does look like you have about 6 pairs of jeans on right now” then no doubt you pretty much just turned your bed into a murder scene. [If you're feeling extra dumb today, say something like "hey baby, how about a quick service before your folks get here?" and see how long it takes for her to get some matches and set you on fire.]

But wait a minute. What in the hell is wrong with you chicks? I absolutely applaud you for wanting to look good and stay skinny. You should. One Kirstey Alley grazing the US is one too many. But a message to all you single digit sizes: unless you’re 4′2″, you’re probably doing okay, so relax.

I’ll let you gals in on a few secrets. Please memorize them, laminate them on a card, write them in lipstick on the mirror you’re punching right now, or put them on flashcards. Take a minute to decide.

Secret #1: Get ready for this. Here goes — guys do not like the 89 lb look. It’s creepy and feels illegal. No guy (that’s not on the Megan’s Law site) wants to feel like he’s with a 14 year old Kenyan boy. Skinny not scrawny.

Secret #2: We look at your face and think “son of a bitch she’s sexy.” You look at your own face wondering how you caught the Down Syndrome. You look at your own ass and see jiggle. Your guy looks at your ass and sees a “Vacancy” sign. No joke. Again, your view of things is distorted.

Secret #3: Here’s one that none of you mirror-starved nutjobs seem to get. If you’re in your 20’s or 30’s, and your reasonably thin, taking care of yourself, and somewhat active, then enjoy the fact that you look damn good and your husband/boyfriend honestly thinks you’re hot. So do the Mexican gardeners raking leaves at the bank, and as we’re all aware they’re likely the toughest graders on the planet. So enjoy the hell out of it, because you rarely hear dudes gabbing about how hot a 54 year old is. You’re in hottie prime, please enjoy it before it’s gone. That last sentence goes on the flashcard.

Secret #4: Rate yourself right now on a hottie scale of 1-10. Now add +2 to your number. That’s what your husband/boyfriend and most guys see you as. If you gave yourself a 6, you’re probably an 8. [Now, if you gave yourself a 2, then it does mean you're still only a 4 -- and let's be honest if you're a 4 then there's a good amount of work to do right now. There's no pause button on the calendar honey, you and I both know you should be knee deep in sweat and vomit on a treadmill right about now. You can finish reading this at the gym.]

Secret #5: Be more stripper-like. I don’t mean change your name to Jade and start smelling like strawberries. But, guys like strippers because strippers are confident in their bodies. She has some jiggle or other imperfections,  but the stripper knows she’s hot (or pretends to) and radiates that confidence. The stripper is not a size 0 and you don’t need to be either. Get your flashcard out at write the following: size zero bad, acting like a stripper good. No stripper has ever been hanging upside down on a pole and asked if her G-string makes her ass look big. [I actually just changed my mind on the strawberries. While you're messing around with $100 perfumes and expensive lotions, I guarantee you the retard on the other side of the bed is 100% aroused by the $3.99 "Strawberry Daiquiri" lotion in the clearance bin over at CVS. You should please your husband and wallet and go get it.]

So, hopefully I gave you some useful tools and advice to consider the next time you’re wrestling the mirror to the ground. You don’t look fat. Just enjoy how ridiculous you look because there will absolutely come a day when you wish you had the body you have now (see #3). I assure you, if you were a dude you would want to do you. 40,000 Mexican landscapers can’t be wrong.

Kate Moss continues to be an enigma because she rarely speaks in public. Asked in a rare interview for Women’s Wear Daily on her motto, she said,

“There are loads. There’s “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” That’s one of them. You try and remember, but it never works.”

That statement caused uproar as expected, but worry not. The size zeros of this world tend to look ten years past their coffin date by the time they hit their 70s – a reason for fat people to cheer.

If the diabetes, heart attack and stroke don’t get them first.

It didn’t really surprise me to read this morning that Kate Moss had caused outrage by telling us all that her life motto was: “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”

I’m sorry, but regardless of whether this was a deliberate act to put herself back on the front pages or not, it is downright stupid for a person of her prominence to be feeding the quite literally starving mouths of young women in this country with the notion that skinny is good! So much for eating healthily and exercising to maintain a natural figure!

Hardly a picture of health

Has Kate not noticed that we’re in a bit of a mini revolution and that the demand for our original batch of supermodels – Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell included – has soared in recent months? Cindy Crawford recently admitted to Vogue that to cut today’s grade of ‘super’ model she would have to starve herself. If we wanted to see fashion on a hanger we’d go to the shops – we want to see it on someone with nice curves, that’s what we envied in the nineties and, I’m sorry, fashion might change but I just won’t accept that this is how people want to see their future fashions being modelled.

The figure I'd rather aspire to!

All Kate is doing is generating more controversial press while poisoning the minds of vulnerable young girls who should be focusing on finer things in life. There are some people in this world who are unfortunately not gifted with good health through no fault of their own – don’t throw yours away, if you’re not healthy you’re going to find it really hard to enjoy life which is what everyone should want to do!

Ich hab Angst, ernsthaft jetzt. Wenn das so weitergeht, wird noch eine von denen verhungern. Und warum? Weils schee macht?
Na also, ich weiß nicht recht. Früher hat man Mädels, die so ausgesehen haben zum Auffüttern aufs Land geschickt. Peinlich war das, weil es den Verdacht nahelegte, man könne sich nichts anständiges zu Essen leisten.
Heutzutage steht das Körperfett-Muskel-Verhältnis direkt umgekehrt proportional zum Bankkonto. Wer es sich leisten kann, lässt sich ein- bis dreimal täglich vom Personal-Trainer foltern und isst zwischendurch Makrobiotisches aus glücklichen Pflanzen. Oder man isst einfach gar nichts mehr, zumindest nichts das irgendwelche Nährstoffe enthält. Dann kann man sich auch den Personal-Trainer sparen, weil dafür fehlt einem sowieso die Energie. Dafür passt man dann aber in Size Zero und kann zur Not auch mal in der Kinderabteilung einkaufen. Warum man das allerdings schön finden will ist mir nicht so klar, wenn man ernsthaft drüber nachdenkt, kann man das doch eigentlich nur bescheuert finden.

… eller nyttjar andra transportmedel såsom bil eller taxi.

“Kroppen är byggd för rörelse” hade jag läst i en faktabok (detta var under min allra värsta träningsperiod, ca två år). Jag cyklade eller promenerade ALLTID dit jag skulle. Om det var 3 km eller 15 km – det spelade ingen roll. Om det ösregnade åkte regnstället på och om det snöade så stack jag hemmifrån lite tidigare. Om folk höjde på ögonbrynen? Oh ja!

Dem tyckte nog inte jag var riktigt klok som envisades med att ta cykeln trots att man på morgonnyheterna hade gått ut och varnat folk för blixthalka. Folk vinglade omkring och vissa trillade omkull och slog sig så illa att de fick åka i ambulans till sjukhuset. Jag noterade varningarna men det var absolut inget som jag kunde ta till mig. Jag måste ju träna…

Så jag löste det genom att helt enkelt knata iväg till cykelhandlaren och inskaffa ett par rejäla dubbdäck. Jag knäppte även på mig en hjälm och sen bar det iväg. Dock ska jag erkänna att när jag väl hade trampat på ett tag och såg folk som hade slutat cyklat och istället bestämt sig för att promenera så slog det mig att det skulle inte bli särskilt kul om jag skulle glatta omkull. I huvudet fick jag bilder med pensionärer vars skelett är så bräckligt att de bryter benen och får blåmärken om de trillar. Jag skulle förmodligen drabbas på samma sätt pga urkalkat skelett, tunn hud och avsaknaden av muskler.

Men nöden har ingen lag. Jag var bara tvungen att kaloriträna så ofta jag kunde. Jag tänkte inte ens på att bussar existerade. Det valet fanns inte i min hjärna. Aldrig. Det var liksom inget alternativ. Bussar var till för andra människor, inte för sånna som jag.

Under min tid i London (pluggade engelska där ett år) så  bodde jag en bit utanför själva city centre och då brukade jag minst ett par gånger i veckan promenera in till city, det är en promenad på cirka 1,5 mil. Därefter spenderade jag hela eftermiddagen och möjligen även kvällen med att gå omkring i stan och shoppa, besöka olika ställen och kolla in sevärdheter. Jag tog tunnelbanan hem.

Så här i efterhand låter det helt sjukt att jag verkligen höll på så där… visserligen vägde jag mer på den tiden och kanske kunde min kropp hantera det. Men missförstå mig inte, jag har aldrig vägt helt “normalt” utan alltid haft  lite undervikt. Därför blir jag orolig när jag nu ser tillbaka på dem år som har gått och försöker minnas i detalj vilka påfrestningar som min kropp har fått stå ut med. Det är inte bra och jag är rädd. Riktigt jävla rädd. För även fast att jag har slutat med all slags träning så kan jag trots allt inte vrida tillbaka klockan.  

Så tänk på vad ni gör, ni som läser detta. Vet du med dig att du gör något som du inte borde göra, lyssna på den lilla rösten och gör dig själv och din framtid en rejäl tjänst. Du vill inte vakna upp om två-tre år och inse att du kanske inte kan göra alla saker du vill för att du är fånge i din egen kropp.

Min inre bild av mig själv är att jag e lika stark som när jag var som mest vältränad och samtidigt åt bra. Men när jag drar på mig jeansen i storlek XS och de slappar i rumpan eller när jag fotas tillsammans med mina friska vänner, ja då ser jag ju det som ni alla ser…

Jag ser en 20+ tjej med ett barns kropp… med en mun som ler men med ögon som skvallrar om något helt annat. Den här tjejen kommer inte att kunna följa med sina vänner på skidresan till Alperna efter årsskiftet. Och hon kommer inte kunna följa med dem o vandra i fjällen nästa sommar heller. Hur kan hon ens tro att hon kommer kunna stå upp på en surfingbräda på Kanarieöarna? Eller att hon ens kommer orka rida iväg på en kamel?Tänk då sitter man ändå ner hela tiden. Det är tragiskt och det är ledsamt. Och det är jag.

Ledsen att mina inlägg alltid blir så långa. Det är inte meningen men när jag börjar så har jag svårt att sluta. Skulle lätt kunna skriva tio böcker om det här. Men vad jag vill säga är att alla ni som vet med er att ni har ett osunt levnadsätt idag, sluta med det! Ni förstör så mycket för er själva. Om ni bara kunde gissa hur mycket som jag önskar att jag kunde få tillbaka tiden som jag har slösat bort på gym och promenader (ja, det tar trots allt sin lilla tid att möta upp en kompis för shopping om man varje gång först måste promenera 1,5 mil innan – för att inte tala om hur mkt energi som går åt till detta! Knappast att man är något bra shoppingsällskap eller vän efter en sån promenix…)

Och nej, det är inte värt det.

Ni har väl inte missat Gröna Annas skarpa inlägg “Size zero just keeps getting smaller”. Blondinbella uppmärksammar det också på sin blogg. Som de flesta andra redan har kommenterat så är det skrämmande hur snabbt våra referensramar ändras jmf med bara fem år tillbaka. Det som var smalt på den tiden är att betraktas som nästan överviktigt idag. Herre gud, hur har det kunna bli så här?! Bild på fina Isabella från Nattstad. Klart man måste äta för att hjärnan ska få tillräckligt med näring! Ingen entreprenör som svälter sig själv kommer bli framgångsrik. Utan mat fungerar vi inte! Egentligen vill jag inte fokusera så mycket på “varför” utan mer på hur vi kan stoppa det här. Om size zero är så accepterat idag, hur kommer det då se ut fem år framåt i tiden? Kommer det då också vara allmänt accpeterat att vara hålögd, ha blåa beniga fingrar, kraftigt ökad kroppsbehåring och ingen mens? Kommer det isf vara standardmenyer på restauranger med räckmackor utan bröd, spaghetti bolognese utan pasta, sallader utan dressing, kaffe utan mjölk och tårta utan vare sig bröd eller grädde? Gud vilket otroligt tråkigt samhälle isåfall..! Jag som själv går tillhör “size sero” kategorin är i många fall rätt tacksam för att det är “accepterat” att vara så smal som jag är. Om det hade varit, ja låt oss säga några år tillbaka så hade det nog varit vanligare att folk hade hajat till och frågat om jag verkligen åt ordentligt. Det slipper jag idag. Och det är lite dubbla känslor över det hela.  En sida av mig älskar att samhället accepterar min kropp och uppfattar den som “fin, graciös, smal, smidig, etc”. Men samtidigt kan jag också må lite illa när jag tänker på det. Positiva kommentarer späder på ätstörningen och ger den ett starkare fäste. Jag glömmer liksom bort att jag egentligen är sjuk när folk ger mig beröm och komplimanger. Innerst inne så vet jag ju vad jag verkligen skulle behöva. Och det är att allt fler verkligen ryckte tag i mig och frågade hur jag mådde. Och sen försökte erbjuda mig deras förtroende, hjälp och stöd för att kunna gå upp i vikt. Det är vad jag verkligen skulle behöva! Inte kommentarerna om att jag ser bra ut… Det är så himla fel! Som jag kommenterade till ett annat inlägg av Anna så är det skrämmande hur dålig jag är på att ta till mig budskapet att undervikten sliter på kroppen. Hur känner ni andra med lågt BMI, är detta något som ni oroar er över? Tänker ni någonsin på  hur ni kommer se ut om 10-20 år? Man kan ju fråga sig hur länge som hjärtat orkar att slå med så lite energi som det får. Det känns som att oddsen att mitt hjärta ska orka slå tills dess att jag fyller 70 är rätt låga. Och det ger grym ångest att tänka på, fy fan! Jag vill inte bara leva för idag och i morgon, jag vill bli minst lika gammal som alla ni andra friska människor! Jag vill inte bara bli till ett okänt nummer i statistiken över “Antal dödsfall i Anorexia Nervosa“. Jag vill leva. Jag vill, jag  vill, jag vill! Och just därför väljer jag att fortsätta äta…

Size Zero craze, bikinis, six pack abs, flexible dancing skills,Fast bikes chasing one another, cars being blown up for fight sequences (even songs) , actors doing theie own stunts, getting tattoo’s… Bollywood sure has come a long way from the days of what one would call – Simple Cinema.Gone are the days when we hummed the tunes of movies like Chupke Chupke, Choti Si Baat, Khatta Meetha, or what Kishore Da or Rafi saab popularized during those days, copied hairstyles of actors/actresses, paying 2 rupee for a ticket for a balcony seat,…etc.

I Still remember Vidya Sinha’s Girl Next Door looks from Rajni Gandha and Choti si baat and Jaya Bachchan’s perkiness from films like Guddi and Mili, Rekha’s beauty Sharmila Tagore’s dimples, Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra’s all round skills in comedy,drama,action and romance, Sanjeev Kapoor mesmerizing acting skills, comic skills of Mehmood Saab, Rajndenaath,Johnny Walker, directorial classics by Raj Kapoor, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Manmohan Desai, etc.

The 80’s and 90’s were still bearable with Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi, Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Shah Rukh Khan,Salman Khan providing good entertainment to the masses but today seeing actors above 40 years of age romancing girls the age of their daughter or running to the gym for a dreamy body with six pack abs is sheer stupidity.

Comparing it with todays Filmy World of Kareena Kapoor’s size zero fetish, Lara Dutta’s Bikini, Hrithik Roshan’s six pack, Aamir Khan’s changing hairstyles in Dil Chata Hai or Ghajini, Rajpal Yadav’s cheap comedy and undigestable directorial skills of some of todays directors makes me SICK TO THE STOMACH!

The effects of simple words and phrases can be so damaging, it’s a wonder we aren’t more conscious of their intent. Without even knowing it, words can be internalized, altering our beliefs, actions & attitudes. In this case, “size zero” has become something women and girls strive for. But at what psychological and/or physical cost?  It wasn’t long ago that two young models died from what seemed to be complications of their underweight physiques.

While it is important to acknowledge that there are indeed naturally slim women who are healthy and eat normal portions of food, the objective of this article is an examination of semantics.

Wikipedia defines size zero as approximately 30-22-32 inches and explains that it was “…invented due to the changing of clothes sizes over time (referred to as vanity sizing or size inflation), which has caused the adoption of lower numbers.”  It still doesn’t explain the need to label this particular size as a number that is equal to nothing. Let alone, less than nothing when we get into “size 00” or what one designer called “sub-zero“.  

The potential physical and psychological damage these terms can cause is quite alarming. There are numerous articles discussing how the ideology of size zero can lead to women and girls dieting to the point of serious health failures, including anorexia. Particularly, impressionable young girls who idolize beautiful models, singers and actresses. Images of startlingly slender women, glorified for their appearance are virtually everywhere and when coupled with the enduring popularity of a size zero physique, starvation dieting is likely among the most obvious of choices.

On the other end of the spectrum, other articles allude to or come right out and blame size zero for obesity as well, explaining that “…size zero could be forcing people into a cycle of dieting and bingeing….“, which oftentimes results in weight gain. This “obsession with thinness encourages the general public to follow extreme diets that could ultimately being making us fat.”  If that wasn’t enough, some women who once struggled to reach a size 6, must now feel that climbing Mount Everest would be easier than to even imagine themselves as a size zero – why bother? 

Since it seems quite clear that the effects of size zero are nothing but negative, my vote is to abolish it forever and instead propose the use of colours to represent sizes instead. Perhaps a little Utopian, but it would be way less embarrassing to admit you’re a size purple!

Over and out!

cg

Ralph Lauren has received much criticism for the extreme alterations to this photo, used in promotional posters in a Japanese store.

The image has been photoshopped so much that it  looks physically impossible. The model, Filippa Hamilton’s, waist appears to be the same width as her head – promoting a completly unrealistic body type.

Hamilton, 23, went on the Today programme this week and said: “I saw my face on this super-extremely skinny girl, which is not me; it’s not healthy, it’s not right.”

Ralph Lauren has admitted this was a mistake (after it was heavily condemned) and stated that the image was not supposed to have been published or printed.

Hamilton has worked with the label for the past five years but was fired in April, shortly before the photo was printed. She claims this is because at 120lb and 5ft 10in, she was told she was too over-weight to model the designer’s clothes.

Ralph Lauren have strongly denied firing the model because of her weight and said it actually because she had not fulfilled her modelling contract properly.

After the ‘mistake’ with the publication of the photo, I find it hard to believe the model’s weight was not a factor in ending her contract.

The size zero arguement has been going on for quite some time now, yet people still can’t let it drop. Recent reports in The Guardian have said that Karl Lagerfeld has put his views forward by saying that people want to look at skinny models. He said in an interview for the magazine Focus, “These are fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television, saying that thin models are ugly”.

But a lot of people disagree with him. Dove’s advertising campaign features ‘real women’ and German magazine  Brigitte have recently stated that they are going to be featuring “ordinary, realistic” women in its articles. The American Glamour magazine also recevied a huge response when they wrote a piece about Lizzie Miller who was photographed in just her underwear and labelled as an ‘average American’ woman. This was such a big story that it made it across the pond to our shores.

The most recent breakthrough in the fashion industry came from the editor of British Vogue, Alexandra Shulman, taking a stand and writing letters to all the main fashion designers across the world accusing them of sending clothes in small sizes so that the magazines have to hire models with small frames. She has also said that Vogue are constantly having to retouch photos to make models look bigger than they are.

And what started this all off? Many people believe that the final straw was the death of 22 year old Luisel Ramos during Uraguay’s Fashion Week. It appears that the model collapsed whilst in her final costume change and died later due to heart failure. Her father announced shortly after that she had been fasting for days and that she had lost considerable amounts of weight deliberatley. It then came to light that Ramos had been told by many large modelling firms that she could ‘make it big’ if she lost a ’siginificant’ amount of weight. Further to this, Luisel Ramos’ 18 year old sister also died from suspected anorexia quite soon after.

All of this culminated in many fashion shows, including Milan and Madrid’s fashion week, stopping any model who had a BMI of under 18 from taking part in the show. (A BMI of below 18 is deemed as an unhealthy weight.) The pressure was then on for the other major fashion week’s such as London and Paris to follow suit.

However, there are some very impotant things which people should remember. The term ’size zero’ is one which has been imported from America. A size zero does not exist in the UK and an American size zero is effectively the same as a size four here in the UK, which, although difficult, is possible to buy from some large chain stores, such as Miss Selfridge.

Reports from the Sunday Mail have also given accounts from some British women who are a ’size zero’. It spoke to three women; two who are naturally slim and one who had previously suffered from anorexia. This gave a different perspective to the ’size zero debate’. Nicola Doyle and Lizzie Chung are both naturally slim but still receive negative comments even from passers by in the street. Nicola works in a fashion store in Glasgow and said, ‘I heard some women in the shop one day talking about how thin I was and how I couldn’t possibly be healthy.’ This surely does not seem fair. She also goes on to say, ‘People would never say anything in earshot of an overweight person but they think it’s fine to criticise someone who is thin.’ This statement is very true and i’m sure is something which is felt by many people who have slimmer frames.

There is a lot of focus in the media on how thin celebrities are or, on the flip side, how much weight they have put on and this has lead to many women feeling pressured to be thin. I however, from a personal point of view, think that now there is so much emphasis on ‘real women’ having real curves that it makes people who are naturally slim feel they are not womanly because they naturally don’t have the curves that make them a ‘real woman’.

The size zero debate is going to carry on for a while and yes i agree that maybe some of the models don’t look altogether healthy and the fashion industry may or may not have something to do with that. Its good that people are feeling more comfortable in their own skin because of campaigns such as Dove and Glamour but lets not forget that some people are naturally slim and no matter how much they eat, will not put on vast amounts of weight. It may be that some models are naturally that way and as Karl Lagerfeld believes, “ninety per cent of them are quite normal, properly proportioned girls with less fat and more muscles, who also eat pizzas and burgers.” People seem to forget that we only hear the bad side – the number of models who maybe aren’t a healthy weight – but think of the number of models we don’t hear about who are doing perfectly well for themselves.

So who knows when this will end or how it will be resolved. All i know is that peole are trying very heard to change things for the better and lets hope that happens before anyone else is affected by this.

Karl Lagerfeld, eccentric German designer, has waded into the recent debate about size-zero models started by German magazine  Brigitte by saying that people want to look at “skinny models” and classing those who complain as “fat mommies”.

Brigitte is Germany’s most popular women’s magazine, published by Gruner + Jahr.
Karl was responding to last week’s announcement that they will in future use “ordinary, realistic” women rather than real models. He criticized the decision as “absurd” and driven by overweight women who did not like to be reminded of their weight issues.

“These are fat mommies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television, saying that thin models are ugly,” said Karl in an interview with German magazine Focus. The designer added that the world of fashion was all to do “with dreams and illusions, and no one wants to see round women”.

Hamburg fashion designer John Ribbe, a regular participant in the Paris fashion show, said the row over underweight models had become hysterical.

“It’s just as much a cliché as saying that all models take drugs and get drunk at sex orgies,” he mentioned. ”Ninety per cent of them are quite normal, properly proportioned girls with less fat and more muscles, who also eat pizzas and burgers.”

Brigitte’s editor said that after years of having to “fatten up” images of underweight models with Photoshop, the magazine would produce its first edition without models on January 2nd. “We will show women who have their own identity, the 18-year-old A-level student, the company chairwoman, the musician, the footballer,” he announced.

What do you prefer seeing in a magazine – real models or real women?

Modellen laten (bijna) altijd een verkeerd beeld zien aan de wereld. In tijdschriften zie je alleen maar meisjes die (brood)mager zijn. Als je niet de juiste maten hebt, kan je eigenlijk geen goed model worden. Dit beeld moet veranderd worden! Want door dit verkeerde beeld hebben veel meisjes anorexia en boulimia gekregen. Het zou beter zijn als er ook vrouwen met een normaal figuur, en normale maten,  in tijdschriften en op de catwalk staan. Maar voorlopig hoor je als model ’size zero’ te hebben. Dit komt ook omdat Karl Lagerfeld spottend reageerde op het besluit van het Duitse vrouwenblad Brigitte. Dit tijdschrift had namelijk besloten om alleen nog maar “echte” vrouwen in hun tijdschrift te laten zien, en dus geen broodmagere modellen.  “Niemand wil vrouwen met ronde vormen zien”: zegt Karl. Ook zei hij in een interview met het magazine ‘Focus’: “Er zijn dikke moeders die met een zak chips op de bank voor de televisie zitten, en zeggen dat dunne modellen lelijk zijn.”

Voordat er modellen op de catwalk lopen met normale maten, moeten eerst alle ontwerpers voor zijn. Maar er zullen altijd genoeg mensen voor ’size zero’ blijven. Dus ik vraag me af of het ooit gaat veranderen…

Wie is Karl Lagerfeld?
Karl Lagerfeld is geboren in 1933 en is op dit moment één van de meest belangrijke en invloedrijke ontwerper. Hij werkt al vele jaren als ontwerper. Van Pierre Balmain tot Valentino. Lagerfeld is waarschijnlijk het meest bekend doordat hij één van de belangrijkste ontwerpers is bij Chanel. Daar werkt hij al sinds 1983 en toch komt hij elk jaar weer met een prachtige en originele collectie.

Karl Lagerfeld (flickr.com)

Everybody knows that University is a time when your body changes. Your alcohol-filled stomach bulges over your tight fitting jeans. You can no longer wear those skimpy hot pants-because the late night essay writing sessions with your reliable friend, coffee, have left your once smooth and toned legs looking unbearable. So we may have reasons for not feeling too great about our body. But to the point that we think ourselves unattractive generates problems. Everyone has a concept of beauty and their own body image, yet it is extremely rare that these two things ever go hand in hand. Our perception of our appearance often being much more negative in regards to how others see us.

This tendency to be critical towards our body can have serious effects not only upon our health, but also on our mental health and daily life. It is well publicised that having negative perceptions about our body can lead, in extreme circumstances, to anorexia, bulimia and over-eating. However, what is a less known, but a more common phenomenon is traits like skipping lunch, counting calories, debilitating gym sessions and depression. Sound familiar? You are not alone.

It is no wonder that the majority of people have negative feelings towards their body, when images of stick-thin women and athletic men are constantly projected in the media in style publications like Vogue, scrutinising gossip pages like Heat and fitness magazines like Men’s Health. Most people do not conform to this elusive stereotypical body, whether it is the waif-like figures of female models or the muscular build of famous sportsmen. But the media has most definitely contributed to us becoming obsessed with our body image by making us feel inadequate to this seemingly unattainable physique.

The U.K. fashion industry, who has been the main target of protest campaigns against “Size Zero”, declared last year that it would not ban “ultra-thin” models from the cat walks of London Fashion Week. This statement was made even after the untimely deaths of Luisel Ramos who died of heart failure during the annual fashion show in Montevideo, Uruguay in August 2006 and Brazilian model, Ana Carolina Reston, who died in November 2006; both deaths were diagnosed as being caused by anorexia. The Fashion Industry obviously does not empathise with the issues of body image as they still cast these particular models even when their weight dramatically dropped to below 7 stone. If the industry shows no regard for its models then it definitely does not care about the young women and men who feel imperfect compared to the airbrushed ideal body that it uses to make money. It is no wonder that people find it difficult to love their bodies when they are constantly bombarded with images that are telling them the opposite.

Not only do the media and the fashion industry have to change their priorities, society’s attitude in general needs to be challenged. Whether we admit it to ourselves or not it is a fact that ‘beautiful’ people, who conform to the stereotypes portrayed on every glossy magazine cover, are given preference over those who do not. Recent research conducted by the Social Issues Research Centre, a science based non-profit, NGO with funding from the European Union, discovered that students who are thought to be more attractive were more popular not only with classmates, but also with their teachers. The teachers were found to have higher expectations of attractive students, which led to them gaining higher grades as a result of their physical appearance. Another very damaging consequence of this quest for ‘beauty’ is that it produces the stereotype within our society that beauty goes hand in hand with characteristics such as intelligence, social skills and morals. Whilst the enlightened reading this article may deny that they hold such a conception this is not the issue because many people, even unconsciously, do. What is at stake for those who are not ‘beautiful’ or ‘skinny’ is that they begin to associate their lack of ‘perfection’ with the self-image of worthlessness and thus begin to associate losing weight as a step in becoming a ‘better person.’

A study by the University of Glasgow in 2001, of an unidentified university, showed that the majority of students that were surveyed were self-conscious about their bodies. In particular, female students were 10 times more likely to exhibit anxiety over their weight in comparison to male students even though the men surveyed were on average more likely to be over-weight. However, a significant number of male students also admitted to being insecure over their body image. This anxiety has its root in only one source: the exposition and objectification of the body in the media. The results of this obsession with body image are made clear by a recent report by the charity Mental Health Foundation UK. Their recent study found that on average 1% of women between the ages of 15 and 30 suffer from some form of ‘anorexia nervosa’ and 4% of this age from ‘bulimia nervosa.’ For men the average is much lower but still significant making up 10% of all anorexia or bulimia cases that are reported in the U.K. To put it in perspective: even at a mean estimate this means that around 800 students at Edinburgh University will have some form of eating disorder.

Apart from the very real threat to bodily health this anxiety about body image also impacts on the every day of life of students who do not feel that they fall into such categories. Even a slightly negative body image can cause insecurity, which can affect not only academic performance, but if ignored can develop into depression, while attempts to diet to achieve ‘the perfect body,’ is the precursor to more drastic cases like bulimia and anorexia.

Change in society’s superficial attitude is unlikely to alter anytime soon. Big corporations will continue to make extortionate amounts of money through fashion, beauty products, and our natural inclination to be insecure about our physical appearance. The only way to combat society’s stereotypes and the reception of them is to rise above it and accept ourselves for who we are. As one Edinburgh University student put it, ‘there is so much pressure to conform to what the media shows is beautiful. It doesn’t matter. Ultimately I’d rather go on living my life and eating that chocolate cake instead of worrying about my weight.’ This said if you feel that your body image is affecting your life then there are a number of people that you can contact to talk to confidentially and anonymously about any concerns you may have.

Nightline: The University of Edinburgh trained volunteer phone service can be called between 8pm and 8am on 0131-557-4444.
Breathing Space Scotland: This nation wide advice and counselling service can be contacted between 6pm and 2pm on 0800-838-587. Information and Guidance can also be found at http://www.breathingspacescotland.co.uk/.
Mental Health Foundation UK: This service provides information and contacts for those who know someone with eating disorders and want to find help for them; they can be called on 020 7803 1101. Information can also be found at http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/.