This is something that has been playing on my mind for quite some time now, and I've completely avoided writing about it because it's such a touchy issue and it's so easy for your words to be taken in completely the wrong context. Weight has always been an issue in the fashion business, fashion is in essence about creating perfection and so the search for 'the' body has always been something in the forefront of the media.
Recently I spotted photos of Emma Roberts wearing a stunning Burberry dress to a premier, and I was struck not by how lovely the dress was, but by how disturbingly thin her legs looked. I will never understand how editors feel comfortable printing photos of girls who display such unhealthy body ideals.
Then at the opposite end of the spectrum we have Amber Riley, who is an absolutely stunning girl, but I feel the need to point out that whilst she is nowhere near being 'obese' she is still displaying an unhealthy idea of what our bodies should look like. Lately the industry has been pushing for that 'love your body' slogan, and I am 100% supportive of this. I hear my friends commenting on their own appearances negatively and sometimes I just feel like shaking them and yelling 'You are GORGEOUS just the way you are!' I know starlets such as Amber Riley and Adele have been the poster children for just this campaign. But at the same time as we should be fully supporting a healthy self love, should we really be supporting stars such as Amber Riley and Adele whose weight, in my opinion, borders on becoming unhealthy.
And this is where it becomes tricky, obesity is something that can be caused by issues that are completely uncontrollable, in some instances gaining weight simply cannot be helped. The same can be said for being too thin, I have a friend who try as she may cannot seem to gain weight and remains at tiny size 6. I think this is an issue that needs to be addressed, the media needs to stop sprouting weight loss 'fad' diets, and start promoting healthy eating combined with regular exercise. Both obesity and eating disorders are known to be deadly in some cases, so why is this issue not being properly addressed!
I'd really love to hear your opinions on this, so please feel free to comment. Oh, and please note this is not from an appearance point of view, I don't care if you weight 40kg or 400kg, I am strictly speaking from a HEALTH perspective.
Oh my goodness...THAT is Emma Roberts? I didn't even recognize her!
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great post! I agree with you whole-heartedly.. I also think it's always great to speak our minds, even on controversial topics...
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AnnieB
I agree completely as well. It always irks me (to put it mildly) when I shop at a department store and they have the plus size section labeled "WOMAN" like I'm not a real woman because can control my eating and remain in a healthy bracket for my height. I also hate how I always hear well I'm really curvy like a woman should be, from women who are not curvy at all they are just too big and they've decided to call that curves. You have "curves" if your body actually goes in and out like a marilyn hourglass, not because you are a size 18.
ReplyDeleteGlad you spoke out on this, healthy diet and exercise is just not something that is ingrained in our American culture, this was the nice thing when I was in France...it's so second nature there to be balanced and appreciate your food for its nourishment not gluttony.
loved d post !! and i agree completely with you !!! Being thin or fat is not related to being beautiful !! but yes being healthy is !! In India also there has been a rush for being size ZERO since KAREENA KAPOOR introduced it !! I can see girls around me who are healthy and have proper BMI still cribbing about weight and skipping meals to achieve that size ZERO !!! this trend really has to stop !!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. This is always a controversial matter and I don't know why. It's like if now, being overweigh is much healthier than being thin. It's kind of crazy. With all these campaigns to prevent anorexia we got to the totally opposite border: are we encouraging obesity? Overweigh women don't have curves: they are unhealthy. As unhealthy as if they were too skinny. Being too thin is as bad as being too fat: we have to encourage girls to have the appropriate weight for their height and age, nor too fat nor too thin. In order to avoid anorexia, claiming «big» girls to be beautiful isn't a solution, but a bigger problem.
ReplyDeleteTen years ago, everyone in Spain was worried about anorexia, and campaigns from the goverment were done in order to prevent girls from falling into it. But now it's the opposite: boys and girls are getting fatter and fatter due to bad eating habits, they have abandoned the Mediterranean diet to start eating fast food almost daily. Now the goverment campaigns are in order to prevent child obesity and unhealthy habits. Whereas ten years ago, campaigns claimed for curvy to be beautiful, now, when children are already «more than curvy», they're promoting that being overweigh is not healthy, and that we have to eat healthily in order to remain slim. Now thin is beautiful (and healthy) and it seems that anorexia has disappeared. It's funny how things change in only a decade. Ten years ago, campaigns against obesity would have probably considered an invitation to anorexia...
Just my 2 cents from the second country with the highest life expectancy in the world, which is afraid to lose its status.
http://beindiebetrendy.blogspot.com/
xoxo
I do agree with you that fashion and women do not have to be at both extremes of the weight issue. No women dont have to be super skinny to be gorgeous but we also dont need to let go in order to love our bodies.
ReplyDeleteEat healthy, exercise and hug your body cos you are beautiful is my mantra...
I hold my soft bits *right below my tummy* and say to myself - i am gorgeous! i am woman, i am curvy and I rock... *so I dont need a huge bowl of ice cream for comfort food!
Everybody has different body types for various reasons such as height and genes and so forth, so as long as one is eating healthy and exercising and feels happy about themselves I think that's what really matters :)
ReplyDeleteLoved this post, it is a great topic for everybody!
www.lisasummer.blogspot.com
xo
LISA
Hi!
ReplyDeleteSorry it took me so long to put my two cents in, I've been away from my computer!
@Anne, I was incredibly worried people would hunt me down and throw eggs at my house for posting something like this, but everyone has been really good!
@Jessica, I agree whole heartedly that the term woman needs to be widened to include those of us (myself mainly) that have bust or butt to speak of! Being a woman does not denote having a specific body type.
@Nikki. I totally agree, the whole size zero thing is ridiculous, and encouraging girls to be this size is just wrong. And I agree, being beautiful is being healthy inside and out!
@Sara, I totally agree!! I was having a discussion with my dad about this just the other day, the Australian government has recently had a huge ad campaign about quitting smoking but obesity related diseases actually has a higher fatality rate than smoking related diseases. But unfortunately it's one thing to tell someone they smoke too much and a completely other thing to blatantly tell someone that they're too big.
@Swap Queen, the fashion industry NEEDS to get into the habit of promoting a healthy weight for a womans height. Thats why I love fashion blogs so much because most the time the girls who run these blogs are normal, healthy looking girls who support loving their bodies, but at the same time support a healthy lifestyle.
@Lisa, I agree that everyone has different body types, but there is still a line in the sand that needs to be drawn about what being 'curvy' and just being the size you were born with, and what being obese and unhealthy is.
Thanks for putting your opinions in girls, I had so much reading and responding to all your comments!
I have awarded you with a Lovely Blog Award! It's waiting for you at http://beindiebetrendy.blogspot.com/2011/06/lovely-blog-award.html
ReplyDeleteGreat post. It is such a difficult issue because anyone who is just a "normal" size doesn't get portrayed in the media. It makes me sad as a bigger girl sometimes because you can be so alone.
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@Fashionablecelebs I agree 'normal' (which I would portray as an AUS size 10-14) rarely are portrayed in the media. The media is obsessed with celebrities weight gain and losses so we only ever see the extremes. :(
ReplyDeleteDamn right, its time we balanced enjoying dessert with eating it in moderation
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