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.
