SKINNY IS THE NEW SICK.
It was only recently when the American brand J Crew introduced size triple zero[1]. The obsession with ‘vanity sizing’ and super skinny started long before that. In fact 10 years ago, when size zero was first brought to our attention. Unfortunately this dangerous obsession is still very present.
Although bootylicious celebrities like Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian are doing their best to change the perception of what true femininity is, modern girls still feel pressured to be super slim. But isn’t it exactly us, the women, who are building this obsession? When it comes to our salaries, diamonds or accessories the general rule is the bigger the better. Yet, when it comes to our dress size, it is exactly the opposite. The introduction of such bonkers label as triple zero only ignited the ongoing for years obsession around ‘vanity sizing’ even more.
Fashion magazines, while claiming to be firmly against ‘under-sizing’ and unhealthily skinny, still promote severe diets and anorexically slim women on their pages. Models like Stephanie Naumoska and celebrities such as Nicole Richie, Denise Richards or Keira Knightley, are often ‘on the menu’, consistently held up as the world’s most fashionable women. Yet, they are nowhere near the average women’s size. Occasionally a slightly curvier women breaks through, Jennifer Hudson for instance, but from what’s written one gets the feeling that she has been featured on the fashion spread’s pages only because of her enormous talent, and not because she is considered a role model in terms of booty size. Jennifer Hudson is usually called different, juicy or even chubby. If she is considered different, does that mean that unhealthy, anorexically skinny is what’s normal?
An even more shocking thought than that one is that being slim is no longer just a girls’ issue. Today men are as obsessed as women with not being healthy, but with simply being extremely skinny. Just a glimpse of any Gucci’s or Yves Saint Lauren’s runway show would prove this point. Please, bring the real men back! Men used to go to the gym, lift heavy weight and drink protein shakes to have muscular, well build bodies. Nowadays most men starve themselves skinny, trying to be labeled fit, or normal. Out of the sudden what is in fact abnormal becomes normal, and what is disturbing becomes sexy.
Pointing out the problem isn’t fixing it. There are certain steps towards this, however, that can be taken. The media, for instance, must reexamine its policy drastically. It is important that the media recognizes its role in society’s craving for skinny and actually addresses it. Hearing that slim but curvy is what’s healthy wouldn’t stop someone from being obsessed with being skinny. It is the images of super slim models and celebrities that men and women are perfused with on a daily basis that make the long lasting impact: skinny is trendy and putting on weight kicks you out of the sexy people’s radar. Websites such as www.skinnylove-losethatweight.tumblr.com, whose motto is ‘In love with being skinny’, shouldn’t even exist, as they make people believe that starving yourself skinny and pushing your physical limits at the gym is cool.
The top retailers have to realize what a powerful psychological impact they have on people’s minds and self-evaluation.
Fashion retailers should reassess as well. Such outrages sizes as triple zero being promoted for adult women must be condemned. The top retailers have to realize what a powerful psychological impact they have on people’s minds and self-evaluation. The fashion consumers would always look up to them knowing that what has been considered standard in terms of sizing by retailers is what’s stylish.
Lastly, we have to reevaluate ourselves. Instead of trying to become skinnier, we should be aiming to be healthier and more balanced. Our self-worth, happiness or success are not at all connected to our slimness. Rather they are connected to the way that we feel about ourselves. When are we going to stop being concerned if the others like us, and actually start liking, why not even loving, ourselves whatever our size? We should stop trying to heal our soul by ‘healing’ our body or by wiling to be physically flawless. Hopefully in a few years I will be writing an article called ‘Healthy is the new fit’ and that “the rise of the quadruple zero” would be just a chimera.
[1] Size triple zero would fit a 23-inch waist, which is the typical size for a child age 6–8.
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