I’m not going to bullshit you - the fashion industry demands thinness. That’s just the way it is, it seems. We’ve all witnessed the scarily thin models, the size zero ‘bans’ on the runway, the countless magazine articles backing healthy curves, and the spreads of said magazines flaunting size zero models - oh, I’m sorry, size two. Well guess what people? That still makes you too-effing-skinny, which is only one step up from anorexic.
None of us are shocked to see a model with collarbones sharper than Perez Hilton’s pen. But with a new niche in the fashion industry - that of bloggers - there’s a new debate to be had: should bloggers be thin too, if they want to make it in the industry?
Although there are, without a doubt, successful ‘plus size’ (read: normal) models and bloggers, it seems as if they are only successful because they are considered plus size, because they are calling for the attention that ‘plus size’ industry insiders deserve; it seems as if they are only given such attention because the industry is trying to be ‘politically correct’. And, regrettably, there are far many more thin interests as there are politically correct ones.
Why is this? Why are bloggers seemingly only able to make it big - or at least have a leg up on making it big - if they are thin, able to produce photos worthy of a Vogue editorial spread, rather than based on the strength of their writing, critical eye, or sense of style, all things totally independent of superficial appearance? Well, there is the view that fashion bloggers, just like models, are essentially selling fashion, selling clothes. And we all know that the body is not supposed to have any curves capable of throwing a curveball in the way the clothes ‘hang’.
Excuse me? ‘Hang’? Human beings are not clothes hangers. Fashion is not supposed to adorn mannequins, clothes are meant to dress people. That is their entire purpose. And the fact is that people come in all different shapes and sizes - and predominantly, I must say, NOT size zeros - and fashion should cater to that. People should not have to cater to their clothes, which is frankly the message that seems to have been broadcasted recently with the ‘thin-is-in’ current standard of beauty adopted by magazines and culture at large.
My view on all of this? Frankly, nobody should have to ‘be’ anything. Bloggers, models, or anybody else for that matter, should not have to be fat, thin, or anything else that someone other than yourself demands. The only responsibility you have in regards to your appearance is to yourself - you have a responsibility to keep yourself healthy, and that is all.
Personally, I truly believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and thus that there is no ‘standard of beauty’. There are many different kinds of beauty, and as long as you are healthy, that is all that matters. If you are a healthy size zero, that is totally fine; if you are a healthy size 12 or more, that’s fine too.
Rather than aiming to look like a model in an editorial spread, aim to eat well, and provide your body with healthy, low-fat foods. Rather than striving to be a certain size, strive to get a healthy amount of exercise each week (30 minutes three times a week is great), in a way that works for you (personally, I’m a big fan of the elliptical workout: it’s low-impact and adjustable to your needs. Check out
http://www.ellipticalreviews.net for a source of great elliptical machines - I have one in my bedroom!). Rather than trying to live up to anyone else’s standard of beauty, try to celebrate your own individual assets, and know that no matter what you look like or what label your clothes bear, you are beautiful.
