Issue 153

Feeling good?

26th February 2007

Why is it that some people are born with legs that don't seem to end, nonexistent bingo wings and a figure to die for? The answer does not lie hidden deep within a gym or at the bottom of a fat-free milkshake, but chances are it's just down to luck (sorry). The majority of us have bumps and lumps and stumpy limbs. However the thing that sets you apart from the crowd is your sense of individuality.

Emma Bartlett, Women's Officer for the Student Union, added to this and said that you should "Be happy with who you are, without feeling like you have to adhere to stereotypes".

This is, unfortunately, something that in recent years has become secondary to whether your appearance is 'socially acceptable', especially with the emergence of the idea that 'thinness is good' and extremes such as the size zero cult.

Body Image has become an increasingly complex issue particularly in the modern world of fashion. It was once considered normal for stick thin girls to walk the catwalks of Paris or London during fashion week, wearing outfits that the average sized woman would have to be fired from a cannon in order to get into! These thinner than average models were intended to simply display the clothes to an audience, but being thin has somehow become an obsession with the general public, especially with women.

However, as we have seen, debates surrounding the portrayal of overly thin models during fashion week have overshadowed the event itself.

So, the big question: Do overly thin body images portrayed on catwalks encourage the average woman to hate their own appearance? It has been suggested that promoting a waif like body image as normality leaves the majority of women dissatisfied with their own appearance. Therefore, producing certain clothes in popular high street shops that are only suitable for this particular body shape, will naturally only increase the mounting dissatisfaction. More worryingly it is suggested that a new sub zero range may soon be introduced (British size 2).

This 'cult of thinness' has been getting more extreme throughout the decades, beginning with models such as Twiggy in the 60s. Twiggy was named so due to her unusually thin appearance, a body image today that is not considered unusual on today's catwalks. In fact, this image could be considered as desirable by most modern women.

On the other hand, you do see people who are naturally skinny. For example take a look at Gwyneth Paltrow across the page, she looks beautiful and natural, whereas if Kate Winslet slimmed herself down to that size she'd probably look gaunt and unhealthy.

We took these issues to Emma Bartlett who commented that "some people are naturally size zero and that's fine. However, most people aren't naturally that small, this puts pressure on girls to cut things out of their diet to look the same, which can be unnatural and dangerous." Having an interest in this issue has led Emma to set up an eating disorders help group for students suffering from different diets, stress and home sickness which may contribute to developing an eating disorder - especially when students start at uni.

Emma is also currently starting a web based body image campaign to celebrate body diversity (send your pictures to Emma at womensofficer@swansea-union.co.uk to be involved). The Union are also recruiting for a fashion show which is taking place on May 1st. If you'd like to take part then the deadline for potential models is March 12, so get your applications in asap!

Emma also discussed with Front about certain designers not using size zero models on their catwalks and some UK shops in particular not producing the size either, "it's a good step forward definitely, but in the US size zero is a UK size 4, so it's pretty scarce in shops at the moment".

It seems that this Student Union is well prepared to try and deal with the ever complex issue of body image. If you have any questions or are badly affected by body image issues yourself, then please either contact us or Emma Bartlett directly. Find all contact details across the page, and remember - healthy is best! Don't try to be something you're not.

Waterfront Online