Too Skinny?

Too Skinny?

  • Comments: 62 in total
  • Author: Laura Heaps, MyVillage

Too Skinny?



The average catwalk model is over 5’8”, with many topping 6’.  However, while the average British woman struggles into those size fourteen skinny jeans London Fashion Week refuses to follow in the footsteps of Milan and Madrid by keeping super skinny size 0 models on the catwalk.

To put the sizing in to perspective, a Guardian mathematician has worked out the precise measurements of a size 0, using Victoria Beckham as a guide.  Working on the basis that the average size 12 fits a 28” waist and that 0-wearing Posh has boasted a waist of 23” he says that in fact this dress size, albeit tiny, should work out at a size 7.

But regardless of the maths it’s clear from looking at pictures of famous size 0s that emaciated isn’t a good look. Nicole Richie and Posh look less clothes horse than headed for the glue factory, with skin stretched over scarily jutting bones and expensive togs hanging from razor sharp shoulder blades.  One only has to look at Nicole in her puppy fat days to realise she isn’t a naturally skinny girl while Victoria, who previously boasted a layer of meat despite those Spice Girls dance routines, would be closer to the typical English shape if she lived a normal lifestyle.

The World Health Organisation classifies a BMI of 18.5 or less as underweight.  With the average catwalk model weighing in at less than eight stone but with a height of 5’9” – a BMI of 16 – you’ve got to wonder what the fashion industry are thinking.  Yes, high fashion clothes look better on bony girls but how many of the world’s consumers can maintain a size 0 naturally?  When they open the Darfur branch of Harvey Nick’s we’ll eat our words with an undressed side salad.

The ban on underweight models in Milan and Madrid came after anorexic model Ana Carolina Reston died weighing just six stone, proving that it isn’t just impressionable teenage girls affected by the size 0 phenomenon.  With hundreds of beautiful young women with the potential to be the next Kate Moss being told that they’re too fat while their ribs grace front pages of fashion magazines the world over what chance have us chunky ankled chancers and our yet-to-grow-into-their-skins teenage sisters got?

Agree, disagree?



Realted link:
Skinny celebs
The Size Zero Debate


Laura Heaps, MyVillage, 02nd February

Comments

(62 in total) Post a comment

Skinny ladii said on 17th March ...

"some young kids at like 14 are naturally skinny and they cant put on weight. the media puts across this thing thaT YOUNGER TEENAGERS all want to be skinny. But thats not always the case. "


Amy said on 14th March ...

"I think the media cover too much on the whole size zero thing, they focus too much on the emanciated celebrities with their ribs sticking out. At 5"1 i'm petite and fit into a size 0 but no way do my ribs and bones stick out like the celebrities, infact mine don't show at all, i look average. The more coverage they give this the worse it'll become, you don't see them trying ban size 20 or 22's when clearly people that size are overweight and endangering their health just as much, especially as obesity is now becoming a big problem aswell"


Laura said on 13th March ...

"Personally I'm fed up with reading about people's weight. Not only people who are supposedly a size 0 but any size. We, as a nation, seem obsessed with what people weigh and what size they are. WHO CARES?!!!! I don't! It annoys me so much that every magazine I read seems to be going on about size 0, or who is skinny and who is chunky. Everybody is different and that's what should be celebrated. Not trying to conform to what the media says is the perfect shame. There is no perfect shape. I think once we stop buying and reading these ridiculous magazines then hopefully this stupid debate will go away. As long as you're healthy and happy it doesn't matter what size you are. If Posh spice is happy being a size 0 then who are we to argue? Just as it's none of our business if a celebrity wants to be a size 16. I've stopped reading these magazines because I want to read about something more intelligent than what someone weighs!"


Gemma said on 13th March ...

"I do think that some of these celebrities, like Posh Spice and Nicole Ritchie are too thin and not naturally thin. I think it must be horrendous to put yourself under that pressure all the time by worrying about every morsel that passes your lips. But I also think that some girls, myself included, are naturally thin. I eat what I want but am 5ft 8" and weigh nine stone. I'm a healthy size 10 but I still get a lot of flack from people telling me I'm too thin. I think this is very insulting as this is the way I am built and I can't do anything about it. It's very upsetting to be told you are too thin, just like it would be insulting to be told you were too fat, too short or too tall. So I feel sorry for some celebrities, like Mischa Barton and Kiera Knightly, who I think are naturally thin for the flack they get from people who say they have an eating disorder. Some people are naturally thin and we shouldn't tar everyone with the same brush just because of people like Posh. "


wednesday said on 12th March ...

"I feel really sorry for people that are tooooo Skinny because they are so unhappy with themself and they get so obsessed with looking like someone thier not and usally end up dead then what is the Fing point of that if your dead they should really stop and think about it. i also understand that some people are just naturally skinny they cant help them self to look that way. but forcing themself not to eat is just STUPID!!!! i Blame the media for all this shit "


Anne said on 12th March ...

"Girls, when you get past 35 you honestly don't care about your weight, and when you stop worrying about it you sometimes even lose a few pounds. My grandmother used to say eat when you're hungry and you'll never be ill. This is good old-fashioned advice. Age is a well-kept secret. Don't let anyone tell you it's all downhill from 30. They are lying. Be happy with the bodies God gave you. If you are healthy it doesn't matter. A good man will love you whatever your size. Most men don't even care about their woman's weight. "


liv said on 10th March ...

"I am writing a speech for school on the size zero debate and how the media influences teenage girls to become thin. I am happy with my size and I think all girls should be even if they don't like their whole body. I do not think girls like Nicole Richie should be super skinny, even two weeks after having a baby, if that's all she thinks about, shes sad and need to get in the real world because there is so much more to life than dieting and image. I admire people like Coleen because she's just normal and a healthy weight! Why can't girls just be happy with who they are? And boys do not think size zero is SEXY!!! "


Jane said on 07th March ...

"I totally agree that size 0 looks and IS awful, but it's utterly STUPID to go too far the other way and celebrate unhealthily obese ladies like Beth Ditto and Dawn French! NATURALLY CURVY i.e Nigella Lawson, or Lily Allen, is great - but people who are genuinely dangerously overweight are a danger to themselves, an inconvenience to others and a burden to the NHS if they contract heart disease or the like. The human body quite obviously isn't meant to carry that much fat on it, and the fact they're so big could be a mental health issue of unhappy comfort eating - we shouldn't be afraid to tell unhealthily giant girls to ask for mental heath support if they need it and go on a diet! "


Jennifer said on 07th March ...

"It's all about what's in fashion. We are mostly sheep! Yes, underweight models should be banned. Instead the fashion industry should emphasis how sexy health, strength and vitality are. Surely the woman's movement was about freedom. What have we done to ourselves if we are prepared to starve, even to death, just to conform to yet another stereotype. We are all shocked when we hear about Victorian women deforming their bodies by squeezing into corsets to get that fashionable perfect hourglass, or 17th century women poisoning themselves with white lead powder used on their faces. Well, we have come on no further. We slice our bodies open now, to have bigger breasts, we starve our bodies and risk serious health problems by doing so....and for what? Surely ladies, we are better and more intelligent than this!"


Valerie said on 06th March ...

"ok so I'm not the skinniest, but I'm happy with who I am - CHUNKY ANKLED CHANCER AND PROUD!"


Valerie said on 06th March ...

"It's not about being jealous, or worrying about them being hungry! People need to recognise the scale of this problem! One of my best friends is anorexic, another is bulimic, and at least another 5 have eating problems. She can't see how amazing she is! Her BMI is terrifyingly low but she still thinks she's fat. It kills me to see someone I love so distressed and the fact that there's nothing I can do to help her makes it worse. I just wish she could she what an intelligent, beautiful, talented (skinny), amazingly brilliant person she is! BAN UNDERWEIGHT MODELS! "


kat said on 06th March ...

"People, please learn to spell!"


cyndia said on 06th March ...

"Piss off, people are just jealous have a worry for people in 3rd world counties - they have no food and there are so much more skinny people, if Nicole feels hungry the burger shop will be just around the corner Skinny or big it aint a big deal to me"


kaytee said on 05th March ...

"As a young girl I feel the size zero trend has had a huge impact on my friends around me. I now know one friend who thinks sh'es fat and is struggleing with bulimea and another very skinny friend already with anorexia. Growing up as a skiny, tall child who has a fast motabolism and therefore I find it hard to put on weight but I love my food! I dislike the fact that people say I'm anorexic which only encourages me to eat more. I find this is because the now well known size 0 trend. "


mark said on 05th March ...

"oh my god!!!! i really cannot see why any lad wud find bones attractive.... say no to bones and for god sake eat sumin you look ill and unhealthy... imagine havin a cuddle wiv a rib cage.... no thanks x"


Jas said on 05th March ...

"I personally found the comments on this article much more illuminating than the article itself. I have noticed a strong trend in the media recently of people picking a side, you are either for "fat" or "skinny", despite the fact that nobody really has all the answers about peoples weight or shape as we all appear to be working from the viewpoint of the "average" or "perfect" weight that most people will agree, cannot be clearly defined. In my opinion, the size zero culture in modelling is a bad thing, as it's attraction lies in the fact that it is rare and difficult to achieve. I could liken it to sports, the people who get together every weekend to play football with their mates don't get national coverage as they are not the best, people who devote their lives to it (and get paid a ridiculous amount of money) do get the publicity, because their talent is rare. As a marketing tool size zero models are effective, and until public opinion changes radically, brands will continue to use it. I myself am more likely to buy a product if it is advertised by someone with curves, but that's my own personal taste, and in the UK at this period in history, smaller women win."


Anna said on 04th March ...

"I'm sorry but some people making comments on this article are rediculous. At the age of 14/16 you're still growing, sizes 8 onwards are adult sizes which is why in shops they sell clothes for AGES 14-16. By the time you're 21 you will probably be a whole different shape/proportion."


Adam said on 04th March ...

"Too much of this "size 0" debate is focused on females, and the effect on teenager girls. I assure you all, it's a serious issue for younger males as well. I lost a close friend after he tried to starve himself into women's size 0 jeans. Open your eyes, it's not all about the women."


Kelly said on 04th March ...

"Interesting article.. but I personally think more interesting feedback and comments. Especially from the 14-16 age groups. Just want you to know most people were skinny minis at that age because you are so active and have a fast metabolism.. not everyone is against you or think you are anorexic, just jealous we aren't able to still eat anything we want and stay a svelte size 6."


rosie said on 23rd February ...

"I agree I mean skinny is cool"


LondonJim said on 20th February ...

""The World Health Organisation classifies a BMI of 18.5 or less as underweight. " What a complete load of ****. I'm a healthy adult male (5'10" in height), but I had a BMI less than 18 for most from my late teenage years until I was in my late twenties. I'm not unhealthy, my hobbies are mountain climbing and I've had no problems with that. Over the last few years I've put on a few pounds and now my BMI is 19.5 ... do I feel fitter or healthier? Not at all."


katie said on 20th February ...

"i think it shouldnt matter; if you want to be thin then go ahead, if you want to be fat then go ahead! Why should so many people care about what eveyone else looks like? Keep your nose in your own business - let fat girls be fat and let skinny girls be skinny! And as for anorexia you can't choose to have anorexic models or not because its a mental disease, something which cant be predicted or cured with a pill! To be a model you need to be thin, but you don't have to be anorexic, and nobedy makes them develop mental instability - believe it or not - so quite wingeing about anorexia because a size zero isn't impossible or even hard to achieve and maintian (unless of course you live in a grossly obese country such as ours)"


Steve said on 20th February ...

"It's not difficult to be thin if you choose. Most people seem to be overweight these days, and I guess that's why there's no much bitchiness about thin women. The problem isn't that too many women are thin. The problem is that too many women are FAT. The biggest eating disorder of the 21st century is gluttony."


wadey5 said on 20th February ...

"I agree and disagre, there is a lot of pressure but its your own life you cannot be forced into been skinny, I'm a size 14 I want to be thinner but I am happy how I am. If anybody tells me you need to lose weight my answer is who said your supposed to be skinny, I'm sorry but nobody can tell you what to do and what not to do Celebrities are pathetic"


j.webster said on 19th February ...

"i agree there is far to much pressure on people to be skinny, but i am a size 6 bordering on a size 4, having spent the last four years with doctors trying to get my weight up, i am still struggling to gain anything, i weight 7 stone 4lbs, and quite often have people tell me how skinny i look and i hate it, i would love to have a curvy figure with boobs and bum, but it looks like i just have to get used to being ultra slim and people calling me anorxic!"


PR said on 19th February ...

"Agree completely with the sentiment of your article, but the phrase "When they open the Darfur branch of Harvey Nick’s we’ll eat our words with an undressed side salad." was in very poor taste. If you're making a serious point, please don't undermine it by showing a lack of integrity and empathy about other equally serious issues. "


Carla said on 19th February ...

"Marky, Amy etc.. I totally agree and you are one of the few people to post some thing that makes sense on this blog. Nature didn't intend us all to be the same! Everyone please, go out and enjoy your lives and stop obsessing about your weight, your size ... its time we all realsied that 'pefect ' doesnt exist and size Zero or not everyone has body hang ups regardless of their weight. If some one tells you otehr wise they are lying! A good mental attitude promotes a healthly body."


thea said on 16th February ...

"I am 15 and I am size 8/10. I am 5"8 and I hate it when people say i am too skinny because I actually eat a lot and just have a high metabolism. I don't think they should promote really skinny models as lots of my friends are very influenced by the media. People should be allowed to be whatever size they want but the media shouldn't keep called noraml sizes woman 'fat' as girls and women could feel pressured in to becoming a size 0 which just doesn't look natural."


Marky said on 16th February ...

"All the discussion over size zero's just adds to the general view that people should conform to a norm. The truth is that too skinny is as bad as too fat. We should all celebrate the variety and beauty that is life and just avoid the extremes!"


Lily Rose said on 13th February ...

"I'm fifteen and am a natural size four to six (Uk. Sizes) . You can say I'm anorexic of bolemic, or I suffer from eating disorders, but I actually have high metabolism and that's what helps keep my weight down. I know my stuff, and the catwalk models aren't actually size zeros. The sample clothes are all made in a size eight. So the models are generally a small size eight. This isn't badly underweight. The problem that faces us is a nation of obesity. It takes very little to be overweight, so little that 3/4 of all Britons are overweight, and 22% obese. Aren't all the beautiful people, who have managed to avoid this state of mind and body, simply the ones left behind. The ones who haven't slipped into the conformity of overeating."


Emma said on 13th February ...

"Right. Im 15 turning 16 and im a 10/12. i only 5'3" and i have a BMI of 25. Guess What? NHS says I'm NOT overweight. Yes im not surf-board stomached but im NOT FAT. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN OVERWEIGHT CHILD. only those who are at risk of becoming overweight in adult years. I agree..there should be healthy happy models on the catwalk and those who are underweight should be hospitalised. If you are Happy...Then people should see you for WHO you are and not WHAT you are. "


Jodie said on 02nd February ...

"I am 30 years old and have suffered from anorexia since I was 15. I think the media are wrong to allow clearly underweight people to model and promote. There should be more support and positive feedback so people don't fall so easily into this deadly disease. I was once in the thought I was doing great losing weight etc and now I have heart problems. Osteoperosis and memory problems and bad teeth as result of anorexia."


Zoe Hicks said on 31st January ...

"Being only 14 I want the best look possible but the look most designers are promoting isn't reallyistic I wear a size 6-8 and feel fat, I'd love to be able to say i'm a size 0 but the way it looks is not appealing in any way, the idea of being supper skinny and the realty are two diiferent things. The modeling community produces clothes for men and women that walk the streets like you and me but those people walking on those streets aren't size0 they've all got their own weight and if that makes them feel good then that's fine with me but the look that runways are promoting maybe called 'the look' but its not the only look! "


leanne said on 29th January ...

"As a mum to a 12 year old girl,it sickens me to think that this is the kind of stuff my daughter is going to look at,as much as i will talk to her,its hard when kids today are looking in magazines having the likes of victoria beckham as someone to look up to!.are you kidding me!,i would'nt trust her with my child never mind being an idol to my daughter!,can you imagine the kind of issues she would imprint on her daughter if she was to ever have one?"


Lauren said on 26th January ...

"So bored of the same issues and articles just regurgitated over and over and over again. It just becomes sickening! Please stop! Who cares about whos skinny and whos fat etc. Let people live their lives the way they want. So what if some people chose to starve themselves? So what if some chose to overeat and not exercise? Who are we to judge? Please stop with all these boring, non-informative dull 'reports'."


bee said on 26th January ...

"I do not think Victoria Beckham is skinny because she said in an Elle magazine that she works out 7 days a week. Honestly, stupid people look to find flaws in great people . "


Naomi said on 25th January ...

"I think its is stupid that you would want to be skinny I would rather have some weight on me than none at all, I think you should have models that are in proportion and that are nice looking not that are horrible..."


amber said on 25th January ...

"Yes I agree, some people are naturally size zero but for the people that are not I think if they were to diet to become size zero I think it would look unattractive. As for those saying they want to be really skinny ask yourself why, why do you want to be skinny I mean everyones different so just be who you are and be proud of your body shape no one can be the same as eveyone else can they. I'm happy being curvy and so should all you others out there be happy with your own body shape and don't follow anyone elses because you want to be like them. Identity is your own. "


Anon said on 25th January ...

"well itz up to models if they want to be size zero! But I was a size 10 and now a size 6 but i didnt just stop eating I do regular exercise but my mother thinks I've got a eating disorder! I get weighed each week and yet, to be quite honest, i eat alot It's up to them not anyone else!!"


Amy said on 24th January ...

"Does it really matter? it up to them what they want to do with their body! some people are natuarlly slim anyway, but people who starve themsleves will only end up dead or seriously unhealthy. everyone should just eat healthliy and do regular excercise, then everyone will be at a healthy weight for them. everyones different as well, if we were all the same then the world would be boring. but really i think we should stop talking about models and celebs bodies and weight because its just pathetic really, i dont really care, and if people want to follow them and idolise them as well then that up to them too. but thats also pathetic everyone should just be individual and lead a happy life! because you do only live once, and i think weve all got better things to do and talk about.! so im going ive got my point across! "


Alice said on 24th January ...

"As women living in the developed world we are under pressure to be a certain shape. Thinness has been idealised recently, through fashion, media, and advertising about 'healthy living'. Having recently returned from Africa, where being thin is seen as being unhealthy, and women wish to be bigger than they are, I am horrified by our society's obsession with weight and thinness and equating this with healthiness and beauty. Some of these comments from our thinner friends below show that it takes an obsessive, and, dare I say, rather boring, lifestyle involving rigorous 'healthy eating' and working out, to be thin. Why should we not just enjoy our lives and be the shapes we are naturally meant to be?"


Anon said on 24th January ...

"it is not for us to judge we do not know how much or little they eat. I live with a girl at uni who may have an eating disorder because she has a constant need to appear like the models in the photos. She does constantly hint that she thinks they are beautiful because of there small size-its really upsetting to see because they are her idols, a sign that she is not eatting is her hair is falling out. Her mother was a model and might have encouraged this wierdness with food and the pressure to be slim. She forces her body to this size and it just looks wrong when compared to my other friend who is naturally that size, which is fine. I think that size 0 being in the media all the time, not just on catwalks but on celebrities young girls idolise is putting alot of pressure on people. Just when did forcing your body to be tiny become attractive?"


lucy said on 23rd January ...

"Way too skinny, its not healthy to be that way. I became too thin before and it was horrible, its hard but you have to think whats healthier for you..."


clare said on 22nd January ...

"Firstly i'd like to say that sometimes people are just thin. I have always been fairly thin wearing a size 6 or an 8 and i'm 5'8 and it's very annoying when people go on about how skinny you are and ask if you're eating enough. Secondly i'd like to point out that a size 0 is an American term and is in actual fact a British size 4. So bearing this in mind if I was to drop a dress size I could potentially be banned from modelling in catwalk shows (if this was my chosen career), surely this seems a little hasty? Don't get me wrong I understand that many models don't practice healthy eating but then considering that they are the minority anyway perhaps they are naturally this thin and shouldn't be discriminated because of this? However, my take home point is to be healthy and happy in your own skin - but to remember that the picture isnt always that clear cut."


harriet said on 22nd January ...

"I think that the size zero craze is well crazy, it's better to be healthy than starving yourself to death just because magazines tell you to. the only reason woman are so self conscious about there weight is because of it being advertised in magazines and on the tv. Woman should be proud of there curves and not care what other people think, after all it is their body not theres. "


salopine said on 22nd January ...

"The people on here who seem most hysterical are those proclaiming how fabulously healthy and skinny they are- maybe you need some more carbs ladies? Sure, there are some size 0 girls who are naturally that way, just as there are some hugely fat people who are genetically predisposed to it- however at either end of the scale it's a TINY minority. Most super skinny girls work very hard for it and, aside from it turning them into bores who look down their noses at anyone with a double figure BMI, they risk shrivelled wombs, osteoporosis, diabetes and bad teeth, bad hair and bad breath, to mention a few. Personally, as a hot, size 8 30 yr old my advice would be: relax, eat in moderation, have plenty of sex and, if you're still not satisfied, feed your minds; some of the grammar on here is shocking. "


anomounous said on 21st January ...

"If you fat people will make a comment, if your skinny people will make a commen.No matter how u luk some one will always judge u carnt win in to days society...i dnt think size zero luks nice but i do no people who naturally carnt put wait on,but also no people who have starve there selfs which is very stupid.... I don't think its models or thin people fault...its the modelling agencies for not taking good healthy luking people which leads to all this eating disorders... I would rather be thin than fat....."


Scooter von hootanany said on 20th January ...

"To be quite honest the state of the woman in the country is nothing short of shocking. Where on continental Europe cafe culture demands that people watch and snigger at the occasional fat girl walking past mid espresso we will soon gasp at a the oddity that is the non obese girl daring to be on our streets. It really is getting that out of hand. Any one can be overweight but when our young people are in danger of killing themselves to squeeze into that size 20 dress from morbid obesity then give me the size zero anyday. Its about health not size. "


letty said on 19th January ...

"Firstly I am a size zero, i used to have alot of puppy fat but recently the weight dropped off. i haven't changed my eating habbits and infact I exercise less since I have left school. I think its a disgrace that journalists and other people are always commenting on the likes of Victoria Beckham. compared to many clebrities she is a role model and has never done anything like falling out of clubs drunk or bein banned for drink driving. The person who said: "I think that people who are size 0 need to do something about their problem" disgusts me. just because you are a size zero doesnt necessarily mean you have a problem! these people who say they are a size 14 and at a healthy weight is beyond me, many of them need to get to a gym and get fit. You all need to stop critising people and their weight. It's none of your business. There is far too much emphasis on this issue. "


Laura said on 18th January ...

"First off, all you people making comments on here need to remember that everyone is different. You can be skinny or fatter and be perfectly healthy without any kind of eating disorder. Yes there are people out there with eating disorders but what is making everyone so sure that the media and modelling is to blame. Anorexia is a PSYCHOLOGICAL illness, there are many factors contributing to it's occurance including genetic predisposition as well as situational factors. I find it quite annoying that someone should say something a long the lines of "have a real meal!" in response to such an illness, if not plain stupid as it clearly demonstrats the lack of insight into the subject. It might be true that modelling agencies pressurise and are responsible for MODELS being thin but that does not necessarily mean this is also the cause of anorexia in the general population. Banning size 0 models on the catwalk may be beneficial for the women working in modelling but it is not going to solve the problem of eating disorders within the public and neither is banning small sized clothes. To anyone naturally skinny not being able to get clothes that fit and having to wear baggy ones will be incredibly annoying. As for people with eating disorders I can only imagine that not being able to get clothes that fit will just add to their usually low self esteem as well as making their illness seem 'wrong' and 'bad' through the banning of clothes. I doubt this will aid recovery. I only wish as much effort was being put into providing decent psychological therapies for eating disorders as is for criticising the fashion industry and skinny people."


TopCat said on 18th January ...

"As a petite size zero, I think it's ridiculous to say that 'all size zero's starve themselves' - it's absolute rubbish. I eat whatever I like, which is (minus the odd sausage and egg baguette) pretty healthy. The reason I can stay so slim is firstly, I'm pretty lucky with a high metabolism, but mainly because I WORK OUT about 3 times a week, and do yoga. I also live a very active lifestyle and don't shovel crap down my throat from 8 in the morning till 10 at night!!! Being, not slim/skinny/small or any of the above, but, YOUR ideal/natural healthy weight is about being ACTIVE, eating HEALTHILY and doing a combination of CARDIO AND WEIGHT RESISTENCE WORK. There isn't any magic to this. You have to burn more calories than you consume and tone the muscles you have! That said, some ppl can do this easier than others, and to say that those of us who find it easier should be discriminated against, by shops refusing to sell clothes in our size, because of those stupid idiots who seek attention constantly by starving themselves is RIDICULOUS! If anyone suggesting this actually HAD an understanding of economics then you would understand that for as long as there is customer demand, more and more retail outlets will satisfy it - and it won't change - it's simple 'supply and demand'!!! I have mixed views on the larger sizes though. In my view, the 'average size 14-16 is pretty big, most women I see of this size, aren't carrying this weight because it's 'natural' for them to do so. It's down to taking in too many calories and not burning enough off! As for the much larger sizes, say 18 and above, I think it's wrong to say that shops should stop selling these, because there is a huge number of women who are naturally this size or who have medical conditions preventing them from losing this weight. However, i do think that the impact on society of obeisity is far more detrimental and costly to our society than those with a low, but healthy BMI. We all need to change our perception of whats healthy and realise that just because we moan and whinge about working out and going to the gym, it's actually not as difficult as you make it seem IN YOUR HEAD! As soon as you start going REGULARLY, and combine this with healthy eating and being active in your day to day life, you'll see an improvement and it motivates you to live that way. However, there IS such a thing as being too skinny - I would say to the girls who starve themselves - grow up! Stop trying to be 'thinner than her' and find another way to 'be the best' - there is NO SUCH THING as being the 'THINNEST' - and anyway - since when did being a lollipop become a career???"


Emma said on 18th January ...

"I don't think you can discriminate on size zero ... my best friend is naturally that small, people constantly ask her if she is ill and she's not, she is perfectly healthy, she would love to put on weight but she can't (her mum, sister and brother are also tiny). She struggles to buy clothes that fit, often resulting to children's ranges! Obviously celebrities take it too far ... but I think its down to personal opinion "


Jodene said on 18th January ...

"This is wrong! people shouldnt starve themselves as it destroys their lives! to be honest they need to go to a mental institution"


elephanto said on 17th January ...

"I would love to be skinny!!!!! im soo fat im 5ft 6 n 9st 7 i want 2 be skinny!!! I already struggle with my weight i always think that thats too fatty thats too much n if i had my way just live of fruit but i cant!!!!"


amber said on 16th January ...

"I don't think its just about starving yourself to look good its so much more than that. It's easy for people to speculate on the reasons behind why people do this but its not just the imagery it's portraying has anyone ever thought about the psycological side of it I have not been affected by size zero i am a health size 12/14 but I just want to say it's unfair to judge people on what they know hardly anything about. "


jen said on 30th November ...

"In response to the comment about stores refusing to sell size 0 clothing as it promotes eating disorders. i would just like to point out the flaws in this discrimnative retail as people with eating disorders are not going to suddenly decide that they are unable to buy a pair of jeans and this will instantly cure them, no they are infact just going to join all the naturally thin people in the misery that is buying clothing. and although for many of us who would happly go up to a size 6(uk) if only we could somebody with an eating disorder prefers just wearing the baggy clothes as they can't think of anything worse than gaining that extra half a stone. preduced against those that are naturally thin and those with mental illness should not be tolerated anymore than an overweight person being abused because they have isssues that stop them being able to lose the weight."


Rupa said on 10th November ...

"I think that people who are size 0 need to do something about their problem and as for calling people from size 4+ obese from one of the girls below- Honey, people like us aren’t obese, it’s just people like you who like to starve yourselves to look like your dying. Do us all a favour and go have a proper meal! :D"


rima begum said on 09th November ...

"Hey my name is Rima. I think this size 0 thing is ridiculous. Why starve yourself just because you want to look all boney and scary. There’s young teenage girls who are suffering from anorexia because of all the celebrities and models."


Rene said on 24th October ...

"In regards to a comment below written, i can totally understand her anger at not bing able to buy a pair of jeans becasue she is naturally thin, and I can also understand her pointers at the obese clothing range. However clothes haven't been taken from shops becasue people aren't naturally thin and size 4 or below. It is unfortunate for those naturally thinner people, but the main point remains, most are not naturally this skinny.. they starve themselves to be able to fit into these clothes.. if these clothes aren't available, they can't buy them... people don't have a choice! The fact remains modeling agencies choose super skinny models above naturally healthy sized woman. The clothes are adjusted to fit them perfectly... otherwise no one would buy them, they would look like rags on skeletons. Agencies need to hire more naturally shaped woman. This would not only show the public that normal size is best.. it would also show a thing or too to skinny models and get them to pile on a few pounds at christmas like the rest of us!"


Karen Angus said on 20th October ...

"I was horrified last time I went into a Gap store, to find they are no longer allowed to sell me a pair of jeans that fit. What am I supposed to do?? Am I supposed to go about with baggy, loose-fitting/ falling-down jeans that impede my mobility even further? I am sure being naturally thin does not cost the NHS very much at all compared to what the comcomitant problems of Obesity costs, and is going to cost them in the future. So, are they going to ban shops from selling any clothing over size 18 ? If size 4 people are not allowed to fit clothes that fit in an attempt to get them to put on weight, then neither should fat and obese people be allowed to buy anything that fits- to 'encourage' then to lose weight!"


Clare said on 06th October ...

"I think that the modeling agencies are to blame - from what I hear they refuse to accept any models who are of anything resembling a "normal" size. Models are told to slim down (firstly into something that resembles an androgenous being and secondly into a size that is impossible for almost anyone to get to healthily). If the top modeling agencies had a range of models from a size 6 to a size 16 they would look healthier, have better skin and be something that would be a possible dream for far more people. It is also important to realise that it is not only women who fit into this category but also men, who seem to get forgotten about in the eating disorders debate!"


Annabel said on 12th July ...

"I personally dont think tht there is anything wrong with models being a size zero. it is their choice wheher they want to be a size zero, or if they want to be overweight. Models get targeted for the cause of annorexia and eating disrders in young girls, but the media doesnt seem to be looking anywhere else. The modelling agencies and advertisement agencies could also be to blame. I dont understand why the public is blaming th models for the shape of their bodies, but why should they have to change how they look and feel for other people. I think that the media are trying to make the models feel guilty for the annorexia and eating disorders in yound children. Maybe the models are happy with the way they look, why should they have to change for other people. Would you change because somebody wanted you to? there are some women out there who are naturally skinny but at the same time, they are perfectly healthy. I think its time for the media and the public to look elsewhere for the cause of teenage and young adult annorexia and eating disorders, instead of always targeting the models."


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