Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Now You See Them...Now You Don't

I know that Derrick has previously focused on the misfortune and distortion that body image causes women to feel in everyday life. But here is what I have to add to his angle. We all know that skinny is in -- but why? The average size of a model in today's world is a size 0.

Please process this as a realism. The fashion industry has become one of the most damaging external institutions, to influence our minds. It does not celebrate the uniqueness of each form of the human body with creativity, originality and craftsmanship in clothes. The body is simply seen as a vessel to hang clothes on.
A shame.

So many models do not wear the clothing, the clothing wears them. What ever happened to a stylish woman that looked like a woman? History flashback. This is a majorly alerting situation, we must act now.

Flipping through some fashion books and magazines the other day, I was shocked at the faces that some designers had chosen to represent their products. They looked like kids playing dress-up.



It is about time that designers are held responsible for the part they have in communicating a warped body image to people, especially women. They hire these models...they mold an image that these models are made to embody. If a designers job to make us feel good, sexy and powerful through images of their attire, they seem to fail miserably. They penetrate the messege that fashion is for the few, skinny and "beautiful." All that us regular folk can access, with hopes of fashion salvation, is our personal style. Style is more important than being trendy, trust me.

What designers present on the runways and through print, is obviously not accessible and un-affordable to most of us. A blatant fantasy. But all are aware, that we are looking not only at their clothes, but their models. Iconography and celebrity worship is a common practice -- the beautiful are looked up to, not necessarily the smart.

Having seen a few live fashion shows in my time, I couldn't help but always walk away feeling angry. What about healthy body image? Eating disorders are so rampant, but yet we are unable to point our fingers directly at the culprits and say STOP.

I love fashion, it is a passion of mine. But I am not a skinny bitch and never will be. I recall what it feels like just walking into any store, seeing an item I liked looking for my size. The devastation it caused me each time I had to walk away. The embarrassment.

When is enough, enough?

2 comments:

KarmaCake said...

It will all change the moment we all come together and we make change.

Until then, we will be steam rolled into anorexic slips of our former selves. We will never be happy. We will never be skinny enough.

We will never be the woman that others already see us as. At least, not until we can look in the mirror and accept ourselves.

When we can accept ourselves that is the day that we will accept others and then forge a new road of beauty and acceptance. Until then, no hollow words falling on deaf ears will have any impact other that pollute our conversations.

It's time to make change.

Anonymous said...

the physcial self has become as much as an obession as the ego will allow it to be.
In fact, perhaps there in lines the problem, or the concept of what could be a problem... The manifestation of an ego that propagates self, and in turn, self image.
Listening to this sensation known as the mind's ego can be dangerous for many different reasons, the most important is that it robs us from our experience in the here and now level of life. Models become skinny for their future, not for the here and now, because that is not possible. Models make brash and unhealthy life style choices for a future, and not one that can be envisoned properly.

Great peice of work there folks... Cannot wait to enjoy more

Peace, Love, and Keep the Faith