Supersize versus superskinny

I have a question: are we really happier when we are thin? When we're a few pounds lighter rather than heavier? And when our clothes feel a little loose rather than a little tight? Reading a recent Grazia article inspired me to look at modern society's perceptions of weight, given the fact that it dominates the main headlines of women's magazines.

So I'm intrigued.

Let's face it: the fascination with the waif is purely down to the noughties fashion ideals; this decade brought tinier models than ever and today's women, despite the average size in the UK being a 14, are aspiring to unrealistic ideals of the size zero and the tiny model. The nineties supermodels had curves which were sexy - just look at shots of Tyra Banks or Gisele Bundchen in their peak. These women had boobs and a bum; granted, they were also long and lithe, but a far cry away from the skeletal models that have dominated the noughties catwalks, who are more Twiggy than Dita; far more androgynous than bootylicious.

Celebrities of today are under constant scrutiny; every pound lost or gained is documented by the press. They are criticised when they're bigger, and even more heavily criticised when they're slimmer. For celebrities, there really is no middle ground. Victoria Beckham, Kelly Osborne, Charlotte Church, Lady Gaga, Alexa Chung and Mischa Barton, to name a few, are constantly documented for their weight loss or gain (mainly loss to be fair). And when one is in the spotlight and one's weight is commented upon on a daily basis, can you really blame them for wanting to shed a few pounds? Of course, there is always an exception to the rule, this time in the voluptuous form of Beth Ditto. Ditto, a self-proclaimed size 28, thinks nothing of wearing spandex leggings and stripping down to her underwear at gigs. In fact, she has appeared naked on the covers of both Love magazine and NME - surely a monumental achievement in a decade which favours bones over boobs.

It has been suggested that our generation is breeding a dog eat dog world which turns women against one another. Rather than coveting ones Mulberry Bayswater or Burberry mac we envy the woman with the tiny waist, the slim arms, the long, lean legs and the pert bottom. And apparently this is down to the fashion world. This is, after all, where the High Street and aspiring fashionista's take their inspiration from. And so it goes that if the models are skinny, that's what we want to be. We want to be a clothes horse; a muse that would make a bin bag look amazing, because we'd have a delicate decolletage peeking out, along with thin arms and slim legs. And to you, granted, this might seem a tad unrealistic. However, I can tell you that from my perspective, it most definitely is not. Of course I admire the beauty of a woman, and I admire her sense of style more than anything, but on a regular basis I have to stop myself envying the woman with the slim arms and the long legs. One of my biggest pet hates is a girl with an amazing figure who dresses it all wrong; it baffles and almost angers me, which is ridiculous given the fact that I'm not overweight. Of course there's things I'd change about myself; I'm 5'3 so definitely on the shorter side to say the least, and so would love longer legs, but this is not a reason to envy the legs rather than the bag. The fact is, today's society embraces the thin, the long and lean, and that can even confuse those with a normal BMI. I'm a size 10 for God's sake - hardly a Ditto in the making, and nevertheless I find myself wishing that my legs would be a bit longer and leaner when wearing my leather shorts or my vintage Levi cut offs.

So, is the fashion world to blame? In all honesty, I just don't think it is. Women have insecurities: always have and always will. And the fashion runways are never intended to reflect everyday life. If they did, an escapism from said monotony would not exist in fashion form. Fashion enables designers to transcend their ideas; but for them fashion is a vision, a creation; and not just a blouse or a cape or a pair of killer heeled boots. Take haute couture for example: hardly clothing that you could wear to go and pick up your bread and milk. The fashion world has always been the epitome of fantasy; so why, just because we are a culture devouring fast food like it's going out of fashion, should the models be overweight to reflect the very society that the fashion world is trying to escape?

However, I applaud John Paul Gaultier for using a size 20 model in his Paris Fashion Week show back in '06. Yes, the model dwarfed the other waifs, but she was sexy, and, at a time when the fashion world was coming under much scrutiny, he made a much needed statement. High fashion models don't have to be super skinny, the fact is that the term supermodel, coined in the '90's, set the standard for the long and lean and lithe.



And which size triumphs on the catwalk, the 0 or the 20? I'll let you be the judge.

However, before I become cast as a plus-size hater, I have to press that it is most definitely not the case. Granted, maybe I am of the opinion that the catwalk models should be slim and should abide by the notion of perfection that is unobtainable to the rest of us mere mortals. After all, if a supermodel can be of any height and any weight, then the world could be a supermodel, and thus the pedestal that the fashion world is cemented upon would come crashing down. Yet I still do not agree with anorexia dominating the fashion world. The futile obsession of perfection has, in this case, been taken to an extreme length to the extent that the world now thinks that jutting bones are the stairway to the catwalk.

Programmes such as Supersize Vs Superskinny has brought the issue of weight to the general public, making society realise that being superskinny is just as unhealthy as being supersize. The controversial weight issue of the noughties, however, is possibly more reflected and exemplified in that of the celebrities rather than the catwalks. Rachel Zoe seemed to be a driving force behind the size zero obsession in LA, styling the likes of Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan when they were at their skinny peak. And my opinion? Slim is good. Bones are not.


So, to get back to my original question, are we happier when we're slimmer? I'm aware that the answer to this question will differ from person to person. A naturally very thin person will want the boobs and the bum of a voluptuous size 12 diva, and a woman with an overweight BMI will more than likely not want to be a skinny size 6, but more like a 12-14, a realistic and healthy size. Slimmer depends on what weight you currently are. However, speaking for myself, and probably for Tyra Banks (pictured below), I can say that I personally am happier when I'm slimmer. I love food and I'm a self-confessed carb-junkie, but I always feel more confident and self assured when I'm a few pounds lighter; when my clothes are a little looser and when my cheekbones are more prominent. But that's just my opinion; however I feel the delighted look on Tyra's face says it all...