I am as excited as the rest of you about the forthcoming London Fashion Week. However, for plus size women like myself, it is always slightly tainted due to the lack of acceptance of curvy women in the high fashion industry & the continued promotion of super skinny on the catwalk.
With the ongoing issues surrounding the size zero debate, Susan Ringwood, CEO of Beat, the UK’s leading eating disorders charity, issues a challenge to the fashion industry to ensure the health of its models this fashion week.
Ringwood's plea - “Progress has been made through the Kingsmill Inquiry, to look at the overall industry and take steps to protect those working within it. We would urge the fashion world to follow through the recommendations made by the Inquiry and issue the following call to action:
OUR CALL TO ACTION
Five steps that everyone can take – no matter where or how they are involved in the fashion industry:-
1. Raise awareness – get informed about eating disorders and understand the risks. Change working practices to help reduce the risks involved.
2. Demonstrate diversity – in shape and size as well as ethnicity and age. Challenge the narrow aesthetic.
3. Take an ethical stance – make a commitment to supply chain integrity. Translate lessons from fair trade to make fashion healthy.
4. Build resilience – in the young people employed in the industry and those influenced by it. Help people understand the pressures and how to reduce them.
5. Celebrate creativity – fashion is aspirational. The creativity that drives it should be life affirming – not potentially deadly.”
Great points well made from Beat. For further information visit B-eat.co.uk. If, like me, you celebrate your curves & believe that plus size fashion should be as fresh & exciting as mainstream, then check out Curvety.com.
Showing posts with label eating disorder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eating disorder. Show all posts
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
Lily Allen feels media pressure to be thin
Lily Allen is always up for a celebity slanging match, but it seems recent comments from Cheryl Cole and Amy Winehouse fans have thrown the normally stable singer off kilter.
Lily reports - 'I used to pride myself on being strong minded and not being some stupid girl obsessed with the way I look. I felt like it didnt matter if I was a bit chubby cause, im not a model, I'm a singer . Im afraid I am not strong and have fallen victim to the evil machine . I write to you in a sea of tears from my hotel bed in Seattle , I have spent the past hour researching gastric bypass surgery , and laser lipo suction'.
In a later post Allen said Cole's jibe, coupled with the constant comparisons to supermodel Kate Moss as they launched rival fashion ranges was what pushed her over the edge. It seems Lily soon recovered from her moment of self pity and apologised to (and thanked) her supportive fans.
Reading through the replies to her blogs I am glad to see that her fans are of the same opinion as me, which is that Lily is a gorgeous woman who is an excellent role model to teens of today. Most female celebrities portray the image that thin is happy no matter what the cost and until now Lily has been anti this size prejudice. Dress like Lily with a selection of fab dresses from Curvety.com
Lily reports - 'I used to pride myself on being strong minded and not being some stupid girl obsessed with the way I look. I felt like it didnt matter if I was a bit chubby cause, im not a model, I'm a singer . Im afraid I am not strong and have fallen victim to the evil machine . I write to you in a sea of tears from my hotel bed in Seattle , I have spent the past hour researching gastric bypass surgery , and laser lipo suction'.
In a later post Allen said Cole's jibe, coupled with the constant comparisons to supermodel Kate Moss as they launched rival fashion ranges was what pushed her over the edge. It seems Lily soon recovered from her moment of self pity and apologised to (and thanked) her supportive fans.
Reading through the replies to her blogs I am glad to see that her fans are of the same opinion as me, which is that Lily is a gorgeous woman who is an excellent role model to teens of today. Most female celebrities portray the image that thin is happy no matter what the cost and until now Lily has been anti this size prejudice. Dress like Lily with a selection of fab dresses from Curvety.com
Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Story of a Plus Size Model
How to be a successful curvy model without letting the pressure to diet get to you...
Scottish Supermodel Louise MacCallum earns a fortune jetting around the world and living out most young girls fantasy. But unlike most of the ultra-slim, size zero girls who sashay down the catwalk at fashion shows, Louise boasts her beautiful curves and knows what it feels like to have the relentless pressure to lose weight.
Now at a healthy size 14-16, the 5ft 10in plus size model battled an eating disorder in the early years of her career. with her weight dropping to seven stone before she realised the price she was paying to conform.
'I hadn't thought about modelling until a family friend who had modelled in the Sixties suggested I give it a go. It was something to do in the summer holidays and I thought 'why not'. It was a really exciting experience.'
She was signed up by the world-famous Storm model agency and was expected to follow in the footsteps of supermodel Kate Moss, but in between her first meeting with the agency and completing her school exams she started putting on weight as her body developed to a healthy size 12.
Louise was told to lose weight or kiss her modelling career goodbye. 'On one shoot I was called 'the fat one' and I'd have to put up with sly comments on jobs. It made me more determined to prove them wrong by losing a dress size. First I stopped buttering my toast, then I skipped having toast and finally I opted not to eat breakfast at all.'
All the other models looked so skinny and I felt so much pressure. I was told if I was curvy I wouldn't get work.
''I'd skip breakfast then have a Diet-Coke at 11am. If I was feeling particularly hungry I'd eat some chewing gum. I smoked a lot of cigarettes too and at lunchtime I'd buy a red pepper from Safeways. ''I got into the habit of eating red peppers like you'd eat an apple. I chose a red pepper because it had less calories than an apple.'
'I was still living at home so I'd be starving during the evening. I'd eat the dinner my mum had made me then go in to the bathroom to throw it all back up.'
Her career was going well and she even featured at London Fashion Week but her body was suffering. Her periods had stopped, her skin was pale, she had no energy and suffered dizzy spells.
'I was down to a size eight, which was a tiny size for my frame,' says Louise. 'I didn't see myself as ill. It just became the norm. At home I'd cover up my body with baggy clothes. If my mum asked how a casting had gone I'd say, 'don't ask me, just leave me alone'.
'Starving myself meant my mood became unbalanced but I think my mum just thought I was a moody teenager.'
Finally Louise had had enough and when she was offered 6 months work in Sydney she took the escape. 'I got away from some of the pressures I'd felt at home,' says Louise. 'The look they were after in Australia was more beach babe. Curvier girls were more popular so I started eating better. I was still thin but when I looked in the mirror I thought I was fat.
'Upon her return Louise was forced to face the truth when her sister burst into tears when she saw her. Louise says: 'I've always been very close to my sister and I trust her. She told me I looked awful and I remember her asking, 'what on earth have you done to yourself?' 'I didn't go for counselling - my sister was my counsellor. She was great and showed me I could be successful without worrying about my size.'
Louise resigned from her agency and got an office job where she did not feel she was judged for the size of her hips - 'I felt like I was finally healing,' she says.
She gradually put on weight and with the increase in her dress size she also gained her strength and self confidence. Eating sensibly again allowed her to start working out at the gym twice a week - something she didnt have the energy for before. 'I was happy. I was eating healthily but I'd still allow myself treats like chocolate ice cream. I was learning to enjoy life again.'
In October 2000 Louise felt able to return to modelling. She signed up as a plus size model with Allison Bramwell's agency, Excel.
Soon she was living in New York as a celebrated plus size model - 'At the after-show party in Milan all the plus-size models went out to lunch. The room was full of laughter as we ate Italian cheeses, pasta and drank champagne.'
Today with a 29-inch waist, 42-inch hips and a 36C bust, Louise is more in demand for modelling work than she ever was at her skinniest and has worked for many leading brands but being chosen to open Milan Fashion Week this spring in a gorgeous black Elena Miro dress was an unforgettable moment for Louise.
'I felt so honoured,' she says. 'I knew the applause was for Elena's designs, but in my heart it was the final acceptance of who I really was. I'm a completely different person from who I was 10 years ago - I'm stronger and happier.'
Her advice for girls considering a career in modelling is simple...
'Don't be affected by it all,' says Louise. 'Some women are naturally very skinny but many starve themselves to stay on the catwalk. Be who you are and be careful.'
If like Louise you love your voluptuous figure check out Curvety.com for a fab range of plus size fashion which celebrates your curves instead of drowning them.
Scottish Supermodel Louise MacCallum earns a fortune jetting around the world and living out most young girls fantasy. But unlike most of the ultra-slim, size zero girls who sashay down the catwalk at fashion shows, Louise boasts her beautiful curves and knows what it feels like to have the relentless pressure to lose weight.
Now at a healthy size 14-16, the 5ft 10in plus size model battled an eating disorder in the early years of her career. with her weight dropping to seven stone before she realised the price she was paying to conform.
'I hadn't thought about modelling until a family friend who had modelled in the Sixties suggested I give it a go. It was something to do in the summer holidays and I thought 'why not'. It was a really exciting experience.'
She was signed up by the world-famous Storm model agency and was expected to follow in the footsteps of supermodel Kate Moss, but in between her first meeting with the agency and completing her school exams she started putting on weight as her body developed to a healthy size 12.
Louise was told to lose weight or kiss her modelling career goodbye. 'On one shoot I was called 'the fat one' and I'd have to put up with sly comments on jobs. It made me more determined to prove them wrong by losing a dress size. First I stopped buttering my toast, then I skipped having toast and finally I opted not to eat breakfast at all.'
All the other models looked so skinny and I felt so much pressure. I was told if I was curvy I wouldn't get work.
''I'd skip breakfast then have a Diet-Coke at 11am. If I was feeling particularly hungry I'd eat some chewing gum. I smoked a lot of cigarettes too and at lunchtime I'd buy a red pepper from Safeways. ''I got into the habit of eating red peppers like you'd eat an apple. I chose a red pepper because it had less calories than an apple.'
'I was still living at home so I'd be starving during the evening. I'd eat the dinner my mum had made me then go in to the bathroom to throw it all back up.'
Her career was going well and she even featured at London Fashion Week but her body was suffering. Her periods had stopped, her skin was pale, she had no energy and suffered dizzy spells.
'I was down to a size eight, which was a tiny size for my frame,' says Louise. 'I didn't see myself as ill. It just became the norm. At home I'd cover up my body with baggy clothes. If my mum asked how a casting had gone I'd say, 'don't ask me, just leave me alone'.
'Starving myself meant my mood became unbalanced but I think my mum just thought I was a moody teenager.'
Finally Louise had had enough and when she was offered 6 months work in Sydney she took the escape. 'I got away from some of the pressures I'd felt at home,' says Louise. 'The look they were after in Australia was more beach babe. Curvier girls were more popular so I started eating better. I was still thin but when I looked in the mirror I thought I was fat.
'Upon her return Louise was forced to face the truth when her sister burst into tears when she saw her. Louise says: 'I've always been very close to my sister and I trust her. She told me I looked awful and I remember her asking, 'what on earth have you done to yourself?' 'I didn't go for counselling - my sister was my counsellor. She was great and showed me I could be successful without worrying about my size.'
Louise resigned from her agency and got an office job where she did not feel she was judged for the size of her hips - 'I felt like I was finally healing,' she says.
She gradually put on weight and with the increase in her dress size she also gained her strength and self confidence. Eating sensibly again allowed her to start working out at the gym twice a week - something she didnt have the energy for before. 'I was happy. I was eating healthily but I'd still allow myself treats like chocolate ice cream. I was learning to enjoy life again.'
In October 2000 Louise felt able to return to modelling. She signed up as a plus size model with Allison Bramwell's agency, Excel.
Soon she was living in New York as a celebrated plus size model - 'At the after-show party in Milan all the plus-size models went out to lunch. The room was full of laughter as we ate Italian cheeses, pasta and drank champagne.'
Today with a 29-inch waist, 42-inch hips and a 36C bust, Louise is more in demand for modelling work than she ever was at her skinniest and has worked for many leading brands but being chosen to open Milan Fashion Week this spring in a gorgeous black Elena Miro dress was an unforgettable moment for Louise.
'I felt so honoured,' she says. 'I knew the applause was for Elena's designs, but in my heart it was the final acceptance of who I really was. I'm a completely different person from who I was 10 years ago - I'm stronger and happier.'
Her advice for girls considering a career in modelling is simple...
'Don't be affected by it all,' says Louise. 'Some women are naturally very skinny but many starve themselves to stay on the catwalk. Be who you are and be careful.'
If like Louise you love your voluptuous figure check out Curvety.com for a fab range of plus size fashion which celebrates your curves instead of drowning them.
Friday, 13 April 2007
Are fat friends a fashion statement?
I sit here seething after reading an article on The daily mail website entitled why every woman needs a fat friend.
The article talks about Kate Moss and a recent snap of her with 15-stone frontwoman of indie band The Gossip, Beth Ditto, and another unnamed 'fat' friend. In no uncertain terms it is stated that the beautiful people only have 'fat' friends to make them:
A) Look better
B) Feel better
C) Make it easier to pull
Here is a quote from the article:
'But it's not just when you're out on the town that your fat friend makes you feel better. When you're out shopping there's the satisfaction of slipping into a size 10 as she struggles with a 16, and even if you have put on a few pounds, the fact she can't fit into the biggest size the shop stocks takes the sting out of moving up to a 12.'
The fact that somebody would take pleasure from the obvious distress of one of their friends pretty much sums it up. I for one have many friends of all shapes and sizes who love me for who I am and vice versa. I would not want such a shallow friend, as frankly who needs enemies with friends like that!
If you are a 16 plus and suffer from the problem faced when shopping on the high street, try Curvety.com where you can pick up the latest fashions in sizes up to a 36. And if you have friends like Ursula it will be your turn to show them up!
I ask you all to read and comment on the article at the daily mail website as I think that the damage that this kind of journalism can do should be flagged. If this was about race or religion then Ursula would be stoned in the street. So why it ok to prejudice against people because of their size? People like Ursula at the Daily mail need to take responsibility for their actions and the affect stories like this have on teens and young women.
Wednesday, 11 April 2007
War of the sizes - Fat V Skinny
The Daily Mail has recently asked two women to pose for pictures, one is a size 0 (UK size 4) and the other is an 18, in the hope of raising awareness of the increasing weight issues in the UK today. So - Is media coverage of size zero celebrities directly responsible for the increase in eating disorders in young girls? Or is the steady rise in obesity a far more worrying problem?
Both women appear to eat a healthy balanced diet but nutritionist Fiona Hunter believes that the size zero model - Sasha Larner is eating less than half of the recommended daily calorie intake, and the majority of these are made up of biscuits & alcohol. Fiona had higher praise for the well balanced diet of Mikyla Dodd of Hollyoaks & Celebrity fit club fame.Both women claim to be happy with their weight, although Mikyla has recently slimmed down from 19st 2lb to 15st 7lb, losing 44lb when taking part in Celebrity fit club.
She says: "I am perfectly content with my lot. If I never lose another pound, I will be happy. I am a desirable woman. I've got great boobs and my last boyfriend said I had a nice bum. I've certainly got no inhibitions when it comes to the bedroom. I know for a fact that you don't have to be slim to be sexy. I feel much better now that I've lost some weight - but I'd never want to be a size zero. Pictures of people like Nicole Richie in her swimwear are so worrying. They are all skin and bone, and look as though they might snap."
Read the full article here
If you're happy with your curves then dress to impress in the sexy maya chiffon dress from igigi. It can be purchased from UK plus size clothing store Curvety.com
Both women appear to eat a healthy balanced diet but nutritionist Fiona Hunter believes that the size zero model - Sasha Larner is eating less than half of the recommended daily calorie intake, and the majority of these are made up of biscuits & alcohol. Fiona had higher praise for the well balanced diet of Mikyla Dodd of Hollyoaks & Celebrity fit club fame.Both women claim to be happy with their weight, although Mikyla has recently slimmed down from 19st 2lb to 15st 7lb, losing 44lb when taking part in Celebrity fit club.
She says: "I am perfectly content with my lot. If I never lose another pound, I will be happy. I am a desirable woman. I've got great boobs and my last boyfriend said I had a nice bum. I've certainly got no inhibitions when it comes to the bedroom. I know for a fact that you don't have to be slim to be sexy. I feel much better now that I've lost some weight - but I'd never want to be a size zero. Pictures of people like Nicole Richie in her swimwear are so worrying. They are all skin and bone, and look as though they might snap."
Read the full article here
If you're happy with your curves then dress to impress in the sexy maya chiffon dress from igigi. It can be purchased from UK plus size clothing store Curvety.com
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