When will the media stop telling us what to look like??

happy_jax

I was reading this article on the BBC website last night and it's been playing on my mind a lot since..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10760903

I just find it so frustrating that the media will continue to tell women how they should look. I know they probably think they are being clever/helpful this time, by ceasing to promote size 6 supermodels and instead telling us to aspire to this curvy size 14 figure - but to me this is just as insulting.

I am not going to make any judgement on how I feel about either of these - the size 6 or the 14 - because it is down to the individual person and what looks right on them! Really, one of my colleagues looks great at a UK4 And one of my best friends is a UK18 and stunning.

The issue is that we are told to aspire to be like someone else. We have to conform!! It is ridiculous and makes women feel inferior and negative towards themselves. We are all different!!

I am 174cm tall, I take a UK 10, I am totally flat chested (32A), I have great legs and a great smile - but the worlds most revolting stomach (I was very overweight when I was younger...I fear this will never go completley!) So to be either of these women the media portray is impossible for me. See, I can recognise the good and the bad in myself... But why should I have to try to be something I can never be?

Sorry for the rant! And I know I will probably get a lot of comments just to ignore it etc. I do (or I will! haha) but it just wound me up how the article was worded as though it was doing women a favour by saying this woman was the "new aspirational female figure" rather than a super-skinny. There shouldn't be one, everyone is unique, everyone is different and everyone is special!!!!!

mrsyatesy

Well said - I'd like to add - "if you need telling what you should look like to be happy then the world is really a bad place - everyone has a different view of what they want to look like and who they want to be - thankfully!!".
:bigsmile:

amy1612

Also,isnt there an increased health risk with a waist size of 30or above in a woman?

It annoys me too,constantly churning out drivel about the "aspirations" of women lookswise, I mean for goodness sake,just because youre not touting anorexia doesnt mean you should tout anything else.

sharonuk10

Well said!!!

I feel this way about the so called BMI chart. All that does it put people into catergories. It does not take into account your build. Some people are built big some are built small and some in between. I will get to a weight and size I am comfortable with. Not what some chart tells me to be.

Gone a bit off the topic there. Sorry!!

lesley1981

I agree that not everyone is the same... If I went down to anything smaller than a UK 12 I'd look ill! I'm 5'5" and currently weigh 11st6lbs, I have a bum, and a 30 inch waist! I'm happy with my curves and I don't believe in letting anyone else dictate how I should look!

I'd love to know what the people who write these articles base them on!!

Clew

Fitness and fashion are big businesses. If you tell people they should look this way, and need to eat certain (of course, more expensive) products or use certain equipment to get there, as well as convince them that their goal as far away as possible - that's a lot of revenue. The older I get the more I realize the mighty dollar is what that's all about.

bombus

I read this post with interest and totally empathise with the frustrations so many of us feel. Until women stand up for themselves by refusing to be defined by their body size or with whom they have a relationship (Wags etc.) & demand respect for what they do and who they truly are this will continue. The changing size of celebrity bodies is big business & the media are unlikely to ever cease this level of bubble gum reporting. Interestingly there have been recent studies that show men are being affected by these issues leading to an increase in body image anxiety and eating disorders.

We're all beautiful just as we are! Good luck everyone!

We all have to rise above it in our own way. There are numerous contributing factors to beauty, to concentrate on so few is folly.

We're all beautiful just as we are

LotusF1ower

I was reading this article on the BBC website last night and it's been playing on my mind a lot since..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10760903

I just find it so frustrating that the media will continue to tell women how they should look. I know they probably think they are being clever/helpful this time, by ceasing to promote size 6 supermodels and instead telling us to aspire to this curvy size 14 figure - but to me this is just as insulting.

I am not going to make any judgement on how I feel about either of these - the size 6 or the 14 - because it is down to the individual person and what looks right on them! Really, one of my colleagues looks great at a UK4 And one of my best friends is a UK18 and stunning.

The issue is that we are told to aspire to be like someone else. We have to conform!! It is ridiculous and makes women feel inferior and negative towards themselves. We are all different!!

I am 174cm tall, I take a UK 10, I am totally flat chested (32A), I have great legs and a great smile - but the worlds most revolting stomach (I was very overweight when I was younger...I fear this will never go completley!) So to be either of these women the media portray is impossible for me. See, I can recognise the good and the bad in myself... But why should I have to try to be something I can never be?

Sorry for the rant! And I know I will probably get a lot of comments just to ignore it etc. I do (or I will! haha) but it just wound me up how the article was worded as though it was doing women a favour by saying this woman was the "new aspirational female figure" rather than a super-skinny. There shouldn't be one, everyone is unique, everyone is different and everyone is special!!!!!

To be honest, the media speak a load of old crap. I am a size 14 and that is now getting nice and loose (yay!), however, if the media thinks that just because they deem it "in" to be a size 14, doesn't mean I am going to take a blind bit of notice to be honest. If I felt fine at size 14 I would stay there, but I don't, I feel heavy and don't look nice in what I want to wear.

I wish they would bugger off and leave people to sort themselves out!

Behavior_Modification

They definitely don't take body type much into consideration when they create the weight charts either. Those charts piss me off big time because for me the range for my height is 100% unattainable. I just had my body fat assessed again on Monday and provided I don't lose any muscle weight---without ANY fat on me at all, I still would weigh 162lbs. But the charts say I shouldn't weigh over like 165. Whaaaaaaat? That is not going to happen. Btw, I'm 5'8". Just needed to vent a little too.