A Weighty Issue

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Remember a few years ago when Nicole Richie looked like she’d drop dead at any moment? We all remember that photo of her running on the beach, flat as an ironing board but for her excessively protruding hip bones and ribs. Shockingly, women across the world tried to emulate the look; size zero was everywhere. Being on the ill-looking side of painfully skinny shouldn’t have been appealing, but it was. Thin was in.

Fingers of blame were immediately pointed at the fashion world, but fashion is about clothes, not the people wearing them. It makes sense for models to be thin and average-looking instead of voluptuous and beautiful. Gorgeous creatures on the catwalk would provide too much of a distraction from the clothes, whereas plain, slim models allow the clothes to shine.
Fashion wasn’t to blame, nor was celebrity culture, it was a sheer lack of good old common sense! If you’re of the idea that you have to fit into jeans small enough to be confused with your daughter’s then perhaps you’re a bit deranged anyway. What’s wrong with having boobs, hips, a bum and – God forbid! – a bit of a tummy? Well, absolutely nothing as it happens. It’s perfectly normal.
As women we’re pretty much pre-programmed to be dissatisfied with most things, but it’s a big step from lusting over designer handbags to actively forcing your body to be something it’s not.

There are loads of celebs who’ve been down to the size zero depths and realised that being healthy is more important than being thin. Nicole Richie has now embraced motherhood, isn’t skeletal anymore and looks amazing for it. Tyra Banks has piled on some pounds, still looks fierce and often speaks out against being too skinny. Christina Hendricks is the same and even Geri Halliwell has a fantastic figure again after leaving her size zero years behind.
Some of our leading ladies have always been savvy enough to embrace their natural curves and are champions for supporting normality. Think Kimberley Walsh with her gorgeous hourglass shape; America Ferrera who scrubs up from Ugly Betty into a fabulous curvy girl and Kim Kardashian who is the current poster girl for boobs and butts.

Happily, it has come full circle, although it's taken half a decade to do so. For every Victoria Beckham there are now three Beyoncés – women who appreciate and embrace looking womanly. Gok Wan is the out-and-out champion for real-size girls, whilst Supersize vs. Superskinny is one of the only TV shows highlighting the negative effects of being underweight instead of just focussing on the overweight.
Times have changed since the initial size zero hysteria and, with an average UK dress size of 16, it seems we’re not all under the skinny spell. With Spanx, heels and clever make-up we can all look our best all of the time without having to feel guilty about having pudding.

Kate Moss can keep her “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” idea to herself because surf babe Marisa Miller sums it up perfectly: “It’s always better to look curvy. Women look sexier.”