Zero, zilch, nil, none… all of these words are synonymous yet if it is “nothing” then how can it be a size of clothing. I am slightly at odds when it comes to the size zero argument. It is not that I am not acknowledging that people of this size do not exist but I just don’t understand the point of it. It is just a number, why not make it a size 1 and push back the sizing chart one tier. Creating a size zero just, brings about another goal for women to aspire to.
If you leave the confines of the United States, you will find that there is no such thing as a size zero. In England our size zero is equivalent to a size 4. In the remainder of Europe it equates to a size 32. Either way, every conversion table gives a different number, but at least it isn’t zero.
Most perplexing however, are the conflicting views of the media. They criticize the fact that such a size was even created and but simultaneously perpetuate the thin beauty ideal. One moment a celebrity is too fat, (most likely normal sized) and the next moment they are too skinny. Basically the media contradicts themselves on what they deem as healthy, which is a terrible message for an adolescent society that takes the media as fact. I am greatly annoyed with many other issues revolving around the size zero debate but there is on that I think is incredibly important, Anorexia.
Each year we follow fashion week to see the trends of next season. Even though Madrid, took a stand a few years back and banned models with a Body Mass Index of under 18 and requested that they are medically certified as being so, anorexia and size 0 is still an issue. The most drastic response comes from Nolita, a fashion label which exhibited an advertisement featuring a nude anorexic woman. The advertisements have been posted during fashion week all of Milan.
Isabelle Caro is the “model” used in this advertisement. She is a an anorexic who has lived with the disease for over fifteen years. Isabelle spoke of her reasons partake in the campaign by saying, “I’ve hidden myself and covered myself for too long. Now I want to show myself fearlessly, even though I know my body arouses repugnance. I want to recover because I love life and the riches of the universe. I want to show young people how dangerous this illness is.” One can only respect the fact that she is using her illness to prevent others from doing what she has done. The photographer who shot the ad, Oliviero Toscani said his goal was “to use the naked body to show everyone the reality of this illness, caused in most cases by the stereotypes imposed by the world of fashion.” (DailyMail.co.uk)
It was successful at eliciting shock and displaying the reality of what anorexia does to bodies, but it failed. It only created what pro-ana sites like to call “thinspirational” photos. Women looked at some of Isabelle’s pictures and just loved how all 68lbs of Isabelle was fat free. Some of them looked at her like the Gisele of anorexic people.
It is that same effect that bothers me about size zero. Size zero is just another goal for women to set for themselves. Adding another size just makes women seek control, because maybe their pant sizes aren’t growing. Maybe the size charts are just changing.
At the same time I also question the motives of this ad. People already living with anorexia are accustomed to the distorted images in their head, so looking at a picture of another anorexic may not be that shocking. If this company wanted to help people suffering with the disease then they would have to do more than cover a town in posters. Do not forget though, that even though they are bringing a problem to light, it seems more of a ploy to get their brand noticed. I mean, who has heard of Nolita anyway? If they really wanted to take a stand and make a statement, then they would use “real” women in their fashion shoots.
If you leave the confines of the United States, you will find that there is no such thing as a size zero. In England our size zero is equivalent to a size 4. In the remainder of Europe it equates to a size 32. Either way, every conversion table gives a different number, but at least it isn’t zero.
Most perplexing however, are the conflicting views of the media. They criticize the fact that such a size was even created and but simultaneously perpetuate the thin beauty ideal. One moment a celebrity is too fat, (most likely normal sized) and the next moment they are too skinny. Basically the media contradicts themselves on what they deem as healthy, which is a terrible message for an adolescent society that takes the media as fact. I am greatly annoyed with many other issues revolving around the size zero debate but there is on that I think is incredibly important, Anorexia.
Each year we follow fashion week to see the trends of next season. Even though Madrid, took a stand a few years back and banned models with a Body Mass Index of under 18 and requested that they are medically certified as being so, anorexia and size 0 is still an issue. The most drastic response comes from Nolita, a fashion label which exhibited an advertisement featuring a nude anorexic woman. The advertisements have been posted during fashion week all of Milan.
Isabelle Caro is the “model” used in this advertisement. She is a an anorexic who has lived with the disease for over fifteen years. Isabelle spoke of her reasons partake in the campaign by saying, “I’ve hidden myself and covered myself for too long. Now I want to show myself fearlessly, even though I know my body arouses repugnance. I want to recover because I love life and the riches of the universe. I want to show young people how dangerous this illness is.” One can only respect the fact that she is using her illness to prevent others from doing what she has done. The photographer who shot the ad, Oliviero Toscani said his goal was “to use the naked body to show everyone the reality of this illness, caused in most cases by the stereotypes imposed by the world of fashion.” (DailyMail.co.uk)
It was successful at eliciting shock and displaying the reality of what anorexia does to bodies, but it failed. It only created what pro-ana sites like to call “thinspirational” photos. Women looked at some of Isabelle’s pictures and just loved how all 68lbs of Isabelle was fat free. Some of them looked at her like the Gisele of anorexic people.
It is that same effect that bothers me about size zero. Size zero is just another goal for women to set for themselves. Adding another size just makes women seek control, because maybe their pant sizes aren’t growing. Maybe the size charts are just changing.
At the same time I also question the motives of this ad. People already living with anorexia are accustomed to the distorted images in their head, so looking at a picture of another anorexic may not be that shocking. If this company wanted to help people suffering with the disease then they would have to do more than cover a town in posters. Do not forget though, that even though they are bringing a problem to light, it seems more of a ploy to get their brand noticed. I mean, who has heard of Nolita anyway? If they really wanted to take a stand and make a statement, then they would use “real” women in their fashion shoots.
Links:
"Fashion Company's Shock Tactics in the Fight Against Size Zero": http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-483762/Fashion-companys-shock-tactics-fight-size-zero.html
MamaVision(picture links): http://mamavision.com/2007/09/24/italy-aint-messin-around/
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