Following up on the last blog the good ole people at Marie Claire (God they should really pay me for plugging them shamelessly!) have now informed us that shops across the UK, mainly our high street brands are sizing their clothes bigger then the size guides. So in actual fact they are going against the rules- Hold the press someone is actually rebelling against fashion?! There's a first! I like many of you probably knew that clothing sizes vary from shop to shop but now we have a term for it, its becoming more apparent.
Vanity sizing as its affectionately termed is happening with many of our favourite labels including Marks & Spencer and Topshop. It literally means that women are lead to believe they are buying a small size by making the clothes slightly bigger then they are. Flattering right? or Misleading? Lets just say you have picked up a size 6 (for those of us who are lucky to be that size) and it is slightly big for you as the sizing is made bigger, it can be seen as a disadvantage because when it does not fit you you can't just get a smaller size. This would only work for people who are 8 and above and hence maybe a bit misleading.
Lets face it you you want to remain your current size for as long as possible and don't really want to jump from size to size. On the other hand it can be flattering to know that your smaller then the sizes and in addition to this with regards to the last blog its about time that fashion becomes more 'real' and treats people as they are. Real.
Is this another indicator of fashion becoming about 'real' people? Milan has already banned models on the catwalk who have a BMI less then 18.5, Britney Spears released photo's of herself au natural (non airbrush)and now its been revealed that Vanity Sizing is in process. Here's hoping :) its about time we enjoyed fashion rather then letting it make us obsess over how we should look. Live for fashion but remember to enjoy it at the same time too :)
For full article please visit:
http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/world/451160/clothes-shops-flatter-women-with-vanity-sizing.html
Wednesday
Fashion in all its glory
Just got this in my email from Marie Claire and just had to blog about it! I felt as my duty as a fashionista blogger to bring up this subject. It seems that Ms Spears has boldly gone where no female celebrity has gone before and let everyone see her in all her glory- without airbrushed pictures! Liberating feminist move or clever PR stunt? Being a cynical PR person it probably is the latter but I'd like to think its liberating too for women and Britney Spears too. Its liberating for women to see that celebrities are "normal" just like you and me and Briney must feel liberated too where she does not need to be worried about her body and clearly from the shots below she isn't.
It also shows how much she has grown up from that little school girl outfit we saw her in first, to the women she has become now. These pictures show that she is not only comfortable in her own skin but that she accepts all her "flaws".
These pictures also reveal the extent of air brushing that is done to pictures which then presents false expectations on womens body image. From the pictures we can see just how many inches are taken off from the picture (note the first picture below in particular) and how they look a bit unrealistic compared to her natural body which I think looks good anyway for someone who has had two children. If you compare the pictures you can see her 'before' picture is not bad at all and she looks great.
The picture which really surprised me is the one below where her bottom with airbrushing has decieded to defy gravity by being lifted a considerable amount and her legs have got stretched out and "toned" to the extent where they look a bit like chicken legs instead of "real" human legs.
I think if your going to use this airbrushing technique (and lets face it the fashion magazines are not really going to stop using this) then it should be a little realistic. I'll be the first to admit the airbrushing of her skin to even out the complexion looks good but I dont really agree with the 'trimming' that takes place as this is not what real women look like.
Its time that the fashion magazines and the industry took some responsbility in how images can influence women and in particular young girls in being paranoid about their body shapes. As I mentioned they in my opinion will never stop air brushing picures but surely a compromise should be reached where they have rules as to what can be airbrushed and how many inches of bottoms, breasts, legs etc can be taken off. This way the fashion industry can still be vain but in a better way where they create confidence in women's body shapes rather then have them obsess over unrealistic body ideals.
This would mean a lot of graphic artist's (is that the offical job title for people who air brush these images for a living??) will be out of jobs (sorry about that!) but they will be saving fashion man/woman kind :)
Whether a PR stunt or a liberating feminist move its refreshing to see celebrities or pictures of women in their natural state so the world can really see how images like these are heavily airbrushed. I watched a program last year on this subject and airbrushing takes around ten hours to do! Other fun facts about fashion airbrushing (quiete an ovbious one when you think about it) 99% of all images in Hollywood are airbrushed!
So next time you find yourself obessing over eating too many carbs or you want that doughnut- take it because you may (or those lucky ones who may not) put on some pounds which will then make you obsess over how you don't have Britneys perky rear- remember that poor person who spent ten hours giving her a bottom lift and thus the fashion images you see are not real and have been altered drastically as you seen here.
A bold move from Ms Spears too and I do respect her for it, never really thought much of her before as I'm more of a aggy fan (not the one from the cleaning duo but I like that one too!) myself but I suppose I see her in a new more grown up light.
As usual fashion lovers please do let me know your thoughts as I know this subject always provokes food (excuse the pun again!) for thought.
For full article and pictures please follow this link:
www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/beauty/450528/pics-before-after-britney-s-airbrushed-candie-s-ads.html
It also shows how much she has grown up from that little school girl outfit we saw her in first, to the women she has become now. These pictures show that she is not only comfortable in her own skin but that she accepts all her "flaws".
These pictures also reveal the extent of air brushing that is done to pictures which then presents false expectations on womens body image. From the pictures we can see just how many inches are taken off from the picture (note the first picture below in particular) and how they look a bit unrealistic compared to her natural body which I think looks good anyway for someone who has had two children. If you compare the pictures you can see her 'before' picture is not bad at all and she looks great.
The picture which really surprised me is the one below where her bottom with airbrushing has decieded to defy gravity by being lifted a considerable amount and her legs have got stretched out and "toned" to the extent where they look a bit like chicken legs instead of "real" human legs.
I think if your going to use this airbrushing technique (and lets face it the fashion magazines are not really going to stop using this) then it should be a little realistic. I'll be the first to admit the airbrushing of her skin to even out the complexion looks good but I dont really agree with the 'trimming' that takes place as this is not what real women look like.
Its time that the fashion magazines and the industry took some responsbility in how images can influence women and in particular young girls in being paranoid about their body shapes. As I mentioned they in my opinion will never stop air brushing picures but surely a compromise should be reached where they have rules as to what can be airbrushed and how many inches of bottoms, breasts, legs etc can be taken off. This way the fashion industry can still be vain but in a better way where they create confidence in women's body shapes rather then have them obsess over unrealistic body ideals.
This would mean a lot of graphic artist's (is that the offical job title for people who air brush these images for a living??) will be out of jobs (sorry about that!) but they will be saving fashion man/woman kind :)
Whether a PR stunt or a liberating feminist move its refreshing to see celebrities or pictures of women in their natural state so the world can really see how images like these are heavily airbrushed. I watched a program last year on this subject and airbrushing takes around ten hours to do! Other fun facts about fashion airbrushing (quiete an ovbious one when you think about it) 99% of all images in Hollywood are airbrushed!
So next time you find yourself obessing over eating too many carbs or you want that doughnut- take it because you may (or those lucky ones who may not) put on some pounds which will then make you obsess over how you don't have Britneys perky rear- remember that poor person who spent ten hours giving her a bottom lift and thus the fashion images you see are not real and have been altered drastically as you seen here.
A bold move from Ms Spears too and I do respect her for it, never really thought much of her before as I'm more of a aggy fan (not the one from the cleaning duo but I like that one too!) myself but I suppose I see her in a new more grown up light.
As usual fashion lovers please do let me know your thoughts as I know this subject always provokes food (excuse the pun again!) for thought.
For full article and pictures please follow this link:
www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/beauty/450528/pics-before-after-britney-s-airbrushed-candie-s-ads.html
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