There’s been a hot debate about size zero models and underweight models for some months now. A topic that heated up again with London’s fashion week kicking off earlier this month, as reported in London’s Daily Mail.
Lily Cole is one of the size zero models today. Picture from London’s Daily Mail.
While I think this debate has done good, I think it’s important for people not to simply jump onto the band wagon with this thought altogether and swing too far out with the pendulum on this debate, without considering the other perspective – those who are genetically thin and underweight, with BMI lower than 18.5.
I say this because I myself speak from a 1.65m frame with a 17 BMI, which is considered way underweight. A search on the internet for “Kate Moss + BMI” will render everything from 15 BMI to 17 BMI. Point is, she is still underweight. But since my BMI is 17, would that not put me in that range and thus under scrutiny and criticism since I do now and again, appear in the media and that would mean that I’m a poor / negative role model for young teenage girls?
Well, I’ve actually put on weight since I was 16 where I was 1.65m and weighed 41 kg. An improvement I would say.
And looking at things from my point of view, I would say this entire debate is unfair to persons such as myself. It lands us in hot water for something that is genetic and it gives society something easy to blame, rather than do that research and publish more on genetic thinness. Now that would cost some institutions a lot of time and money wouldn’t it? So it’s much easier to point to a few prominent research already done and a few models who have died on the catwalks and say – out with size zero, out with being thin!
Besides which, research that goes against the grain most often escape funding. I can imagine the answer and gaffaws from the board of directors of some research institute if I said I had a proposal to prove that being thin is not necessarily unhealthy when every other research points in the opposite direction.
But do I have any health problems? Not thus far. Cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels were healthy at my last annual checkup.
So what’s missing in this debate? I think the word local.
I think people need to question the point of view and assumptions behind this debate thus far. Becuase it seems that most articles and research highlight western / European women. I too would agree that a European built 1.75m person weighing 50 kg could well be unhealthy if they were not genetically meant to be that way.
Looking at this from a global perspective, I believe research shows that some 5% of the world’s population are ectomorphs (genetically skinny) (1940, Sheldon; 2007, Kilbourne, internet resource, accessed 23 Sept. 2007) and I take it to mean that regardless of height, their bodyweight may well be below 18.5 and they are surviving fine.
Apart from the critical views from peers and marginalization because of me being size zero and underweight, I do have practical problems when major department stores scratch out size zero manufacturing altogether.
Another form of discrimination to people who are naturally thin in my view. So it isn’t only the obese who are marginalized and discriminated against. This debate, if not balanced out in future, will lead to the marginalization and discrimination of naturally skinny people.
So the average mannequin sizes in store displays now in Sweden are a size EU 38. That’s good and fine. But what is not is that the stores hardly carry size zero clothing. Of course in a country like Sweden, I can understand that there may be a lack of demand for size zero clothing per se and that it is not economically viable for stores to be carrying size zero, meaning an EU 32.
But then again, have they done their marketing research lately? Since as far as I know, I have had no problems selling my clothes online in my size, in Sweden. And I often have people writing me to ask for more clothes in my size.
As things are right now, I need to hop off to the children’s department to find clothes that are way to young for me anyway! It’s embarassing.
So debate away on this issue. I still think it does a general good. But don’t let the pendulum swing too far out. The world is large and there are many natural size zeros out there – who need clothes.
And what I’m writing about here is not to be confused with this cause, written here.
REFERENCES
Internet resource, accessed 23 Sept. 2007.
To read more about body types, body shapes and Somatotype theory, related to Ectomorph:
All extra readings can be found at Wikepedia.org