One of the biggest issues in the fashion world at the moment is the size zero debate. The majority of models strutting their stuff on the catwalks are size zero, (a size 4 in the UK) and are wearing clothes that would fit an average 7 year old!
Spain was the first country to ban size zero models on their catwalks, but British Fashion Week recently refused to impose a similar ban. Why are fashion designers and people within the industry obsessed with size zero? Surly the clothes they have been working on will not be shown off and worn to their full potential on a skinny, twig-like frame. It seems that as a society we are going from one extreme to the other, some of us are over-weight and others are equally underweight. The happy, healthy figure is becoming increasingly uncommon.
Weight loss surgery company Surgicare recently surveyed over 2,000 men and women of all age groups over 16 and found that size 10 was the most popular dress size, with size 14 following. However, younger people (aged 16-25) were more likely to be influenced by the media and thought that sizes 4-10 were ideal.
So this is the source of this rapidly growing problem? The media! Pictures of celebrities are constantly in the newspapers, magazines and on TV, who are severely underweight and are influencing the younger generation in the wrong ways.
Lately there have been a few documentary experiments on the effects of slimming down to a size zero on TV. The Truth About Size Zero, was broadcasted on ITV on the 7th March 2007. Louise Redknapp slimmed down to a size zero in 30 days for the documentary to show the dangers of crash dieting. The naturally curvy star, 32, dropped from a size 8 down to a US size zero by fasting and enrolling in a punishing fitness boot camp.
Louise explained why she embarked on the mission to become stick thin saying; “I grew up in the entertainment industry. I’ve always felt even at a size 8 that I’ve never quite been skinny enough. There was always the pressure that if I could have lost half a stone it would have been better. It’s such a lot of pressure on a young woman and if I was feeling like that, I know a lot of other young women were also feeling like that.”
In the experiment, Louise ate just 700 calories a day whilst doing a strenuous boot camp style work out. She also ran three miles a day. She suffered many negative effects as a result, such as bad skin, shrinking breasts, fluctuating moods, tiredness, white and red blood count reduction and a temporarily compromised immune system.
Louise admitted she liked her new size zero frame, but felt terrible enjoying being smaller. She was frightened she might become addicted to be that size, the health effects of which would be very dangerous. Long term damage of this kind of crash dieting includes infertility and osteoporosis.
Louise is now back to her healthy weight and concludes the whole experience was extremely tough, she will never diet ever again and hopes the documentary will do some good in highlighting the dangers of crash dieting. She goes on to say that being skinny and a size zero does not equal success and while some women are naturally thin, many are not and if they are desperate to try to reach it, it will almost certainly spell misery and ill health.
Layla Smith, Controller of Alternative Programmes at ITV said; “Dangerously thin celebrities have been on the front of countless magazines and size zero has become the debate of the moment. The Truth About Size Zero will show exactly how damaging the pursuit of the lollipop look really is.”
Super-Skinny Me: The Race to Size Zero, was broadcasted on Channel 4 a few weeks after the ITV documentary. Two British journalists tried out various different and extreme diets for six weeks. They attempted to get to size double zero, (a UK size 2) with constant medical support and guidance for the women. The documentary was very disturbing. The women’s state of mind changed dramatically in a matter of weeks. When they started, they were both very healthy size 12’s and said although there are parts of there bodies they don’t like, they have never really been that bothered about their weight.
Kate Spicer, one of the journalists said “Models have always been thin and while some have issues, generally the model’s body is an extraordinary one; they are a gangly slender breed unto themselves. More fascinating- and alarming- are the lengths other women will go to physically and mentally to keep themselves well under their natural body weight; and the extent to which most of them think their natural weight is essentially fat.”
In week one, Kate Spicer, tested the Master Cleanse diet, a concoction of lemons, cayenne pepper, maple syrup and spring water. She had to drink this 3-4 times a day with no solid foods. Two days of drinking this potion she finds it very difficult to work becoming agitated, bored and loss of attention span. She said “My legs might look sturdy, but they struggle to climb up stairs and my head is light as a feather.”
Kate then eats about 500 calories of nuts a day so she can do her job and is smoking a lot more. She also begins to enjoy the feeling of ‘emptiness’ by the end of the week and drinks two pints of salty water to cleanse her bowel and encourage the ‘emptiness’ feeling. Obviously this is not very healthy.
Week three; Kate’s state of mind alters. “My mind is warped and I have arrived at planet thin where all that really matters- forget about art, literature, love, family, career- is getting thinner. I am a food phobic!” Kate takes a week off work so she can focus purely on the experiment and decides to go to a detox retreat in Kettering. Taking some laxatives, having daily colonics and consuming nothing but fruit juice is her plan for the week. “I am becoming very stupid and obsessed!” she says.
After her week at the retreat she visits the doctor in charge of the experiment and tells him about the laxatives, he immediately sends her to a psychiatrist. “After a cold hour of being grilled, the psychiatrist says I have the potential to develop bulimia and I am told to start eating properly and quit the experiment.”
Kate’s personality, life and opinions changed dramatically within these 4 weeks. The other journalist slimmed down to a size double zero. They are both back to their healthy weights and insist that it is something that has changed their lives forever. Kate said; “I have seen the dark side now and I never want to go back to that.”
Spain was the first country to ban size zero models on their catwalks, but British Fashion Week recently refused to impose a similar ban. Why are fashion designers and people within the industry obsessed with size zero? Surly the clothes they have been working on will not be shown off and worn to their full potential on a skinny, twig-like frame. It seems that as a society we are going from one extreme to the other, some of us are over-weight and others are equally underweight. The happy, healthy figure is becoming increasingly uncommon.
Weight loss surgery company Surgicare recently surveyed over 2,000 men and women of all age groups over 16 and found that size 10 was the most popular dress size, with size 14 following. However, younger people (aged 16-25) were more likely to be influenced by the media and thought that sizes 4-10 were ideal.
So this is the source of this rapidly growing problem? The media! Pictures of celebrities are constantly in the newspapers, magazines and on TV, who are severely underweight and are influencing the younger generation in the wrong ways.
Lately there have been a few documentary experiments on the effects of slimming down to a size zero on TV. The Truth About Size Zero, was broadcasted on ITV on the 7th March 2007. Louise Redknapp slimmed down to a size zero in 30 days for the documentary to show the dangers of crash dieting. The naturally curvy star, 32, dropped from a size 8 down to a US size zero by fasting and enrolling in a punishing fitness boot camp.
Louise explained why she embarked on the mission to become stick thin saying; “I grew up in the entertainment industry. I’ve always felt even at a size 8 that I’ve never quite been skinny enough. There was always the pressure that if I could have lost half a stone it would have been better. It’s such a lot of pressure on a young woman and if I was feeling like that, I know a lot of other young women were also feeling like that.”
In the experiment, Louise ate just 700 calories a day whilst doing a strenuous boot camp style work out. She also ran three miles a day. She suffered many negative effects as a result, such as bad skin, shrinking breasts, fluctuating moods, tiredness, white and red blood count reduction and a temporarily compromised immune system.Louise admitted she liked her new size zero frame, but felt terrible enjoying being smaller. She was frightened she might become addicted to be that size, the health effects of which would be very dangerous. Long term damage of this kind of crash dieting includes infertility and osteoporosis.
Louise is now back to her healthy weight and concludes the whole experience was extremely tough, she will never diet ever again and hopes the documentary will do some good in highlighting the dangers of crash dieting. She goes on to say that being skinny and a size zero does not equal success and while some women are naturally thin, many are not and if they are desperate to try to reach it, it will almost certainly spell misery and ill health.
Layla Smith, Controller of Alternative Programmes at ITV said; “Dangerously thin celebrities have been on the front of countless magazines and size zero has become the debate of the moment. The Truth About Size Zero will show exactly how damaging the pursuit of the lollipop look really is.”Super-Skinny Me: The Race to Size Zero, was broadcasted on Channel 4 a few weeks after the ITV documentary. Two British journalists tried out various different and extreme diets for six weeks. They attempted to get to size double zero, (a UK size 2) with constant medical support and guidance for the women. The documentary was very disturbing. The women’s state of mind changed dramatically in a matter of weeks. When they started, they were both very healthy size 12’s and said although there are parts of there bodies they don’t like, they have never really been that bothered about their weight.
Kate Spicer, one of the journalists said “Models have always been thin and while some have issues, generally the model’s body is an extraordinary one; they are a gangly slender breed unto themselves. More fascinating- and alarming- are the lengths other women will go to physically and mentally to keep themselves well under their natural body weight; and the extent to which most of them think their natural weight is essentially fat.”
In week one, Kate Spicer, tested the Master Cleanse diet, a concoction of lemons, cayenne pepper, maple syrup and spring water. She had to drink this 3-4 times a day with no solid foods. Two days of drinking this potion she finds it very difficult to work becoming agitated, bored and loss of attention span. She said “My legs might look sturdy, but they struggle to climb up stairs and my head is light as a feather.”
Kate then eats about 500 calories of nuts a day so she can do her job and is smoking a lot more. She also begins to enjoy the feeling of ‘emptiness’ by the end of the week and drinks two pints of salty water to cleanse her bowel and encourage the ‘emptiness’ feeling. Obviously this is not very healthy.
Week three; Kate’s state of mind alters. “My mind is warped and I have arrived at planet thin where all that really matters- forget about art, literature, love, family, career- is getting thinner. I am a food phobic!” Kate takes a week off work so she can focus purely on the experiment and decides to go to a detox retreat in Kettering. Taking some laxatives, having daily colonics and consuming nothing but fruit juice is her plan for the week. “I am becoming very stupid and obsessed!” she says.
After her week at the retreat she visits the doctor in charge of the experiment and tells him about the laxatives, he immediately sends her to a psychiatrist. “After a cold hour of being grilled, the psychiatrist says I have the potential to develop bulimia and I am told to start eating properly and quit the experiment.”
Kate’s personality, life and opinions changed dramatically within these 4 weeks. The other journalist slimmed down to a size double zero. They are both back to their healthy weights and insist that it is something that has changed their lives forever. Kate said; “I have seen the dark side now and I never want to go back to that.”
Both these “shock doc’s” were shown in the evening after the watershed. Now after seeing them it’s understood why as they are so disturbing, however, should it be available for younger people to see the dramatic effects it has on the body and state of mind? Whilst Louise Redknapp did her experiment she talked to many people who have been touched by the “thinspiration” trend including patients as young as 12 years old at an eating disorder clinic.
Ironically, after the documentaries were shown on TV, Victoria Beckham pledged she is to ban size zero models from promoting her new denim label. The size zero, ex-Spice girl, who has been nicknamed “Skeletal Spice” says she wants to give a positive image that “You don’t have to be ultra skinny to look good.” A source said; “Victoria doesn’t want to be accused of giving young girls a complex about their image, putting pressure on them to be as skinny as her.” Hopefully more fashion labels will take on this attitude and in future size zero may no longer be an issue.
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