Ok, I think she looks waaaaaaaaay too skinny - but she could well be a standard size 8. If UK sizes are the same as AU sizes (which I THINK they are), then she looks like she could be an 8, but taller, so she SHOULD be about a 10. And if she is naturally skinny, and a size 8 fits her, then they can describe her as a standard size 8, because that's what fits her. An Australian 8 is roughly the same as a US 4. And having just looked it up, it looks like AU and UK sizes are almost the same, a UK 8 being equivalent to a AU 10. This isn't a big difference in size.
And yes, some people ARE naturally very very skinny. One of my oldest friends, who I have known for well over 20 years now, is that skinny. She's not tall like the girl in the ad, but for her entire life, she's been ultra skinny. She has protruding collar bones and ribs and she has stick thin arms and legs. She eats like a horse, she has never dieted, has had two children, and is STILL that thin. So it is possible. Not very common, but possible.
If she is a teenager, she could well still be growing and that would explain the ribs and hip bones. My 14 year old daughter is taller than me (like about 166 cms), she is 53kgs, she wears anywhere between a 6 and 10 depending on the brand, she is very skinny and has hip bones that protrude like that. (Yes, vanity sizing comes into it, and that is wrong) but she eats ALL the time (literally), she has healthy self esteem, she is horrified that to some she looks too skinny, but she is what she is. She is a kid who is still growing and is quite lanky and hasn't grown fully into her body. This girl could be exactly the same, so without knowing her personal circumstances it's not fair to jump on her and say she's anorexic or something.
But yes, she looks uncomfortably skinny, and if that was my daughter, I would only be satisfied that she wasn't unhealthy, if I personally saw her eating!!!
I forgot about the difference in UK, AU, & US sizing. But then I don't understand why a US 8 would be considered standard in the US & a UK 8 (which is apparently really a US 4) would be standard in the UK. That's a pretty big difference.
I'm not sure what you're saying. It was a UK company, so I took it as meaning it was a standard UK size 8. That means standard size 10 in Aus, and a standard size 6 in the US. That's not overly small. Before I had kids I was a standard size 8 AU. After kids, I have been a standard size 10 AU. I'm resisting going up to a 12, because I have put on a few needless kilos, but I've never ever been underweight. And I also took it as they were saying she fit a standard size 8 - not that size 8 should be the standard. If she was a 12 or 14 and it fit her, then they could say she was a standard size 12 or 14, meaning that's what fits her, not saying that size should be the standard for everyone.
I started just now to explain what I meant, but nevermind. I was half asleep when I wrote that. Only half of it actually makes sense now. Carry on. :P
To be honest, I was just shocked. I rarely see the extremes in modeling. I am glad I could get perspective from some of your posts.
My reason for posting was the model. She was the reason the complaint was placed about the ad. Specifically her size. I guess the whole reason for banning it was because of the implied meaning of her body and the implied reasons as to why she may be skinny. It's just the same implied connotations that come on the other end of the spectrum.
I did not mean to offend anyone. I hope I didn't. I am glad there has been a discussion.
I get that vanity sizing sucks. It really does. There's nothing worse than going into a store and trying something on to find it doesn't fit AT ALL. But ALL stores and clothing manufacturers state standard size when referring to their clothes. None of them will say "hey, we size differently to others so take that into account." Also, I missed where it says how old she is so I can't say if she's an accurate representation of a certain age group. But she could be. YES, she looks too skinny, but there are PLENTY of girls in their early teens who are very very skinny, so in that sense she WOULD be an accurate representation of a certain age group.
I totally get that it's not healthy to have our children see underweight girls being promoted as normal and have that be their role model. BUT, as someone who has ALWAYS been skinnier, it's kind of unjust and unfair when everyone thinks you must be not eating or something to look so skinny. And then to have people say 'oh, it must be vanity sizing'. It's vanity sizing if they say it's smaller than it actually is. If I went to a store and tried to fit into an AU 8, and did, it'd be vanity sizing. But if I had to buy a 12 or 14 to fit, that's not vanity sizing, cause no one wants to feel bigger than they are. It's just different manufacturing clothing standards in that case.
Yes, she looks too skinny because you can see her ribs and hips. But that doesn't mean she isn't a perfectly healthy and normal girl. So it's unfair to get annoyed at her being portrayed as representative of a certain age group. She shouldn't be penalised because she is skinny - that's no different to penalising someone who is a little overweight. Would people be so outraged if the girl was a size or two bigger than what they perceive as normal? Or would they say well most people ARE overweight so she's normal?
Without knowing her personal circumstances, you can't say she isn't an accurate representation of a certain age group. If she is 14 and eats whatever she wants, and listens to crappy music, and talks on the phone with her friends, and facebooks them, and thinks she's everything that matters in the world, then regardless of her size she IS an accurate representation of a certain age group. If she watches what she eats and throws up in the toilet after, or if she eats way too much junk food and does no exercise, she is still an accurate representation of a certain age group because there is NO NORMAL. People are people and it takes all kinds to make up the world - whether she is a majority because of media stereotypes or if she is a minority because people think there is something bad about her, she is still a normal and accurate representation of girls of a certain age. Surely we can all see that, because all of the teenage girls in the world don't all look alike, and just because something is in the majority doesn't make it necessarily right.
I think this post is talking about a lot of different things.
First of all let me say that I spent most of my life being abnormally thin - not quite that thin, but not far off - and my twin sister, at 35, is still as thin as the girl in the picture. So it really pisses me off when people think she (or me, when I was similarly sized) is anorexic or not healthy or freakish or whatever. (It also pissed me off when people thought I was in "great shape"/healthy just because I was thin.) People, even healthy people, naturally come in a wide variety of shapes & sizes.
That being said, this size - and my sister's size & my younger size - is really not represententative of any age group. That doesn't mean she's a freak or that her lifestyle isn't representative of girls her age. It just means that she doesn't have an average body type; she'd be way on the left of a normal bell curve. She is clearly thinner than most people.
Personally, I think it's bad to represent people who are thinner than average an being average. First of all, it's just not true. More importantly, this misrepresentation of what is normal/average perpetuates body dysmorphia, making girls who are average sizes think they are overweight & need to lose weight. Then THEY are more likely to engage in unhealthy behavior in order to achieve that size.
So, does it suck for a naturally abnormally thin girl to be told she's too thin to be put out there as an ideal image? Sure, just like it sucks for an overweight person to be told the same thing. But that's life. And, as the people who called for this ad to be pulled said, the advertisers need to think about the social irresponsibility of calling this body type normal.
Comments
I started just now to explain what I meant, but nevermind. I was half asleep when I wrote that. Only half of it actually makes sense now. Carry on. :P
My reason for posting was the model. She was the reason the complaint was placed about the ad. Specifically her size. I guess the whole reason for banning it was because of the implied meaning of her body and the implied reasons as to why she may be skinny. It's just the same implied connotations that come on the other end of the spectrum.
I did not mean to offend anyone. I hope I didn't. I am glad there has been a discussion.
EDIT: I fixed a few spelling mistakes.
I think this post is talking about a lot of different things.
First of all let me say that I spent most of my life being abnormally thin - not quite that thin, but not far off - and my twin sister, at 35, is still as thin as the girl in the picture. So it really pisses me off when people think she (or me, when I was similarly sized) is anorexic or not healthy or freakish or whatever. (It also pissed me off when people thought I was in "great shape"/healthy just because I was thin.) People, even healthy people, naturally come in a wide variety of shapes & sizes.
That being said, this size - and my sister's size & my younger size - is really not represententative of any age group. That doesn't mean she's a freak or that her lifestyle isn't representative of girls her age. It just means that she doesn't have an average body type; she'd be way on the left of a normal bell curve. She is clearly thinner than most people.
Personally, I think it's bad to represent people who are thinner than average an being average. First of all, it's just not true. More importantly, this misrepresentation of what is normal/average perpetuates body dysmorphia, making girls who are average sizes think they are overweight & need to lose weight. Then THEY are more likely to engage in unhealthy behavior in order to achieve that size.
So, does it suck for a naturally abnormally thin girl to be told she's too thin to be put out there as an ideal image? Sure, just like it sucks for an overweight person to be told the same thing. But that's life. And, as the people who called for this ad to be pulled said, the advertisers need to think about the social irresponsibility of calling this body type normal.