Most of you will have seen the picture of a girl stood next
to the Topshop mannequin, which recently went viral and prompted lots of criticism
towards Topshop for promoting a poor body image. For me personally though, it
prompted a different (and possibly controversial) thought - are we getting too nitpicky
when it comes to our views on what is and isn't a good promotion for body
image?
"The girl on the left is a size 8/10. #Topshop #poorbodyimage #irresponsible #fashion #highstreet" - the tweet that accompanied the picture (source: https://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/blogs/fashion-blog/topshop-hits-back-at-mannequin-size-criticism---it-s-not-meant-to-represent-the-female-body-163555403.html)
I have not once looked at the mannequins and thought, "OMG!
I need to look like that to wear clothes from here!" I see it for what its
function is... to display the clothes. In fact, I've never looked at ANY
mannequin in ANY shop and compared myself to them. I just look at the clothes.
Topshop mannequins are not the first inanimate object to
come under fire for supposedly promoting a poor body image. Barbie dolls have
been notoriously criticised as well, for (apparently)giving young girls an
unrealistic idea of beauty. Many times I've seen the proportions of a Barbie
doll recreated so we can see how someone who did have the same body proportions
as Barbie, would be unable to walk or hold her head up. I've also seen a Barbie
created to look like a 'real' person. What I think people forget sometimes is
that Barbie is not REAL, so how can it possibly portray anything to do with a
REAL woman. You don't see Bratz dolls coming under fire, with their large heads
and tiny limbs. I've also never seen Action Man receive criticism for giving
boys body image issues! (We forget that men have body confidence issues too,
but that's another post) If you're going to criticise something like that,
please be consistent people. Oh, and again, I have never compared myself to a Barbie
doll and god knows how many I had (I was a little obsessed with them).
I also recently saw something on Facebook, where images of
Disney princesses were edited so that they had 'realistic' waistlines. Facepalm
moment. Are people going to start criticising Disney cartoons for promoting
poor body image now?! Oh dear.
The point I am trying to make is that it is just plain silly
to blame something that is NOT REAL for promoting a poor body image. I'd put a
bet on most of you never even looking at the size of the legs of the mannequins
in Topshop before this picture went viral. The only things that should be
questioned when it comes to the promotion of body image is how REAL WOMEN are
shown and depicted. There have been numerous times where I've compared myself
to a celebrity in a magazine or on Instagram. I've compared myself to fashion
models in magazines and to the page 3 girls. I've worried about 'what men
want', I've been put down when I see a celebrity with a figure similar to mine being
branded as 'ill looking'... are you getting my point yet?
It seems that the issue of body image and confidence is
being talked about more recently, which is great! But I think that it has
brought a degree of sensitivity with it. EVERYTHING is being criticised and I feel
it's going a bit too far. The media needs to be dealt with first and foremost
and women need to learn not to compare themselves to anyone else as they are
unique and no two bodies are the same! Women need to stop criticising other women too! Far too many times have there been nasty comments left on a picture of someone on instagram or facebook. It's not on!
I must point out that
just because I have never compared myself to a mannequin or Barbie doll, does
not mean that no one else has either. This is my personal opinion and this
level of sensitivity is, to me, a bit over the top... and I'm on a mission to
remove body insecurities!
What do you think? Am I being too harsh? Have you ever
compared yourself to a mannequin or Barbie doll? Let me know x
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