The iconic department store Barneys has been making the press recently for all the wrong reasons. The shop gave a ‘model makeover’ to beloved children’s character Minnie Mouse, elongating the spot adorned rodent into a 5’11, size 0 mouse so she could ‘look good’ in a Lanvin dress. Now, there is nothing wrong with enjoying the fantasy of fashion or even admiring the beauty of the models posing on the catwalks. However, this particular image is even more disturbing than most, as the cartoon’s main target audience is young children, setting a precedent at an early age, showing girls that this is the desirable body shape that they should all aspire to.
Of course it’s important to be healthy physically, eating nutritious foods and exercising as much as your hung-over body allows, however, it is also vital to be healthy mentally, and accept and appreciate your body. The journalist and psychologist Susie Orbach writes “I don’t think anorexia is the norm but being hysterical about eating, eating only on the weekend, throwing up, hating your body, not ever feeling you can be relaxed in it, looking at yourself from the outside – those kinds of things would have been a pathological category. Whereas, actually, I think if you take any class of girls, sadly that’s where an awful lot of their energy is going.”
And unfortunately, Orbach could be right. We all know the large number of gorgeous, healthy girls with fantastic figures scrutinising every element of their bodies, their imperceptible imperfections bemoaned and declaring they have to go on a diet. According to research, 81 per cent of ten year olds are afraid of becoming fat, a terrifying statistic that has to have been exacerbated by the prominence of pop culture targeting ‘tweenies’. Even scarier is the fact that 90 per cent of females at university have attempted to control their weight through dieting. Again, there is nothing wrong with healthy eating; in fact, there is a lot to be said for it, however, when dieting becomes obsessional, when food becomes the enemy and your bathroom scales rule your life, it’s clear more balance is needed.
A few years ago, The Body Shop ran a campaign highlighting that there were only eight people in the world who fit the mould to be a supermodel, and stating that the average woman is a size 14. We all know this, and yet we all feel anxiety to be thinner and look a certain way. It is clear that part of the cause is the unrealistic imagery portrayed in the media and on television. And by bombarding young girls with constant reminders of the way they ‘should’ look, it is evident that 90 per cent of us can’t escape the pressure.
If you feel you are overly conscious about your body image, and are finding it hard to put into perspective, it is always best to talk a train professional. Exeter has a counselling service, or call the student run helpline Voice on 01392 275 284.
Image credit: fashionista.com, thegloss.com