Zero vs Plus Size

I have just read yet another article about models having the BMI of an anorexic and *Plus size* models being a size 14.  The article was stating the usual facts about the models not being an average size and that they should have more realistic models.  I have touched on this subject before but there are some more thoughts and facts that have come to light since then.

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I know lots of size 14 women who are far from a "plus size".  A Plus size is size 16 or more likely size 18 upwards.  I know women of all heights that are a size 14 and have no fat on them at all.  Whereas I also know women who are a size 12 and are really quite skinny with bones showing and no flesh.

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Do they still have a “Petite” size and if they do what size is that now or has it been relabelled “10-12 years old”.  I suppose the good thing is that all these stick thin models can buy their clothes from children’s shops and not have to pay the VAT on them (if that is still the case with children’s clothes).

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What they never mention is the height of the women.  A size 12 woman at 5' is a lot "plumper" than a size 12 woman at 5' 9".    The same applies to weight as the weight of a normal healthy tall woman is the same weight as an overweight short woman.  The weight of an overweight tall woman sounds absolutely horrendous to a slim short woman.  LOL – you can take my word for this as I am an overweight tall woman.

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Most women also know that they if they go into a "cheap clothes shop" they have to buy a size larger than they normally wear.  As stupid as this is, it is usually the case.  Also if a size 14 woman goes into a Plus size shop then the size 14 would drown her.

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The size of a woman is not relative to a size number but to how healthy she looks and how attractive that look is as well.   Clothes may well look better hung on skinny models and normal women have to then "translate" that into what they would actually look like on themselves.

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Looking healthy does not mean bones with flesh hung on top no more than it means rolls of fat hanging in the way.  There is a definite difference between slim women and skinny women, just the same as there is a difference between hourglass or even chubby women and obese women.

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No-one ever seems to accept that women come in all shapes and sizes and there is no "proper" shape.  You cannot change your natural body size any more than you can change your height or the shape of your body.  Women come in all sorts of natural shapes from a straight up and down boy shape to an hourglass shape or the apple or pear shapes.  Models are chosen because their shape so that will be able to fit into every outfit they try on.  They do not pick people to be models if they have wide shoulders for instance as there would be so many clothes that would just not fit or they would not make the clothes hang badly.  If you grow up to have a wide pelvis, narrow shoulders, a long neck or short legs for instance, you cannot change them.  If you are 4' 8" or 6' 2" you cannot change it so why do we get so concerned that, however much we eat or don't eat, we are meant to conform to be a certain size.  Yes we can try to eat less if we put on weight easily or try to eat more if we tend to be underweight - but we should do this to keep ourselves healthy and not because we should fit into a size or shape that is dictated to us by the fashion industry.

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Luckily for the male species we come in all shapes and sizes just as they do. Variety is the spice of life and for every man who prefers a thin woman there is another man who prefers a woman with a bit of meat on her bones.

We should learn to accept ourselves for what we are in our body size as well as the shape of it and our height.  The only thing that is sensible to do is to keep within the healthy limits for our height.

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What concerns me most though is the messages our children are picking up from the media.

Today’s trivia snippet:

Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different!

Today’s chuckle:

A Doctor was addressing a large audience in Tampa. 

'The material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us sitting here, years ago. 

Red meat is awful. Soft drinks corrode your stomach lining. Chinese food is loaded with MSG. High fat diets can be disastrous, and none of us realizes the long-term harm caused by the germs in our drinking water. 

However, there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all and we all have eaten, or will eat it. Can anyone here tell me what food it is that causes the most grief and suffering for years after eating it?'

After several seconds of quiet, a 75-year-old man in the front row raised his hand, and softly said, 

'Wedding Cake.'