I generally enjoy shopping for clothes as long as I'm with friends or family and able to find what I'm looking for. This is hard as I stand 6' 5", have extra long arms (but am fairly normal in body) and wear a 36 waist X 36 inseam. My wife grumbles (justifiably) that I wear out my trousers fairly quickly and it is almost impossible to find long sleeve shirts that fit. I went online to order several new pairs of trousers only to learn that the make and cut I like appear to be going away. I was finally able to find some new pairs, but took a large risk in how they would fit. So far so good.
However, for other people clothes shopping can be more than just annoying, it can be down right discouraging, depressing, demotivating, and disastrous. This is because of the images presented by fashion advertising, popular culture, and other sources project a image of "beauty" that is partial at best and unobtainable at worst. Kasey Serdar wrote a research paper for the Westminster Myriad entitled Female Body image and the Mass Media: Perspectives on How Women Internalize the Ideal Beauty Standard. (Note: Kasey Serdar was recognized by Westminster for completing her Ph.D in counseling psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011-12.) The now Dr. Serdar points out that:
In doing research for this post, I Googled "model requirements." It appears that the expected height requirement for female "fashion" models is around 5'8" to 6'. One website suggested weights (80-120 lb.) which would give a 120 lb. model a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 18.2 at the best and around 16.3 at the worst. A BMI under 18.5 is considered underweight by the World Health Organization. Wolf Kettler, a professional photographer in England, published Wolf's Model Guide online where he brings up the dangers of having a low BMI and what the modeling and fashion industry has done to encourage "healthy" standards. Even with changes to the industry models cannot realistically be considered "average" size. According to Dr. Pamela Peeke (M.D.), a writer for WebMD, the average size for women in 2010 was 5'4", 140-150 lbs. waist size 34-35 and wore a dress size 12-14. So the fashion being displayed is being done so on figures that few can expect to look like.
Let's talk about the difficulty with sizes. I mentioned how hard it is to find clothes my size. For some reason 36 X 36 is very unpopular. Even large tall shirts are rough to find. People tell me to shop at big and tall stores, but I'm just tall. I don't need a 48 X 36. I just want a 36 X 36. For women it's worse. At least most of my sizes are based on inches, an archaic but standard measurement and it's a matter of me being outside the norm. But there is more to it for women. This great clipping from the New York Times carries the great subtitle of "Seeking a steady 4 or a 10." Not only has sizing for women changed throughout the years but The NYT clipping states that different stores will use different sizes. This can be disheartening for people. I remember the week I took through two pairs of 34 X 36 trousers. I felt a little ashamed that I had grown to the point that I was tearing through my clothes. What happens when a women tries on what she believes is her size and discovers that it's tighter then it used to be? Nothing good for the self-esteem you can be sure.
.jpg "Meryl Steep as Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada (2006)")
I'll make a final point in regards to the crazy world of fashion and clothing. Several years ago I watched The Devil Wears Prada a fictional story that revolves around the world of fashion. In one scene the editor of Runway is viewing a designer's gowns. When our protagonist expresses wonder that the editor's opinion has so much weight on the designer's plans. She is told, "Her [the editor's] opinion is the only one that matters." While this is a fictional event, it portrays an idea that is demonstrated in fashion - the few dictate what is acceptable. In many ways fashion is a reverse democracy. There is no majority rule, there is a small group that chooses what is shown and those that follow behind. With the increased ease of communication due to the internet and ready access to technology this is changing. But what do you call it when access and information are limited to select sources or information Oh, yeah - it's called propaganda. The more acceptable term for it now a days is marketing.
So, for anybody reading this that struggles when it comes to buying clothes, or feels bad when their size increases, or just doesn't understand what fashion is doing - Remember you are not paranoid. Paranoia is thinking some one is after you. They really are. The best thing you can do to make sure they don't get you is to make sure you feel good about yourself as you are. Sizes are scales. Use them to find the best fit, the numbers aren't accurate measurements of anything except which pair will be bigger or smaller then the other. Also remember that those that are modeling the clothes are the exception when it comes to body size. Also, having a daily affirmation can also help.
One last happy thought, just for you extra worried ones out there. I've heard it said that if men were in charge of the world they wouldn't be wearing neckties. I've also heard it said that if women were in charge they wouldn't be wearing high heels. So if men are wearing neckties and women are wearing high heels - who's really in charge? [cue Twilight Zone theme song]
However, for other people clothes shopping can be more than just annoying, it can be down right discouraging, depressing, demotivating, and disastrous. This is because of the images presented by fashion advertising, popular culture, and other sources project a image of "beauty" that is partial at best and unobtainable at worst. Kasey Serdar wrote a research paper for the Westminster Myriad entitled Female Body image and the Mass Media: Perspectives on How Women Internalize the Ideal Beauty Standard. (Note: Kasey Serdar was recognized by Westminster for completing her Ph.D in counseling psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011-12.) The now Dr. Serdar points out that:
Images in the media today project an unrealistic and even dangerous standard of feminine beauty that can have a powerful influence on the way women view themselves. From the perspective of the mass media, thinness is idealized and expected for women to be considered "attractive."... The media is littered with images of females who fulfill these unrealistic standards, making it seem as if it is normal for women to live up to this ideal. ... Such a standard of perfection is unrealistic and even dangerous. Many of the models shown on television, advertisements, and in other forms of popular media are approximately 20% below ideal body weight, thus meeting the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa (Dittmar & Howard, 2004). [see article for complete citation]
Let's talk about the difficulty with sizes. I mentioned how hard it is to find clothes my size. For some reason 36 X 36 is very unpopular. Even large tall shirts are rough to find. People tell me to shop at big and tall stores, but I'm just tall. I don't need a 48 X 36. I just want a 36 X 36. For women it's worse. At least most of my sizes are based on inches, an archaic but standard measurement and it's a matter of me being outside the norm. But there is more to it for women. This great clipping from the New York Times carries the great subtitle of "Seeking a steady 4 or a 10." Not only has sizing for women changed throughout the years but The NYT clipping states that different stores will use different sizes. This can be disheartening for people. I remember the week I took through two pairs of 34 X 36 trousers. I felt a little ashamed that I had grown to the point that I was tearing through my clothes. What happens when a women tries on what she believes is her size and discovers that it's tighter then it used to be? Nothing good for the self-esteem you can be sure.
I'll make a final point in regards to the crazy world of fashion and clothing. Several years ago I watched The Devil Wears Prada a fictional story that revolves around the world of fashion. In one scene the editor of Runway is viewing a designer's gowns. When our protagonist expresses wonder that the editor's opinion has so much weight on the designer's plans. She is told, "Her [the editor's] opinion is the only one that matters." While this is a fictional event, it portrays an idea that is demonstrated in fashion - the few dictate what is acceptable. In many ways fashion is a reverse democracy. There is no majority rule, there is a small group that chooses what is shown and those that follow behind. With the increased ease of communication due to the internet and ready access to technology this is changing. But what do you call it when access and information are limited to select sources or information Oh, yeah - it's called propaganda. The more acceptable term for it now a days is marketing.So, for anybody reading this that struggles when it comes to buying clothes, or feels bad when their size increases, or just doesn't understand what fashion is doing - Remember you are not paranoid. Paranoia is thinking some one is after you. They really are. The best thing you can do to make sure they don't get you is to make sure you feel good about yourself as you are. Sizes are scales. Use them to find the best fit, the numbers aren't accurate measurements of anything except which pair will be bigger or smaller then the other. Also remember that those that are modeling the clothes are the exception when it comes to body size. Also, having a daily affirmation can also help.
One last happy thought, just for you extra worried ones out there. I've heard it said that if men were in charge of the world they wouldn't be wearing neckties. I've also heard it said that if women were in charge they wouldn't be wearing high heels. So if men are wearing neckties and women are wearing high heels - who's really in charge? [cue Twilight Zone theme song]
No comments:
Post a Comment