Why is it that these days both on the streets and in the newspapers and fashion magazines one only gets a choice between looking at over-dressed women who resemble misshapen mountains of lard and those who look like well-oiled lizards (size zero, my daughter says they are called, just skin stretched tight over bags of bones sticking out at all sorts of odd places) who have little to cover themselves with?
Has anybody else noticed?
.JPG)
8 comments:
Your daughter's right. These days it's the size 0 or maybe size 2 that's 'in' (unless you have the 'big is beautiful' brigade).
Got to say that both men and women are either skin and bones (sometimes with a big belly) or else they are waddling lumps. ‘Normal-looking' humans make me sigh with relief these days.
While standing in the queue near grocery store counters, I've wondered why they have photos of women, pasted over those tabloids, who either look like 'well-oiled lizards' (I'll have to remember to use this one some time) or else like 'misshapen mountains of lard', while other magazines are screaming, "Lose five pounds in less than a week' otherwise it's whispering coyly about a recipe for gooey cakes or some other 2000 calories of some sweet delight that can be my very own sweet, secret indulgence (it's not going to be my own sweet secret for too long, is it now?).
It's fashionable amongst many/some/most sociologists to say that the poor women and girls (not so much the men and boys though) are the victims, haunted by media images of the 'perfect' body (the size 0 or 2; according to whom is a good question), so they either feel compelled to starve themselves and be all teeth, gums, bones, and skin otherwise they stuff themselves and become lards...The sociologists say it in far fancier language.
I for my part, will stubbornly maintain that it's inexcusable that human beings forget that they have the eyes to see with, a 'normal' stomach to fill, and the legs to walk with if nothing else....
Short and marvelous post. Made me laugh.
Take care.
Shilpi
Sir,
What you have written in those few lines is very true. We actually see skinny models (size zero is passé, we are hearing size sub zero, or size 00 these days) in advertisements of Jimmy Choo, Banana Republic et cetera. Okay, you can ‘justify’ that size zero models are the ‘need-of-the-hour’ to endorse for the annual calendar for a company whose main business is breweries and alcoholic beverages (they also have interests in operating an airline company). But it is indeed shocking when you hear, that one needs the same kind of skinny models to cheer for a cricket team, to endorse a laptop computer, or endorse something we all use every day morning; toothpaste!
Why we need models in the fashion and lifestyle industry?
We need models to show the world, that the commodity that is being launched can be used by a human being in style (a mannequin or a robot does not help in a stylish presentation; it is not rocket science, but beauty and lifestyle). As another human being (buyer) would judge the commodity by putting her in place of the model. She would then judge if the commodity is too Avant garde or not, and if the commodity is worth getting for oneself spilling out the hefty amount printed on the price tag. A model is thus a medium to enhance the beauty (and utility) of the product.
Using skinny models to enhance the beauty of the product is being practised all over the world for quite some time now. Well, you need a slim girl (size eight or ten) to show off a garment whose fabric moves and hangs (drape) the way you wanted it. And if you have a girl with a little flab, it is not going to happen.
The first skinny model was Brigitte Bardot, I guess. Please see her photos at http://3oneseven.com/30/brigitte-bardot/
If anybody aspires to be like her (God forbid), then also see this photo, taken on the beach at Cannes in 1955. You may live your future, as shown in the second photo. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-446312/Brigitte-Bardot-size-zero.html
The first skinny model was Brigitte Bardot, I guess. Please see her photos at http://3oneseven.com/30/brigitte-bardot/
If anybody aspires to be like her (God forbid), then also see this photo, taken on the beach at Cannes in 1955. You may live your future, as shown in the second photo. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-446312/Brigitte-Bardot-size-zero.html
Now, it is true that factors like increasing hunger of men to see more sensual women, rise in economy (and thus power of buying being raised) led to a socio culture that made marketers gave in to the idea of using skinny women as models (we see that in the seventies and eighties, when punk and grunge was prevalent). People liked the idea for some time, but it became a fad, one reason being people over-fed themselves, and they could relate to the fashion trend anymore.
Now, let me answer your question… We see women who are fat, because they have no time for exercise in the twenty-four hours they are provided, and they over feed themselves on junk food, (McDonald’s is a hit for its French fries and Coke; Pizza-Hut for its extra cheese Pizzas, and Wimpy for its cheese burgers), ice-creams, chocolates and beer in extreme quantities. Resulting in the flab to sport a ‘kurti’ and Future Group to launch a brand called ‘aLL… a little larger’! On personal tastes, I do not find the ‘kurti’ beautiful.
But, the other gender that ‘came from Mars’ (men) always found slim women more beautiful and sensual than thugs. Marylene Monroe and Zeenat Aman are very good examples. So, seeing these overfed creatures on the streets, they fantasize these ‘oily lizards’. Women, who are fat, become a prey to these advertisements, when they start thinking in a pattern, that they can woo their male counterparts if they have the same accessories or apparels. Women, not knowing where to stop, either go on putting weight or go on starving for days on end to get the figure (There is a saying in Bengali, ‘Durbhikkher karon noi Durbhikkher porinaam’).
But, the other gender that ‘came from Mars’ (men) always found slim women more beautiful and sensual than thugs. Marylene Monroe and Zeenat Aman are very good examples. So, seeing these overfed creatures on the streets, they fantasize these ‘oily lizards’. Women, who are fat, become a prey to these advertisements, when they start thinking in a pattern, that they can woo their male counterparts if they have the same accessories or apparels. Women, not knowing where to stop, either go on putting weight or go on starving for days on end to get the figure (There is a saying in Bengali, ‘Durbhikkher karon noi Durbhikkher porinaam’).
So, the fat lady is used to relate to the overfed customer (‘Yes, you are still beautiful, you will look better if you use this product’) and the skinny woman is used to relate to the fat lady (“This is what you want to be to get noticed, so buy this and be your husband’s prized possesion). From wedding jewelry, to Sauna belts, every product is being sold in this principle. If you follow these advertisements for a season, you would also notice that the message of the advertisement during the SALE season is completely different to the message of the advertisement that caught the buyer’s eye when the brand had ‘Fresh-stock’ in stores! As if food packets are being supplied to the starved.
Several people die every year due to obesity and eating scantily and yet we hardly learn. It is good to hear, that certain fashion show organizers are taking harsh actions against people who are trying to promote size zero by making skinny women walk the ramps. We would pass this phase too, the sooner; the better. My father and a few good professors at college tell us, how unhealthy it is to go extremes with your body. But who listens? Even in my college, the most ‘in demand’ models are girls who are skinny. The girls enjoy the charade as well. I would email you a few photos, the next time I go home, that are saved in my desktop computer, you can see for yourself.
Lastly, I still find the women depicted in Khajuraho tamples THE most sensual. They are neither plump, nor skinny. The median, yet they have the ‘oomph factor’!
Sincerely,
Amritaksha
(With inputs from my batch-mate, Madhurima Sarkar, Student of Fashion Design Department at National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kolkata Campus)
How nice of you and Madhurima to comment, Amritaksha. Thanks very much indeed.
I am puzzled, though, to see that several lines have been repeated in the successive installments. Anyway.
It's good to see you have a girl-friend with whom you can candidly discuss things like the oomph-factor. You certainly live in a healthier environment than I do: lucky you!
Take care. I hope to see you here again.
Sir
Sir,
One of the toughest questions on earth, this is.
But that is not fair Pupu... some of those lizards are umm quite good, I must say.
On the latest development, sir, I have urged the girls of my street to lose some weight before the Pujas if they want to go out with me!: Ha. Nice way to help some girls..Isn't it? :-)
Regards.
Then there are those boys who zip their pants just above the knees!
Post a Comment