WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SMALLER TO BE VIABLE OR GOOD ENOUGH?

 

16^th September 2020

While I was writing the other day I had the TV on in the background, and something I heard made my ears prick up and really irritated me.

They were selling jewellery on a shopping channel and there was a male presenter and a female expert who looked really smart and well presented. Whilst talking about how good a particular ring looked on the model's hand the lady expert said she would love to be in the model's chair. The male presenter said “Why don't you?” and she replied that if she could lose two stone she would be there. Hang on a minute! Why would she have to have to be two stone lighter to model a diamond ring?

This is a lady that has her own diamond mine, her own business, looking beautifully smart sitting there, and she feels she would have two stone lighter to be the model wearing the ring.

What I really find hard to accept is why things have to be represented in a certain way. It was the same when I was looking for a mother of the groom outfit, and all the models wearing them didn't look old enough to have a child old enough to be getting married. Are they afraid that if a more mature model wore them they wouldn't look as good and no one would buy them?

I would argue that even if it looked good on the model, the actual person buying it would still have to try it on and maybe be disappointed because it doesn't look the same.

I am not sure why this idea that only a younger more beautiful person can look good enough to sell things. What impression does this give to the young or more impressionable that unless you look that particular way you can't look good or if you aren't a certain size you can't do what you want. I have also noticed that most animated princesses are thin, but that's a whole story in itself.

There is nothing wrong with being slimmer and fitter, and health is so very important, but you should not feel that you have to be two stone lighter to model a ring. A flippant comment half said in jest can give the wrong message to so many, and also cause lack of confidence and many other psychological problems.

We are all good enough to be who we want to be and we should all be represented for who we are. Things are changing, but I feel it will still be a while before they do.

Jackie

xx