Thursday, March 01, 2007

Where's The Body?


I’m not going to rant about the skinny-models-who-put-their-lives-at-risk phenomenon. What is there to say? That lifestyle is just so wrong.

I’m ranting about the existence of a Size 0 in women’s clothing.

I don’t care what the world of fashion claims.

THERE CAN BE NO SUCH THING AS A SIZE 0.

Reality and common sense dictate otherwise.

0 = nothing. Nada. Zilch.

You would have to be Casper the Friendly Ghost (female version) to wear size 0.

I thought the existence of size 1 or even size 2 was pushing the limits of reality.

The whole concept of a size 0 must be doing real number on young female minds as to body awareness and self-image.

And that too is so wrong.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't that the subliminal message -that women, in too many places and too many ways, are still considered to be a zero - nothing,nada? Let's face it unless a woman wears a number less than 8, the world still treats her differently. Take a look at all professions where women are visible - not many size 18s out there!! The fashion industry certainly writes women over size 8 out - we are relegated to cheaper fabrics terrible, manufacturing/sewing and pretty horrible styles.

Attila the Mom said...

Good point! I never thought about a size zero being a nothing before. LOL

Anonymous said...

That is an excellent point. What a real mind-screw that is. What does the existence of size 0 tell us? That we are of absolutely no value until we almost quite literally disappear.

Beth said...

jackie: Following your logic (and I like your take on this)if women strive to be a size zero then they're falling into the trap of becoming a "nothing" in the eyes of the (male/fashion) world?
I can't even remember being a size 8 but I'm pretty sure that when I was, I "should" have been in a size 4 or 6.

attila: Yeah, every once in a while a light bulb goes off for me when I hear or read about stuff like this. And then I get pissed off.

patricia: "...no value until we almost quite literally disappear..." I wish I'd put it like that. Want to write my next rant?

oreneta said...

I find this astonishing, there really is size 0?

In Spain, my usual size 12 or 14 is a slender 42 or 44! No fear of numbers on this peninsula.

Anonymous said...

I read that a U.S. designer is considering making "minus sizes." I don't know if it's true but I can see it being a status thing in L.A. "I'm a minus 2!" "These size zero pants are much too big!"

Beth said...

oreneta: Yup, there really is a size zero. I did my research - on the Internet, not at the stores. Really wouldn't want to be hanging around the size zero racks.
I LIKE Spanish sizing!

rebecca: OMG. How can you get any smaller than "nothing?" I wish there was a way women could boycott this crap. Unfortunately, too many are sucked right into this stupidity.

Anonymous said...

Beth,
You got it! It is a trap and women/girls are falling for it - hence the increase in anorexia, bulimia etc.in kids and teenagers. As long as we let others dictate what our bodies should look like (the fashion industry, our friends and family)then we, as women have not come as far as we like to think we have! Enough already!! I am ranting because I would love to buy some decent clothing in fabrics that do not include synthetics,polyesters,nylons and the ever-growing spandex. Who dreams up this stuff!! When will the fashion industry wake up to the fact that women would like the option of finding clothing in all sizes - in linen, cotton, wool and other assorted "natural" fibres. There are two things the fashion industry seems to believe, if a woman is a large size - she has no taste and she is seven feet tall!

Anonymous said...

As soon as I got rid of my bathroom scale and quit trying to squeeze into a size 6 I was liberated! But it took me until I was 30 to figure that out. Now, I have no clue what I weigh but I've been a size 10 for the last 10 years and well...it suits me just fine.

I'm glad I'm not a teenager anymore. Size 0? That's just weird.

Beth said...

jackie: I love your rant! And everything you say is so true.
(You should consider having your own blog.)

trish: I have not yet been liberated from my scale, although I really don't give a rip as to what I weigh.
Where the heck do you shop for clothes? Depending on what store I'm in, I'm anywhere from a size 10 to a size 14. (And, oh, yeah, I like shopping in the men's department too. Loose, baggy and comfortable...)

Angel said...

they also now have size 00, 000!!! Can you believe that? That is just insane!

Beth said...

beth:
Absolutely insane. And what would wearing a size 00 or 000 indicate? That you're a BIG NOTHING???

Anonymous said...

So how much fabric would be required to cover a size 000 I wonder?

As far as where I shop...I dunno I don't really have a favorite place. A lot of the time it's Winners because they have a little bit of everything. But I also order things from LLBean. Ummm, Cotton Ginny is good sometimes too and I like the jeans at Northern Reflections although the rest of their stuff is kind of dowdy, which is a problem I am running into more often. It's really hard to find clothing for 40+ women that isn't frumpy. But I don't want to look like Paris Hilton either. Just jeans and a cotton top suits me just fine. I like linen too...in the summer.

Beth said...

trish:
I love ya'
Are you sure we're not related? How many women admit to shopping at Winners? I'm one. You're two and I know a few others.
Pity me. When I (have) to go to corporate functions I'm mingling with women who shop in the Yorkville/Bloor area .
T-shirts/cotton tops. Even Cotton Ginny is beginning to fail me now. I don't want that tight stretch fabric, thank you very much...

Anonymous said...

Do any of you gals shop at Reitmans? I seem to buy a lot of my clothes there these days. Most of the time their clothes are not wacko and slutty, and the prices are quite reasonable.

And their petites and plus size selections are very good, in my opinion. Sometimes I have actually noticed some pretty cool stuff in the plus section, that they don't offer in the lower sizes, dammit!

I can remember my mom used to shop there when I was a kid, and I hated their selection – I always thought of it as an 'old lady's clothing store' but they've really improved their image over the years. Of course, I AM slowly becoming an 'old lady'...

http://www.reitmans.com/en/index.cfm

Beth said...

patricia:
This has become a Message Board re: women's apparel!
I'm going to check out that site.

As to Reitman's once being an old lady's store? And the fact that we're all getting a tad older? Good point. I'll keep it in mind.

Sornie said...

That woman in the picture, if she is in fact a woman, is unhealthily skinny. She has no curves and I like some curves in the right places in the right proportions but her, she might be a piece of lumber or a snake walking upright. Creepy looking silhouette.

Anonymous said...

Beth, the web site is pretty limited in what they show – best to just hit the mall when you get a chance and see what they have.

Beth said...

sornie: For sure, a creepy looking picture. I figured if anyone is a size zero - she (or it) is...

patricia: Okay, I'll hit the malls tomorrow - NOT. Quite the nasty weather we're having today/tonight.

Princess Pointful said...

What a sad aspiration to be a 0.
It seems somehow even worse than a XXS... which still perplexes me. How can there be two levels of extra to a small??
Anyways, hi! I just found your blog and am enjoying it thus far :)

Beth said...

princess pointful: I think there's definitely a consensus here - women's sizing is crazy! And (can be) detrimental to a woman's self-image.

Welcome to my blog. Glad you're enjoying it - so far!