There's a lot of discussion .....

I read about an interesting exercise the other day,  that was conducted by a researcher into women's shapes and sizes.  Four women, chosen because they are all size 14, were asked to pose for a photographer.

When the photograph was published, women everywhere wrote in and complained that the women were NOT size 14, but were all different sizes.  This set about a heated discussion.

It transpired that all the women ARE size 14.  Because of their height, their width, the different proportions of their bodies, and the bone structure, they all look different.

And this brings us to the subject of our perceptions of size, when we read and look at photographs of women in magazines.   We look at the person without having the advantage of seeing other women all the same size in the same photograph.   We attempt to base our perception on what we think we see, rather than what we are actually seeing.  

This is why we advocate clothing for curvaceous women should be modelled by curvaceous women!   Not to have a bigger or taller woman on the catwalk (runway) with models who are size 0 up to 6.   The reason for our argument is this.   Regular fashion shows have models of a similar size - therefore the eye goes to appreciate the garment.  If you place one curvaceous woman on that runway at the same time, the eye naturally goes to her curves, and then the garment, rather than the garment immediately.  The woman with curves is immediately "seen" as being plus-size.   Yet putting models of size 18, 20 and 22 on the same runway, and the audience can appreciate that the garments are for the bigger sizes.

As for dressing models smaller than size 14 in garments that are manufactured for women in the size 14 to 30, and then pinning and adapting that garment to the small size of the model, gives no indication of what the garment will look like on the woman who it has been created for.   This puts the purchaser at a disadvantage for so many times the garment will never look the same on her as it does on the small model that she has seen in the catalogue or the website.

That brings to mind the fact that looking at a women and "assuming" that she is very plus-size or very skinny is dependent upon many things.  This is why we should never "assume" that someone is so different as to become unacceptable.  Being acceptable to ourselves and to each other, HAS to be a fundamental right and privilege.