In a message dated 2/6/01 12:29:03 PM, cspradli@t... writes:
<< Women throughout history have been seen as decorative objects. And taste
in
the decorative arts changes. And the "ideal" has always, somehow, been just
beyond the rainbow! Aargh. >>
Carol,
I really think you'd be hard-pressed to name any era in history whose "ideal"
woman has been as close to skeletal as ours is.
Women in the past may have been expected to be dainty or delicate (think Jane
Austen or the pre-Raphaelites), but they were usually been allowed to eat
SOMETHING! (An occasional watercress sandwich?)
Today (in the US, at least) we have untold thousands, maybe millions,
literally starving for approval. Something is seriously out of kilter.
I know a woman who is a size zero (a smart, highly accomplished professional)
who is honestly concerned about her weight (too much tummy, etc). In the 5-6
years that I've known her, I've never seen a morsel of food pass her lips.
She's not actually anorexic (I've known a few and recognize the symptoms) but
dangerously close. She also exercises rigorously.
I had a boss, another very glamorous and successful woman, whose idea of a
hearty lunch was a cold sweet potato. If she really wanted to indulge
herself, she'd have a cup of vegetable soup. Most of the time she subsisted
on coffee. Needless to say, she often was not very pleasant to be around.
This sort of behavior (and mindset) is widespread and unhealthy. Women are
desperately trying to live up to an artificial, unnatural ideal that is not
worth achieving, that has been foisted upon them by the media and the fashion
industry. Women's sports--(gymnastics, figure skating etc. that keep women
underweight and underdeveloped) are also partly responsible.
Women are expected to eat and exercise in a way that makes them lose their
periods, girls do not develop breasts, young women in their twenties have
advanced osteoporosis, and they often suppress their natural appetites with
cigarettes, alcohol and drugs. No wonder so many women suffer from depression!
Isabelle (who is very smart) has been conned into thinking that anyone who
cannot run five miles a day is not fit. Fit for what? A career as a
firefighter or Navy seal? What happened to the idea that you are fit if you
are able to maintain a reasonably active, independent lifestyle in good
health? Must we ALL become Demi Moore (or Arnold Schwartzenegger)?
The women who do not conform to the fashion industry's current "ideal" find
that they are not able to find attractive clothing at any price. Many stores
and boutiques do not carry women's clothing in anything above a size 12 or a
medium. Those that carry larger sizes (and I don't mean plus sizes, I mean 14
or 16 misses) stock a very limited number--and few if any of them will have
anything resembling a waistline. The salespeople in many fashionable stores
can also be downright cruel to customers who have the temerity to ask for an
extra large size.
I personally think that much of what passes for "fashion" today is the
product of lazy minds and a jaded, perverse sensibility. We live in a
society that tells twelve year olds that they are women, and encourages them
to dress in revealing clothing and be sexually active.
You could throw seaweed or used dishtowels onto a perfectly proportioned
12-year old girl's body and it would look pretty good. It takes actual work
(and intelligence) to create flattering clothing for a less-than-perfect body.
Women's clothing is often cut and fitted on male models. The attitude is: Got
breasts or hips? Is your tummy a little rounded? Too bad, honey--come back
when you've had your surgery!
Whew! That's my rant for today. Wake me up when this is over!
Judy
|
|  |
