Sizing Down
No, this isn't about corporations and jobs. It's about my on-going annoyance with the fashion industry
and sizes. Last weekend I went shopping to find a dress for my cousin's
wedding. As I was going through the racks, I saw the size "0" and "00"
and it was all I can do to keep from seething about the utter
ridiculousness of clothing sizes in the US.
When you think of it, a size "0" means nothing, and nothing means unsubstantial, non-existent and unimportant. This is particularly directed towards girls and women who already experience low self-esteem due to the images bombarding them from every media source.
It's interesting to note the recent op-ed articles about "fat-shaming" and the kudos for Jennifer Lawrence who has been called "fat" and has refused to lose weight for her films. What makes it all the more interesting is that she is a size 6. Yes, a size 6 and she is considered fat by Hollywood standards. Yet the average size for a grown woman in the US is a size 14.
In certain ethnic/racial groups, there can be more latitude about sizes (or not). As an Asian American, the average size is closer a size 4 to 6 for which it makes it difficult to be anything larger (I range from a size 10-12 depending on the season!) For all groups there is always the issue of body image whether one is Latina, Asian, African American, White and so on. Still I wonder what we can learn from our sisters who are more at ease with their bodies.
Well, I continue my search for that dress but thinking I may just grab one from my closet and ignore the label or rather the media messages that tell me that my size 10 needs to be a size 0.
When you think of it, a size "0" means nothing, and nothing means unsubstantial, non-existent and unimportant. This is particularly directed towards girls and women who already experience low self-esteem due to the images bombarding them from every media source.
It's interesting to note the recent op-ed articles about "fat-shaming" and the kudos for Jennifer Lawrence who has been called "fat" and has refused to lose weight for her films. What makes it all the more interesting is that she is a size 6. Yes, a size 6 and she is considered fat by Hollywood standards. Yet the average size for a grown woman in the US is a size 14.
In certain ethnic/racial groups, there can be more latitude about sizes (or not). As an Asian American, the average size is closer a size 4 to 6 for which it makes it difficult to be anything larger (I range from a size 10-12 depending on the season!) For all groups there is always the issue of body image whether one is Latina, Asian, African American, White and so on. Still I wonder what we can learn from our sisters who are more at ease with their bodies.
Well, I continue my search for that dress but thinking I may just grab one from my closet and ignore the label or rather the media messages that tell me that my size 10 needs to be a size 0.
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