Study Says Looking At Non-Size-0 Models Will Make You Fat

In the area of “stupid pseudo-science tricks” comes this bit of news. Apparently, researchers are claiming that banning size 0 models from the catwalk will result in women getting fatter.

I cannot make this crap up. Really.

Supposedly, the argument is that if we show “heavier” women on the catwalk, then women will aspire towards heavier weights and will become obese.

I…really? This is supposedly science? We can combat this stuff with some common effing sense right here right now: REMOVING SIZE 0 WOMEN FROM THE CATWALK WILL NOT MAKE OTHER WOMEN MORDIBLY OBESE, OKAY?

I’m not going to slam girls who are size 0 or anything like that, your body type is your body type and some girls ARE size 0’s. Some women are size 22’s. And we all deserve to be able to see ourselves represented fairly in the media and find clothes that fit and flatter us.

But the thing is, they’re not even talking about showing “bigger” women on the catwalk (and even plus-sized models do not always accurately reflect the body shape/type of the majority of plus-sized women), they’re just talking about not allowing size 0 girls to walk in shows (which, we won’t really touch on my feelings about that right now, other than to say I don’t entirely agree with that decision). So this isn’t even “showing heavy girls will make you fat” – this is “showing slightly LESS skinny girls will make you fat.”

Look, I’ve talked about eating disorders before and our society’s ridiculous beauty standards. We have a MASSIVE PROBLEM with the way we’re taught to relate to our bodies. When we talk about diet and exercise, we don’t talk about “health” we talk about “weight loss.” We aren’t taught to take care of ourselves for our own sake, but because OMG, WHAT MIGHT OTHER PEOPLE THINK ABOUT US? So to take the idea of a potentially positive change in the fashion world, the inclusion of women of varying sizes, and turn it into “But then they might not try as hard to reach our unattainable beauty standard!” Well…

..okay, say it with me now: THIS. IS. TOTAL. BS. Right?