Today I was at a loss about what I should talk about. I thought I should do an entry today but I have not finished some entries I was planning. I decided to do a design review but seeing as I did a big review not that long ago, I ended up looking on Bodyline.
That is when I came across this-
This is Bodyline's latest dress (I think it is quite cute). But it was not the design that caught my attention, it was the model's measurements. Bust- 77cm, waist- 58cm, hips- 85cm. My first thought was whether the models would appreciate their measurements being so widely published (would you want YOUR measurements on the internet for all to see?). My second thought was just how much smaller Japanese and Asian girls in general are.A 58cm waist!? If my waist was this size I would be considered malnourished. I have recently lost a little bit of weight. My waist size has gone down to just over 27 inches (about 70cm) and considering I suffer from a stomach complaint which causes me a lot of problems, I am very happy with my waist size. My bust size is pretty average. I am bottom heavy so I am larger on the hips but because of the standard lolita clothing shape, it is not too obvious. Not that long ago, my waist was around 76cm. Compared to the model, that is a 18cm difference. I can fit into brand but usually I have to get the largest size so it is comfortable.
Although Asian girls are small, I can't help but wonder how natural some of these girls are. How much do these girls eat? Is it really just down to genes or are these girls taking some sort of slimming pill? In Western culture we are shocked when we see images of size 0 celebrities. But what would be considered too skinny to Japanese girls? Some of the Bodyline models must be around a Western size 0.
I am not in any way condemning these girls. Chances are, they are naturally slim. But if you were to ask me why Japanese brands are reluctant to open shops for the Western market, I would say it is because they would have to make bigger sizes. We can't help being big! I guess it is a lot of hassle for lolita designers to make bigger sizes, especially when lolita is such a small market.
I was surprised to hear Angelic Pretty were opening a store in America. There is already a Baby store in America and Paris has both a Baby and an Angelic Pretty. If these shops are to succeed they will need to adjust to Western needs. There is no point buying brand if you have to breathe in just to do up the zip.
Although losing weight was not my goal (I was trying to cut down on sugar and junk anyway so the weight just came off) I have to admit that I was secretly pleased with my smaller waist. That makes me feel really disgusted with myself. I don't want to develop an eating disorder just so I can fit into more brand. I am still eating healthily but I still end up staring at very thin girls. I always thought I had a healthy attitude towards food but I am only human. I read Heat magazine and wonder how heavy celebrities are. I will feel guilty if I eat too much.
I am not anorexic but I can see how easy it is to develop an eating disorder. That makes me feel sad.
I noticed the exact same thing with this model and I'm shocked! To be honest, I think this is too small, even for a Japanese girl. I might be wrong, but I thought the other models are "bigger".
ReplyDeleteSecond, don't feel disgusted with yourself. It's only natural you're happy with a smaller waist with only a little effort! You won't develop an eating disorder just from that, really. ^^
Please don't be sad. ^^
I think the girl in the picture is one of the smallest of the current Bodyline models. This girl is also modelling another dress which looks more like a blouse to me. Her waist is 58cm and the blouse waist measurement is 82cm. It makes me wonder why Bodyline chose her when she is clearly too small to fill out the clothes. It makes it harder to judge how the clothes would look on yourself because it appears so baggy and unflattering on the model. She is drowning in fabric!
ReplyDeleteThey do seem a little small even by Asian norms.
ReplyDeleteBeing a little bigger in the waist department although I really do try with daily exercise it's something I have to watch when I import clothes too
I actually never noticed how small she was until you pointed it out here. Most people consider me too small. (Though I'm just built very small, I can't really help it and have no eating disorder what so ever don't worry.) And her waist size is about 2 inches smaller than mine! (I go by inches generally) I imagine if I lost 2 inches off my waist people would hospitalize me. I can't even really imagine that actually. Developing eating disorders to fit into brand and smaller clothes seems like a very sad dark side to lolita that I wish could be avoided. Girls who come out of eating disorders might even leave the fashion that that my feel caused it. It is such a sad, sad thing. Poor dears.
ReplyDeleteWell, all facts taken into consideration, yes that sounds small by western standards, however, she is only just over 5 feet tall. This is around average height for Japanese women whereas the average height of women in the uk is around 5ft5.
ReplyDeleteThat's almost a difference of 5 inches.
I'm about 5'3 and my waist fluctuates between 24.5-26 inches. I can belt/corset my waist down to 23 inches. I have an hourglass figure, something that the UK clothing market doesn't cater for. I have big hips, big bum and big thighs.
Everyone has their own shape and size, and generally speaking, the shorter you are, the more naturally slim you are (if we are talking in ratios and averages)
I don't feel this girl's size is anything to get het up about.
Just a thought :)