Why? - Women's Equality

Why?

Why?

The presentation and idolisation of a uniform body type by the fashion industry has significant and wide-reaching consequences. 28 published empirical studies from the UK, Europe, North America and Australia have found that media images have a direct impact on how negatively or positively we view our bodies, with negative body image putting someone at a considerably heightened risk of developing an eating disorder.

Eating disorders affect 1.6 million people in the UK, 89% of whom are female. 14-25 year olds are the demographic most affected by an eating disorder, with 5% of girls and women suffering from anorexia—the most deadly psychiatric disease (10-20% of cases are fatal).

It is time for the fashion industry to recognise that it can and must effect change in this area.

 

The #NoSizeFitsAll campaign coincides with London Fashion Week and makes 4 asks:

  1. We are calling on the British Fashion Council to commit to ensuring that fashion designers showing at London Fashion Week show 2 different sample sizes in every range, one of which must be a UK size 12 and above;

  2. We are campaigning for a change in the law so that fashion models below a BMI of 18.5 must be seen by one of an accredited list of medical health professionals, and deemed well before a modelling agency is allowed to sign them. 

  3. We are asking for a commitment from UK-based fashion publications to include a minimum of one plus-size (UK size 12 or above) editorial fashion spread in every issue. 

  4. We believe that body image awareness must be made a mandatory and core component of personal, social, health education (PSHE) in schools, with a specific focus on media depictions of beauty, delivered by trained experts as opposed to teachers who specialise in unrelated disciplines.

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The softly, softly approach has been tried for years and is not working. Instead of waiting for industry-led change, #NoSizeFitsAll is about taking the initiative. The time has come to demand change.

 

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Published and promoted by Catherine Smith on behalf of the Women's Equality Party
at Women's Equality Party, 124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX.

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