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Who Wants To Be A Size Zero Anyway Rachel Phipps

Rachel Phipps

The day before "Who wants to be size zero anyway?" airs on TVRachel Phipps

Who Wants To Be A Size Zero Anyway

ABOUT

Rachel Phipps

Who Wants To Be A Size Zero Anyway

Rachel Phipps Kent

'Who wants to be a size zero, anyway?'

My Campaign

I want to make women feel happier about themselves and more positive about their own body image. I don't want to discriminate against woman who are naturally a size zero, but I want to make sure that images of woman who are NOT a natural size zero in the media do not affect other women's personal body image.

My Campaign highlights

- Being featured in Episode 4 of the Battlefront TV series on Thursday 4th December at 11.30am

- Going to London Fashion Week

- Meeting and interviewing model, Erin O’Connor

- Putting on my own photo-shoot with real-size girls

How can you help?

- Let me know what you think about my real-size models – here or on my Bebo page

- Tell me your stories about what makes you feel good about yourself

- Introduce me to some people in the glossy magazine world!

- Read my on-line magazine Lipstick Royalty

- BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK

YOUR COMMENTS

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Against the campaign. Today I bought a pair of jeans. The first ever that have fitted me properly. They were a size 0 and I'm 32 years old. You can not have a campaign of this nature without it having a negative effect on people who are naturally a size 0, which has as much of a negative affect on body image as you are fighting against. You end up being looked at with jealously, suspicion and on the receiving end of nasty comments, and its impossible to make very genuine compliments to attractive girls who are bigger than yourself. That's not right either. The problem lies with women's attitudes to other women. Women are even more obsessed with appearance then they ever were. Women cause it, not men. Its like we have taken a step backwards not forwards. The problem isn't the sizes shown in magazines, nor even the airbrushing. The problem is the editorial - everyone is "too fat", "has cellulite", "too skinny", "has no chest" blah, blah, blah. If you want to change how people perceive themselves, then removing the images isn't going to solve the problem. You have to change the mindset from being negative to being positive - compliment not critisize. What people seem to forget is that you see just as many comments against skinny women as you do against bigger women. When you walk down the street, women are more likely to make a nasty comment about a stranger walking past than make a compliment, to their friends. The irony is, it is women who are creating this anti-feminist world rather than taking an attitude of celebrating feminity in all its beautiful shapes and sizes. Being a true feminist and being positive about women, means changing the way you approach things. If they do look like a dog's dinner, just ignore it instead of being bitchy! Or politely take the tact of complimenting someone's good points and suggesting you do things to emphasis those. Instead women only focus on the bad things that they see in themselves, rather than the great things about their bodies. The irony for me as a size zero, is that shopping is a nightmare. The few shops that cater for my size fall into two catergories - either hideously expensive and beyond my means or cheap and tacky looking, designed for teenagers with no curves at all. And even then the ranges are limited and don't always compliment my figure. I look at bigger women and question why the hostility when they can look so much more sexy and have so much more choice to dress in a way that makes them look great. The negativity to women's bodies in general is the issue. Be positive about your friends. Women should just be more complimentary about their sisters. Simple as.

Claire , 04 July 2010 17:02

hello. i think that this is a great idea. if only people would listen. i dont think that we should be discriminating against only underweight people, but also extreamly overweight people too, because it is equaly as unhealthy as being super stick thin. i dont think we should rid of all thin models on the catwalk, as has been stated, some people are naturaly this thin. i think that there should be a mixture of body shapes and sizes walking the cat walk, after all, they allow both genders and all races, so why not all shapes and sizes too? and it has to be said, yes when i do see these super thin, beautiful women in the pages of magazines, it makes me feel bad about myself. all in all, i hope this campaign works!

step, 21 June 2010 19:22

I think it is so true that the bodies of people on catwalks or in magazines affects your own self esteem and makes people believe that they cant do that because theyre a bit bigger or shorter than that. Everybody comes in different shapes and sizes and we all need to wear clothes! Vogue for example is aimed at 40 year old, middle class women, who will probably not look like the models who are wearing the clothes, so why should they look at clothes that they could never be expected to wear? I completely support this campaign, All sizes are natural. Im a size 12-14 but most of my friends are alot thinner than me, and always feel under pressure to maintain their figure. Sometimes it knocks my confidence a bit but im happy with my size, its real and its mine. Eat what you want to eat in moderation, as long as youre healthy and happy, no worries!

Sophie, 15 May 2010 14:52

Size zero models are not there to make other people skinny, they are there to be clothes hangers, quite literal. So why do girls think they need to be that skinny? They're not clothes hangers, they are bright and beautiful girls. If you want to be a catwalk model.. that life is hard, the food is hard and 90% of the time they are so unhappy because there isn't enough food in them to give them any sort of glow other than hunger sweats. its not worth it girls. Every guy in the world likes curves and if its not about guys no body likes the look of a skeleton, its freaky.

Grace, 10 May 2010 10:24

'who wants to be a size zero' Too right! I'm not sure whethere you're still working on this, but is it me, or is the current NEXT ad on the telly just really bizarre. Pencil thin girl/women prancing around in bikinis in the desert and driving. They don't get near a pool till the dying frames and never get in the water. Does NEXT really think this is a reflection of their customer base?? Who in the UK is gonna buy this stuff? (miami weather notwithstanding) Tell your friends to talk to the manager how they feel bout this ad campaign the next time they walk into/past Next

nima_t, 08 May 2010 11:26

I think this is great apart from one thing. There are people who want to lose weight. Models, aside from their obvious uses, give people inspiration to do so. And I'm not talking about anorexics or bulimics. But also some size 0 models look unwell and it puts some people off losing that much weight. And I'm a natural size 4. If I became famous, would that make me a bad person because people know that I am a size 4? Would I be making people starve themselves even though I don't starve myself? Anyway that's just how I feel. Good luck :)

Izzy, 06 May 2010 10:18

I think that being a size 6 is perfectly normal, as long as you are naturally that size, and you are eating the right amount of foods, that are being posted by the daily food guide, but i think, people should stop targeting models and celebrity's for their size's, such as victoria beckham and etc, they are how they are, and sometimes the pressures are some times, closer to home, like with your mum and friends ect... and sometimes its not peoples fault, they might have a fast metabolisam, so you can't blame them for who and what they are, we think that we are in the right cutting out all people size 6 and downwards, but truthfully we are in the wrong, we are discriminating agaisnt them, people are the way they are, we all are one, lets stick that way, and not fins, people's insecurties to pick on them about!!!!(:(:(:(;

Ulisan Jemide, 04 May 2010 21:20

They only look better on twigs cause that's what the media says. And models aren't healthy. I am not saying you Use overly large people but to use decent sized people. Cause at least then you don't see their bones or lyk their ribs or someting cause that's promoting anorexia or atleast unhealthy under weightness.

Lisa, 04 May 2010 20:01

They're called walking hangers because they're stick thin. You can deny this all you want but clothes look better on skinny people and that's why models are thin.

Pivovarova, 04 May 2010 17:34

If they are just walking hangers why are they always so skinny. Surely if it does affect people- the models can be whatever size! Couldn't disagree more with what some people write- it is a great campain if the overall effect will make people feel better about themselves

Lisa, 04 May 2010 17:22

Totally agree with what Hannah wrote below. A model is quite literally a walking hanger. Runway is about showing off the clothes and low bodyweight is pretty much a requisite of runway. If you want to be a heart surgeon, you need the brains, the degree and the appropriate training. No one would just let an enthusiast, with a ponchant for gore, loose on their friends or family in the operating theatre. This is also why people with lazy eyes don't fly fighter jets and why Jade Goody was never on university challenge. Why should working as a catwalk model be any different? If you want it, you need to be able to do it properly. You're there to make clothes look the best they possibly can. You are not there to make fat women feel good about themselves.

Pivovarova, 03 May 2010 20:33

I'm sorry but I don't agree with your campaign at all. Size zero models do not make people develop eating disorders or cause mental damage, fair enough they may not make people feel amazing about themselves but at the end of the day you can see skinny people everywhere you go. You can't stop skinny people being seen by people who have body issues. Changing the size of the models used in magazines or on catwalks is not going to make a difference. It is completely up to the designers what size models they choose to use and it really annoys me when people whinge and whine about the models being too skinny. I'm sure if the models were too large there would be the same hype. Also currently in the UK we are having an obesity crisis so by putting plus size models on catwalks etc is just advocating being a plus size. We shouldn't encourage people to be larger when thousands of people are dying every year due to obesity related diseases. I say leave size zero models or skinny models because it's not theirs or the designers fault if at the end of the day bigger people don't feel good about themselves. That is their own personal issue and I refuse to accept that it is suddenly okay to encourage already larger people when more people are dying from being overweight than smoking. At the end of the day the media has nothing to do with people's personal issues with their bodies and tbh if they have body issues they should find thier own way to deal with them (I'm not saying they have to make themselves look like these models by the way)and not give blame to people who are smaller than themselves.

Hannah, 02 May 2010 18:55

I'm completely supportive of this campaign - it's sickening that the media generated idea of beautiful is made out to be unnaturally thin. It's giving bigger people a bad image, and thats something that certainly isn't necessary. Change the media!

Stacy, 01 May 2010 17:44

Hello my name is Riyanna and I am extremely interested in your campaign.For many years I have want to pursue my dream of being a model yet I dont have thee right "measurements" according to the nessecary height and weight.I would like to be the model face for your campaign for your magazine and handout etc. please contact me and let me konw what your opinion is thank you.

Reid,Riyanna, 04 April 2010 08:32

I've just started watching your show on 4od and I think its great! I'm doing something similar in my Media Studies A Level. I am a true believer that the media makes women believe that they are too big to be beautiful and its a shame :( no one can be perfect just be yourself.

Katie J, 25 March 2010 23:19

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