Dummies and mannequins
May 23, 2006
See what this article from the British Daily Mail does to your blood pressure:
Stores urged to drop super-skinny mannequins
Shop window mannequins should have the figures of "real women", campaigners said yesterday.
They fear the unrealistic proportions of models in shops could be contributing to the rise of eating disorders.
Over the past 50 years, the average dress size has increased from 12 to 16. The average woman's weight has gone up from eight to 11 stone.
...
Officials in Andalusia, Spain, have already banned the use of mannequins smaller than the average Spanish woman.
The Spanish government is hoping to implement this across the country. "We would welcome any ruling that puts less pressure on women to get thinner," said the Eating Disorder Association spokesman.
I added the following comment to the article:
"Except for Sarah from London, and David from South Africa, most of you are missing the real issue.
It's fine if you persuade a shopkeeper to use bigger models via convincing arguments - but it is completely immoral to force them to comply with your personal preferences, by lobbying government to do it on your behalf.
It is called individual rights, and is what our civilisation is built on.
What the bureaucrats in Spain have done is unconscionable. Government is not here to protect your feelings from being hurt; it is here to protect your individual rights, including those of the shopkeeper."
And here is Sarah from London's comment, for reference:
I would hope that most people would be intelligent enough to distinguish between a plastic doll and a real human and not to compare themselves to the former. It is the individual's responsibility to be aware of their own body and whether it is in a healthy condition. If shops think that using slimmer mannequins sells more clothes then that is their decision.
Links:
Daily Mail - Stores urged to drop super-skinny mannequins:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=384517&expand=true
(Hat-tip to David Joffe)
UPDATE: My comment seems to have been moderated/censored. Censoring might explain the abundance of comments in support of the banning. I have sent a polite email asking why my comment was not deemed fit.
UPDATE: Well, two queries, and a week and a half later, I received this email:
From: [email protected]
Date: Jun 1, 2006 1:10 AM
Subject: Re: Comment on stores urged to drop super-skinny mannequins
Hello
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. There is, as you can clearly see, nothing wrong with your comment and no reason why it should not have passed moderation. I have dealt with a similar case today and it appears that a very small number of people may be experiencing technical difficulties when attempting to submit a comment. Please feel free to submit your comment again. If you continue to experience difficulties get back to us and we will see if there isn't another way to resolve this issue.
Thanks
Alastair
Community Editor
Associated New Media
Well, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, bite my tongue, and try again.