Teen girls and the "ideal size"

[phishtickie]

I just don't understand how emaciated and nearly dead has become "ideal" for anyone... How can it be?? It is so ugly! No offence, but that is how I feel and it pains me to see how many people, especially young people, labour under the misconception that it is in any way attractive to look like a damn sceleton.

[Lani]

I agree. Well I do now. For some reason even I got it in my head that I'm meant to look long and lanky which on my body type means 'emancipated and skeletal'. I dunno, everything about womens bodies have become so screwed up.

[tofucheesecake]

When I was a young teen, I balked at having to buy clothes in a size 4. I was used to always being called tiny and buying 0-2's and I was convinced my thighs were enormous. Now I wish I was as "fat" as I was when I thought I was fat. It's all about perception...

[JuicyLucy]

That disturbs me. The girls with 'guts' hanging over their jeans and what not, they're everywhere. There's more baring all to say the least now then when I was in school which wasn't all that long ago. It's not that hard to find clothes that are meant for you and look great. Low-rise jeans and tight, belly shirts ARE NOT, I repeat ARE NOT for everyone.

[MrsDark]

I'm 36 and I can tell ya for a fact it's easier than ever to find clothing that fits properly and in a wide variety of sizes. Yet why do so many younger women walk around looking like shit now? It's because in the interest of pushing whatever particular "fad" designers have decided is hot shit at the moment, retailers are willing to bullshit a clueless young 5'2" girl with thick legs who wears a size 12 that those skinny jeans really are just as flattering on her they are on a 5'7" slim-legged chick who wears a size 6. Not picking on any particular size here. For ex, When it comes to those 'lowriders' I've seen just as many thin women look like shit in those. Women with tiny asses and hips or long torsos look as stupid as hell in those jeans as a woman with a bit of a belly hang. What it really boils down to is that you shouldn't wear what looks like shit on you no matter how in style it is.

But god forbid you try to imply that anything isn't flattering on someone's figure. People actually pay stylists big money for this kind of honesty you used to be able to get from a store clerk or a friend, but people are such whiny babies now that suggesting someone shouldn't wear a particular style (especially since, hey...it's availible in my size!) is cruelty and "the reason why so many women have eating disorders".

I'm a big believer that anyone can look good (or at the very least presentable) if they know how to dress right for their shape/size.

[JuicyLucy]

Agreed, MrsDark. Size has nothing to do with it. But at the same time, I hate hearing my friends and people around me mocking a girl because she has her 'gut' hanging over her jeans, thinking she looks sexy. But in the right clothes, she'd look great. It's the same way for a girl who's skinny trying to push out her chest or 'ass' in an effort to look sexier or curvier. That looks just as stupid.

[VanillaRice]

I agree to, Mrs.Dark.

I don't dress well though. I'm 17 but I know that I don't dress well. I normally just have jeans and a big t-shirt on. lol If I could afford a stylist you better believe that I would get one.

[Aella]

Originally Posted by MrsDark

I'm 36 and I can tell ya for a fact it's easier than ever to find clothing that fits properly and in a wide variety of sizes. Yet why do so many younger women walk around looking like shit now? It's because in the interest of pushing whatever particular "fad" designers have decided is hot shit at the moment, retailers are willing to bullshit a clueless young 5'2" girl with thick legs who wears a size 12 that those skinny jeans really are just as flattering on her they are on a 5'7" slim-legged chick who wears a size 6. Not picking on any particular size here. For ex, When it comes to those 'lowriders' I've seen just as many thin women look like shit in those. Women with tiny asses and hips or long torsos look as stupid as hell in those jeans as a woman with a bit of a belly hang. What it really boils down to is that you shouldn't wear what looks like shit on you no matter how in style it is.

But god forbid you try to imply that anything isn't flattering on someone's figure. People actually pay stylists big money for this kind of honesty you used to be able to get from a store clerk or a friend, but people are such whiny babies now that suggesting someone shouldn't wear a particular style (especially since, hey...it's availible in my size!) is cruelty and "the reason why so many women have eating disorders".

I'm a big believer that anyone can look good (or at the very least presentable) if they know how to dress right for their shape/size.

Bravo! I couldn't agree more.

Finding clothes that flatter your own body shape is essential, and has been pretty much drilled into my consciousness by my mother. Finding clothes in the right size is paramount too-there's certain jeans in my wardrobe I refuse to wear when I put on even a few pounds. Just because something can be buttoned, doesn't mean it actually fits, and muffin top looks good on no one.

As for sales clerks being honest-well, I can see their size. I have a friend who works in retail, and the stories she tells of people she encounters daily who simply seem to lack a self-awareness gene. Overweight middle-aged women who insist on dressing like teenagers and glare at her when she politely suggests they might want to try something still modern but less over the top instead, short/dumpy/shapeless teenagers who think what flatters Kate Moss would suit them too, and of course everyone insisting that they are at least a size smaller than they are, and getting flustered when she suggest a size up.

Not that I haven't seen my share of salespeople insisting some poor clueless customer standing in front of the mirror looking straight up foolish looks 'so great in those stretchy trousers'.