High-street retailer M&S has launched, in a bid for publicity, headlines and, i would presume, bigger sales, a new underwear campaign, featuring "real women". The problem with this (not least that Dove did it first, and did it much better) is that their chosen women are as perfectly proportioned, toned and stunning as the models in every other fashion campaign. Not a hint of jelly belly, with their largest model, at a guess, a size 14, M&S are still alienating half the female population. Even worse, the larger girls are wearing what appears to be body control underwear. So yes, M&S will use models who are above a size zero, but they will put them in control underwear so they look a little better. Ridiculous.
If M&S want to appeal to real women, then pioneer a campaign with women of every size. 0 - 22 and beyond, put each model in the same underwear set and show the world that you think women are beautiful, no matter what size they wear.
I'm sure M&S are feeling, at least slightly smug at their latest campaign, under the impression they are promoting healthy body image and female power. They are not. Their real women campaign would be better handled by real women, women with jelly bellies and stretch marks, make up less and untouched by the magic of airbrushing, women with different hair styles and colours, women with or without tattoos, women in underwear that doesn't control their figures and women who don't look like they are smiling simply for a pay check. I want to see a woman who knows she is gorgeous, no matter what her size may be.
As a real woman, i find their latest campaign infuriating. I'm a size 12 (the horror), with a slight jelly belly, with stretch marks and a tattoo, i don't wake up in the morning and airbrush my face and control my figure before i leave the house and i am sick and tired of the fashion world implying there is something wrong with MY dress size. I am tired of clothing that is sold in size 12 but is designed to humiliate any woman who isn't a size 0.
Marilyn Monroe held her own at a size 16 and has long been considered a fashion icon. Seen by men long past her time as desirable and cast, in part, for her beauty. Monroe was also wise and, for women who are made to feel as though they aren't good enough because they aren't skinny enough, i give you her words; "To all the girls who think they are fat because they are not a size zero, you're the beautiful one, society is ugly"
She is right. Society is ugly. M&S, are ugly. Parading around "larger girls" in a "real woman" campaign for all the wrong reasons. M&S, like most retailers, have zero interest in the self esteem of larger women. They need to sell more clothes, more underwear to more women and they think they have found a way. I disagree, Real women, larger women, shouldn't be paraded around like they are in a circus in a bid to sell more control pants, they should be treated equally with the size 0's.
The biggest change M&S need to make, is to use some actual "real women".
Women are beautiful, every single woman is beautiful in her own way. Size 0? Size 12? Size 26? Still beautiful. Embrace your body and love it. Recognise your own self worth and only change if YOU want to. Its your size, make your own rules. You are a real woman, celebrate that, be your own idol. If society tells you that you need to change, tell society to go screw itself.
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