I always swore that I'd never sink so low as to work in a shop that sold burgers and french fries, but now I'm eating my words, because I just had my first shift at Hungry Jacks and it really wasn't all that bad. Of course, I might change my mind in a few weeks when everyone stops being nice because I'm "the new girl," but I don't smell half as oily as I though I would after three and a half hours serving customers 'Whopper meals' and 'Stunner meals.'
However, working in a fast food shop, did get me thinking, about the tired old issue of weight. 47% of women and 63% of men are overweight or obese in our country now. Being fat had become the norm. Yet, on November 17th model Isabelle Caro died from an acute respiratory disease, most likely indirectly caused by the eating disorder which had plagued her for most of her life.
Both of these issues have been written about countless times. I am bored of reading about them. I am bored of writing about them. But the question still demands to be asked. How did it all become so unbalanced? And no matter how many times we ask these, no matter how many times studies are carried out to find the answers, no matter how many times we attempt to strike a healthy balance, we do not appear to be any closer to actually achieving it. Take a look outside. Depending, of course, on where you are, it is more than likely that a slim, healthy person is the exception, not the norm. But open up a high-fashion magazine, and I bet you ten bucks you can't find me a model with a BMI over 20.
In terms of obesity, I think the way our society has evolved is more to blame than anything. Convenient take-away shops on every corner, weight-loss fads that promise you will lose 5 kg in one week (but neglect to mention you'll gain 10 kg the week after, when you resume eating!), and the modern technology of cars, computers and televisions are just some of the ways we've lost touch with staying healthy the tradition way.
I'm not saying we should shun modern fitness equipment and new scientific ways to discover how to prevent and cure diseases, but take the invention of the internet. Surely it's purpose was to help us find information quicker and easier, and help us stay in touch with those who lived far away from us, not to be used as a leisure tool for watching clips over-and-over, and playing games like '3D Racing Craze' for hours on end. I have no problem admitting that I am a part of this problem. I spent a great deal of my time on sites like blogger and tumblr, when I could be doing far more useful and enjoyable things like sewing or reading or seeing my friends. But these new ways of life, and I'm talking beyond internet use now, have become so ingrained in us that its hard to turn around and say, no, instead of shooting guns are people who aren't really, I'm going to go and make myself a slingshot, because to put it simply, that would just be lame.
The worst part is, it is not getting any better. My father works at a computer five days and week and hates the thing. He does all he can to avoid it on evening and weekends. Yet I know teenagers who sit on their laptops every single night, and all of their weekends. Of course a lot of this time is dedicated to schoolwork, but for my dad, he'd rather spend his downtime out doing something fun and active, whereas most teenagers would rather watch movies or play video games.
Yet at the same time as all this is going on, we are still presented with the teenage waif, with her twig-like legs and breakable arms, in almost every piece of advertising we see. It's almost as if the bigger we get, the smaller the model gets. I don't want to delve to deeply into this issue, because it's even more subjective than the obesity one, and there are many more causes other than vanity for eating disorders, but all I'm saying is, maybe if we were presented with a healthier image when we opened a magazine, we'd be more inclined to do some exercise and put away the chocolate, rather than being shown something totally unrealistic, that either motivates us so much we end up in hospital because our weight has sunk so unhealthily low, or we are so depressed that we stuff our faces with chocolate and watch a romantic comedy to make ourselves feel better about our bodies.
Personally, I'm not affected by either problem. I exercise regularly, I eat healthily for the most part and I would much rather dissect an outfit than my body. I know by writing this, I'm perpetuating the issue but I'd dearly love to see the day when the whole world can just deal with our health, move on from how much we weigh, and go forward onto something more important, like whether or not I should attempt to make a sleeveless tunic out of my sleeved-tunic pattern.
xx
PS I know this was supposed to be a fashion blog, but I'm trying to make it more than that as well. I love clothes, and sometimes it feels like they are what my life revolved around, but in all honesty, there is a lot more going on in my life, and I want to embrace that too. I like taking photos of places, I like making things and telling you all about them, and I like writing about my day to day life, and other things that pop into my head. I'm definitely not going to reject the fashion side of things, far from it! But, I hope this is all okay with you, if you really hate it, by all means let me know, but I'm not promising anything, because I want a blog that I'll always have something to write about on, and always want to write on.
