Would you like to see mannequins which better reflect the size of the average American woman?

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by hml1976

No. While I would love to see some different body types on mannequins, an overweight mannequin just helps to normalize a culture that thinks being chubby is now "curvy" and acceptable.

It is worth pointing out that anorexia afflicts 0.5% of the population. Obesity afflicts 36% of the population.

Totally agree ^^. And that mannequin in the pic is quite creepy and ugly with it's tiny head and hands attached to the bloated body.

[Doobage]

Just because the average American woman (and man, for that matter) is overweight doesn't mean that should be accepted as the new "healthy".

[markymarc]

I would like Americans to get with the nutritional program and lose weight. We can't all be a size 0/2, but we can all be the smallest size possible for our genetics. If you don't want to be thin, that is your choice. But don't say we would all be better off if the new standard conformed to your bodily ideal, which wasn't the truth for people before the introduction of corn syrup and vegetable oils in our diet.

[Where is W?]

I think they should have plus size mannequins if the store has a plus size section. Obviously the anorexic mannequins are not making overweight people any thinner and those oversize mannquines would portrait a more realistic look. You need to know if an pecif piece of clothes looks decent in overweight people

I think it's a little discriminatory not having bigger mannequines and it sends the wrong message: "overweight people should never be displayed" Clothing stores are in the business of selling clothes, not in the business of nutrition or health. Overweight people need to wear something, weather they are dieting or not. It's not like people can lose 50 or 100 pounds in 2 weeks.

[Where is W?]

Originally Posted by Opsimathia

This thread is going OT.

Not been there.
Have a background in psychology as one of my minors of one of my degrees.
Experience with people in real life who have gone through that.
I know what you mean with saying things like cognitive reasoning etc gets better in a nourished body as it does with anyone. But those with eating disorders have other issues beyond not eating. Black and white thinking is one of them. Which is being displayed by your behavior here. If you really did go through that I do suggest to continue to help yourself with more mental health care during your life. Especially in times of stress.

The truth is that the don't know what causes eating disorders but suspect it can be genetic as well as stimulated. I personally think its a bit of both.

Embracing an obese figure is just as bad as a unreasonable stick figure.

If you look at a picture or the fashion industry and obsess about becoming that size beyond reason...
If that isnt a mental disorder, I don't know what is.

In the less PC days they just called you nutters.

Not to insult those out there with disorders but...come on...I never really met anyone who didn't admit what they were doing was a little nuts when behaving that way. They just had the mental wiring to obsess about it. You don't start out at an anorectic weight. You get the mindset way before you get trapped in the body conditions. Otherwise you would never get underweight.

Nothing more black and white than saying that people with anorexia must have other issues.

It is very easy see a different image in the mirror. They might be thin but they might still see a person who needs to lose a couple of pounds. Happens to a lot of people, even to those who are not anorexic. Some people lose dozens of pounds and still see the same body figure.

When I was a teenager the only think that stopped me was fear of becoming anorexic. I never saw myself thin but I made it a point to stop because I thought it was a slippery slope. I didn't think I was fat, I just thought I could lose a few more pounds but people were already telling me to stop. I don't think I was crazy, I was just a teenager doing what teenagers do, worry about their physical appereance 24/7 and the mirror DOES lie. THe same happens with overweight people, they pack pounds but many times they still see the same figure they had 10, 20 or 30 pounds ago.

[lmw36]

I think mannequins should reflect the size of the clothing the store is selling.

For example, I HATE it when I see a cute top on a mannequin, walk around the mannequin to have a look at the back, and the damn thing is pinned to look tighter and fit the probably size 0 mannequin. It's a misrepresentation of the top (the top is flowy, not form-fitting) and it's just poor marketing.

I think mannequins should more commonly represent the mid range of a healthy bmi of the average height woman/man. Or heck, have a mix of mannequin sizes. At least it would more properly display the clothing.

I also don't view mannequins as the picture of a healthy body though. I think it's silly that people do.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by lmw36

I think mannequins should more commonly represent the mid range of a healthy bmi of the average height woman/man. Or heck, have a mix of mannequin sizes. At least it would more properly display the clothing.

Mannequins are in general made to represent the mid-range of the healthy BMI range, it just happens that this is much thinner than the average American because 70% of American adults are overweight. The mannequins aren't made to be "anorexic" they are made to be normal weight, its the people viewing them that usually have the weight issues....

So should mannequins be created to represent what people should look like if they had a good diet, etc...or should they be created to represent the average American....who is very much overweight?

[Kim in FL]

It all depends...is the mannequin just going to be bigger all over..or have that floppy -hang -down -to -your crotch belly that so many women seem to think it attractive when shoved in spandex and proudly displayed spilling over the top of their jeans?


If it's the latter...no thanks.