Style File - Thin just isn't in

Thin just isn't in, by Loren Aberhart
“Exclusive Photo Exposé: Britney’s Cellulite.” “Victoria Beckham’s Lettuce Diet.” “Stars in their Bikinis.” Believe me, I’m a sucker for these headlines. In fact, I will stand in supermarket queues holding up shoppers just so I can see if Britney actually does have cellulite, or whether it was just bad lighting. A true product of my generation, I have been plagued with self doubt about my figure and love to see celebrities suffering the same body issues as me.
Luckily, I am blessed with enough common sense to realise that although I may not look as amazing in a bikini as Elle Macpherson, my body does enable me to throw myself around a netball court, dance without stopping until 3am, and pace briskly along Trafalgar Street in high heels (no easy feat). Sadly, however, almost 10% of adolescent girls in New Zealand are currently suffering from some form of eating disorder and this number is increasing each year.
So, running along Waimea Rd recently, I decided to do something about the body image issues and misconceptions of size that consistently plague women of our era. This month’s WildTomato fashion shoot aims to show that there is amazing clothing out there for women of every size, and that size is irrelevant to beauty, confidence, and elegance. “Curvaceous Rhapsody” is a look at the luxurious side of fashion and those sexy, silky, shiny things that make us feel gorgeous no matter how bad our day was (or how big our thighs look).
Interestingly, recent reports have shown that the average New Zealand woman is a size 14 – a far cry from the much publicised US size zero. And truthfully, if I have to look at Posh Spice teetering around on her skinny wee matchstick legs much more, I will personally go over to the UK, LA, Madrid, or wherever she is and feed her a mince pie (if I haven’t eaten it before I get there).
Admittedly, some very lucky girls are born with the genetic breeding of a thoroughbred racehorse and will therefore sport a stunning set of abs and a taut bum their entire lives. I had one friend at university – hilariously nicknamed ‘Sausage’ – who would win pizza eating competitions, yet to this day has not gained a single kilogram and still suffers cruel taunts about her size (or lack of it). I don’t mean to belittle these fortunate people who were born naturally petite.

I am all for being trim, toned, and comfortably able to fit my jeans (instead of squeezing into them and not walking normally for weeks – been there, done that). And actually, my recent actions to implement the ‘Get Hot Body For Wedding’ plan have been somewhat successful (hence running along Waimea Rd). But not at the expense of my very healthy appetite, or my comfortable-for-sitting-on-and-loved-by-my-fiancé derrière. Instead I know that every time I look at my sparkly Glen James engagement ring, or slip on a silky robe from Foxy Lady, I won’t feel quite so bad about the size of my thighs or the fact that I have a little bit of a tummy.