Fashion
Whether it's nice or not, that's not up to me to decide. I know what I like and what not, and I wear what I like, not what someone tells me to like. Every so many years I am fashionable again, totally unexpected ;-)
I am not a model, and I don't have a model's measurements. Nor have my sisters, brothers-in-law, friends, their friends, husbands, wives, and so on. Am I exceptional? I don't think so. Then why is it that clothes are always presented on women that are hardly more than walking skeletons, or men that have the perfect chest and shoulders? Why is it that the perfect family, according to about 95% of the commercials, consists of a 25-year old slim young man with brown hair, and a 22-year old slim woman with long hair, and two kids of 8-9 years old?
95% of the people that buy things, are fundamentally different than the ones used to present those things. OK, washing powder commercials are harmless, annoying at the most. But fashion commercials or presentations are not so harmless. They create a fake world, and tell everyone that this fake world is how it is, it's only you that is different. The result? Anorexia, suicides, depressions. Do you think I exaggerate? Check any psychologist, certainly the ones working with youth. Time and time again we are bombarded with superslim, superhealthy looking sportive young beautiful people. Those who don't look like that should adapt themselves, or feel abnormal, and more and more young people cannot deal with that, and end up having serious problems, and needing help.
I want to see window-figures looking like human beings. I want to see how clothes will look on me, not on a walking skeleton. I want to see clothes being presented by standard humans. I know a lot of people think this, but most just shrug their shoulders: "What can you do about it?". Protest, goddammit! Let yourself be heard! One letter, one card, one mail won't make a difference. But a small pile, all of people saying the same, will. Don't know how? Just send your name, and I'll add it here, and when it's long enough, I'll send it around.
© Jim Bella 2002-2003