Size Zero

We have all seen the pictures of ‘size zero’ celebs like Victoria Beckham, Nicole Ritchie and the like, who are supposedly style icons of the 21st century. But do these celebs actually look good this size? When we see them with their tiny frames, in their tiny clothes that no ordinary woman would fit into, does it make you go; “wow, she is gorgeous”, or does it actually make you gasp and say; “wow, she is too skinny”?

According to the experts, to be a size 0 (UK size 4), you need a waist that measures 23 inches. Recently Victoria Beckham revealed she has a 23 inch waist, which understandably has caused a great deal of debate. To put this onto perspective, her waist is 11 inches smaller than the average British female and measures the same as a football. 

The World Health Organisation classifies a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 18.5 or less as underweight. With the average catwalk model weighing in at less than eight stone but with a height of 5’9” – a BMI of 16 – you’ve got to wonder what the fashion industry are thinking. Some argue that fashion clothes fit better on the smaller frame, but is this merely because we are used to seeing these clothes on emaciated women and due to this we are just conditioned to think it looks better? 

Is it possible to maintain a size zero figure naturally? If one does what good nutrition practice suggests and eats 3 balanced meals a day, then surely they would not be able to remain such a small size. What’s more, this confuses the average young girl who looks to these celebs as role models. They are told that being a size zero is merely a result of healthy eating, so they are eating healthily but are still no where near as skinny as these women, due to the fact that every female frame is different and some women cannot realistically obtain that size. This will no doubt cause them to develop issues with their self image, which could be one of the causes of the rise in eating disorders among young women.

Unfortunately many stars...