Wednesday, March 31, 2010

"No Fat" Clothes?

I was looking at cnn.com this morning and noticed a link to an article promising how to "Look thinner in 'no fat' clothing!"Please peruse: http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/homestyle/03/31/never.look.fat.again/index.html?hpt=C2
I was naturally curious, as I believe many women would be. In general, I understand the idea. Perhaps if women (or men) knew how to dress in ways that best flatter their bodies, they would feel better about themselves in general. I support that idea, however, I also wonder if this is just perpetuating the idea that women should look a certain way. The article promotes the idea that "fat is bad" and "if you are fat and go out in the world looking fat, you offend people."

Shows like TLC's "What Not to Wear" seem to put a more positive light on what they do. In this show, a woman's friends and family nominate her as someone who could use help in the fashion area. It begins in a rather humiliating way with the nominators and the nominee watching secret film footage of the nominee. Then the hosts throw away all of this woman's existing wardrobe. The show does, however, have a message that leads to more confident women. A woman may be a great person on the inside, but if she dresses with the purpose of just covering herself up instead of celebrating who she is as a woman, it leads to someone who is self-conscious about her appearance. I think the "no fat" clothes are attempting to do what the TLC show does, but they do not pull it off in the most uplifting way.