I’m not a good shopper. Like I’m really not, the first blog post I ever wrote about was all the reasons I hate shopping and to this day still stand true. So whenever I do manage to force myself to go shopping it’s usually a 25 minute dash from shop floor to check out to as far away as possible. It’s as painless ordeal I can manage to make it, but some things I cant help but notice…
Topshop has scarily thin mannequins.
That also happen to be 6 foot 1.
And Topshop have literally only just realised that these micro skinny long legged things might be a slightly unhealthy body ‘ideal’.
Well thats the bit that gets me, how has anybody looked at these figures and though ‘yes yes yes this is what women want to see when they go shopping’. Well thanks to Brit girl Laura Berry who called out Topshop for encouraging a ‘cult image’ among women on their Facebook page receiving over 3000 likes and 700 comments as well as releasing a statement in response to Topshop citing that studies showed that mannequins of this nature could only have detrimental affects on young women: “So what makes you feel you can ignore everything that’s been said and considered by other high street stores and even some high fashion designers? What makes you so superior, Topshop? Perhaps it’s about time you became responsible for the impression you have on women and young girls and helped them feel good about themselves rather than impose these ridiculous standards.”
Thanks to this the high street store have decided to discontinue there use of these scarily slim statues in their stores.
Hurrah for that….
Well not quite Topshop have released a statement (tails between their legs) suggesting that they ‘had to’ make these mannequins like this because of the nature of the fibreglass they were made out…but in the same statement they seem to say they that ‘the form is stylised to have more impact in store.’
Hmm but I though that Topshop didn’t have a choice about these drastic proportions? Seems like somebody might have dropped the ball on this one…
Anyway what do you think about the link between mannequin and growth in discomfort among young women over their bodies exists?
Love Robyn.
A Girl In Europe 
You are absolutely right, Robyn! And the “excuse” about the fiberglass? Ridiculous! Thanks to you and others–like Laura Berry– who publicize this issue and hold the designers to account.
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Media and the shops promote this unrealistically thin body shape idea (along with blemish less skin but I won’t go into that one now), the health issue that go with this are well documented so really it’s about time these companies were made to stop it or they grow some balls and buck the thin trend.
I’ve noticed that over recent years there have been more advertisements with real women rather than the usual stick insects and I for one welcome this and would like to see this become more the norm.
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