"I'm just 2 kilos away from being a Size Zero!". This excited and high decibel declaration was by my client. It was a tele-follow up of her diet plan and this is what she rained on my unsuspecting ears, all the way from Delhi, India.
Worldwide over 70 million lives (women and men) suffer from a
clinically significant Eating Disorder (ED) including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or a binge eating disorder, as the societal pressures to become thin remain rampant.
Coming back to my client, I decided I could spare some time and tell her what every woman should know about the term "Size Zero", so I did. And here is our conversation modified and edited for general consumption.
Coming back to my client, I decided I could spare some time and tell her what every woman should know about the term "Size Zero", so I did. And here is our conversation modified and edited for general consumption.
1. How much weight should I lose to become a Size Zero?
Weight loss has nothing to do with being a Size Zero. One can lose all the weight one wants and yet probably never ever be a Size Zero.
How?
This brings us to the next question.
How?
This brings us to the next question.
2. What's a Size Zero?
A Size Zero is not a a particular weight in kilograms or pounds that one has to weigh to attain the perfect weight for your height. A Size Zero is a dress size with a predetermined set of bust-waist-hip measurements. Hence, unless you get these measurements, you can lose all the weight you want, but you will never be a Size Zero. Depending on the clothing brand, a woman who fits into a dress with a Size 0 would typically have a bust-waist-hip measurement of 30"-22"-32" or 33"-25"-35".
3. Its Origins
The Size Zero was introduced by designers to overcome the effects of Size Inflation, the phenomenon of ready to wear clothing of the same nominal size becoming larger over time e.g. a dress labelled as a size Small (S) of current times, is much bigger than a Small (S) sized dress of say a decade back.
Simply put, clothing manufacturers are gradually making the existing Large (L), Medium (M) and Small (S) range of sizes, way bigger. So a lady who would have counted as a size Medium (M) a decade back, can now fit into a dress labelled as Small (S) (since its bigger than the Size (S) of yore).This practice makes a customer feel happier with herself and her body and her purchase, resulting in guaranteed future sales for the brand.
However, increasing the size of a size Small (S) dress to please a customer conflicts with the needs of the runway and the fashion industry.
So variants of the size Small (S) were introduced like Size 00, Size 0, XS, or XXS, to offset the effects of Size Inflation.
As evident, this need to create a smaller clothing sizes which look good on runways lead to creation of slim yet dysfunctional sizes and Size Zero is one such dysfunctional clothing size.
Why dysfunctional?
Its not dysfunctional to be a healthy adult woman who is a natural Size Zero but its dysfunctional if you are a healthy adult woman who is naturally a Size Ten, but will do anything, and I mean, anything to be a Size Zero.
As evident, this need to create a smaller clothing sizes which look good on runways lead to creation of slim yet dysfunctional sizes and Size Zero is one such dysfunctional clothing size.
Why dysfunctional?
Its not dysfunctional to be a healthy adult woman who is a natural Size Zero but its dysfunctional if you are a healthy adult woman who is naturally a Size Ten, but will do anything, and I mean, anything to be a Size Zero.
4. A Size Zero is also used for grading women's dresses in the US Catalog Sizes system
The US Catalog Sizes system, has dress sizes like Size 00, Size 0, Size 1, Size 2, Size 3, Size 4 and so on. Each dress size has a particular bust-waist-hip measurement in inches.
Size 0 in the US catalog is categorized under Misses’ sizes (ASTM D5585 11e1) (2011). Click on this link to see the US Catalog Sizes charts and corresponds to a woman with a bust-waist-hip measurements (curvy) of approx. 31"-24"-34".
Size 0 in the US catalog is categorized under Misses’ sizes (ASTM D5585 11e1) (2011). Click on this link to see the US Catalog Sizes charts and corresponds to a woman with a bust-waist-hip measurements (curvy) of approx. 31"-24"-34".
Notice the catalog has a Size 00 as well. Its smaller than a Size 0 and no one is talking about it, yet. Thank God.
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| A Size Zero Model |
5. If a Size Zero dress size exists in an American clothing catalog, doesn’t it mean American women are buying it and hence fitting into it?
Reality check. The USA is amongst the worlds top 10 fattest nations. Its spiraling obesity rate is giving nightmares to its policy makers. A Size Zero is not widespread in American (Caucasian) women and they find it just as difficult to transform into one from their natural body size, as would any other woman on this planet.
Now all the women who want to spiral down many dress sizes from their natural one, to a Size Zero, and are willing to go to great lengths for it, say this three times,
"Size Zero is a dress size. Size Zero is just a set of measurements. An average 8 year old girl across the world has a waist size greater than 22 inches and I am not 8". Read US Size Charts for girls aged between 7-14 years of age at US Children's Size Chart
"Size Zero is a dress size. Size Zero is just a set of measurements. An average 8 year old girl across the world has a waist size greater than 22 inches and I am not 8". Read US Size Charts for girls aged between 7-14 years of age at US Children's Size Chart
6. Are all super slim women a Size Zero?
All super slim women are not by default a Size Zero, as they need to get all three (bust-waist-hip) measurements right to qualify.
7. Isn't Size Zero "international" and "fashionable"?
Size Zero is considered as "international" because of the much condemned practice of preferring Size Zero models to walk on international (fashion) runways.
Across the world the glorifying of Size Zero is subject to harsh criticism as its symbolizes the unattainable and often unnatural body measurements for an average adult woman who is a different (read: bigger) size.
Many Size Zero models seen on international fashion runways are often mere teenagers; reason? Its easy to find twiggy, lean, teenagers whose still developing adolescent body confirms to the Size Zero measurements. At least, while they are in their teens.
Many Size Zero models seen on international fashion runways are often mere teenagers; reason? Its easy to find twiggy, lean, teenagers whose still developing adolescent body confirms to the Size Zero measurements. At least, while they are in their teens.
Size Zero models are being banned across some fashion runways and being discouraged across many.
Is being banned from fashion runways "fashionable"?
No! When the world is waking up to the literal ugliness (many adult models who have dieted their way to being a Size 0 have collapsed and died due to malnourishment) of forcing a woman to be a Size Zero, isn't it time you did?
8. Size Zero and the Movies
Is being banned from fashion runways "fashionable"?
No! When the world is waking up to the literal ugliness (many adult models who have dieted their way to being a Size 0 have collapsed and died due to malnourishment) of forcing a woman to be a Size Zero, isn't it time you did?
8. Size Zero and the Movies
I smile every time I see a busty or solidly hip-boned, but slim actress, whether in Hollywood or Bollywood (the Indian film industry) claim “I am now a Size Zero”. Its amazing what all one can say when one knows minus zero (or less than zero) about a subject.
So why do they say they are a Size Zero? They say because of ignorance of what Size 0 actually is or looks like. They say because of their profession compels them to be ‘with the times’ and mouth whatever sounds trendy. Besides, they know that no one is ever going to even think of measuring them in order to validate their claim. Its easy to lie when its one lie which will never get busted.
9. Size Zero and the Media
A public personality, say an actor's, unverified claims of being a Size Zero are made to go viral by the media, sensationalized, and super hyped, creating images of an unreal and unattainable body size in the minds of the general public.
And, the vast majority of the media just doesn’t know better than the personality herself.
Why, just recently a seasoned fourth estate friend of mine said, “Size Zero is when one weighs between 45 kilos to 50 kilos”.
And, the vast majority of the media just doesn’t know better than the personality herself.
Why, just recently a seasoned fourth estate friend of mine said, “Size Zero is when one weighs between 45 kilos to 50 kilos”.
10. Can any woman ever be a Size Zero?
If you are an adult woman in the age group of say 18-55 years and are usually a Size 12 or Size 14 (Per Catalog Dress Sizes for 2011) all your life, being a Size 0 is a piece of cake. All you have to do is fulfill any one or preferably more, of the following criteria:
-- Go back to being 8 or 13 years old: How else will you get the Size Zero bust-waist-hip measurements of 31"-23"-33", when you are naturally a Size 14?
--- Possess the Ectomorph body type: Some women are born with this body type. Characteristics of this body type include a narrow chest and abdomen, low body muscle, and fat. Its such body types who may qualify as a Size Zero sometimes, but its again subject to the body measurements falling into place. Note: Before you start craving to be reborn as an ectomorph, do understand that most ectomorphs dont have it easy. They may suffer from problems like menstrual irregularities, infertility, weak immunity, underweight.
--- Be underweight: That is, have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of less than 18.5 kg/m2 for various reasons and you might attain Size Zero measurements.
--- Go under the knife: Yes, bariatric surgery or weight loss surgery, though meant for the morbidly obese (BMI greater than 40 kg/m2) can be misused by normal weight individuals to lose weight, even when not necessary, resulting in extreme weight loss. But, even this wont help all become a size zero because as I said before, its the measurements!
To conclude...
Please understand the BMI (body mass index) is one of the internationally approved way of deciding if you are overweight, or obese, or underweight.
If your BMI is between 18.5-23.0 kg/m2 (for Asians), and 18.5-24.0 kg/m2 (for rest of the world) then there is nothing to worry, you are the right weight for your height. And, that's your perfect size.
If your BMI is between 18.5-23.0 kg/m2 (for Asians), and 18.5-24.0 kg/m2 (for rest of the world) then there is nothing to worry, you are the right weight for your height. And, that's your perfect size.
Note: This post is against the practice of using drastic means like chronic dieting, fasting or surgery, to attain a Size Zero. Its against the select glorifying of only this particular body size, the hype behind it, and the misconceptions. Its against the pressure on women to attain it and the damage they wreck on themselves in the process. Its not against women who are born a Size Zero i.e. possessing a naturally ectomorphic body build or the chronically underweight. Read my post on the stress of being underweight here http://raksha-changappa.blogspot.in/2011/09/thin-man-aint-laughing-all-about-being.html
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