London mum, aspiring writer and amateur illustrator. Hopes to navigate through motherhood without losing herself. 
I was pleasantly surprised by the number of healthy looking models on last Fashion Week’s catwalks. Could the unimaginable have happened? Is this the comeback of healthy, strong women in fashion? And when will celebrities follow the trend?
I don’t know where the old wives tale of ‘Skinny and Successful’ as the perfect marriage stems from, but unfortunately, it proofs rather persistent. Nadine Coyle seems to have been the last victim to embark on a dangerous mission, rounding off (or not) the collective emaciation of Girls Aloud.
Nadine was quoted to ‘…have always had incredibly skinny legs. It’s in my family. If anything I have put weight on since the last Girls Aloud tour.’ Her manager added that she had done a lot of running recently.
This is making me quite angry, but at the same time I am feeling terribly sorry. Because there is a big chance she is trying to convince herself that this is the way it is. And that she can’t see what others see when they look at her.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder is common for sufferers of eating disorders. BDD robs you of any ability to have an objective view on yourself. You become more and more body conscious, and no matter how skinny you are, you see yourself as unbelievably fat and disgusting.
I know what I am talking about. I have been there.
The part that makes me angry is that there are young girls who believe in what she said. And who will think of themselves as failures, because they don’t manage to eat normally and be that thin. Because it is IMPOSSIBLE to eat normally and be that thin!
Take Victoria Beckham, for example. She is not making a secret of her peculiar diet of soya beans, espressos and salad. In an interview with US magazine Allure in December last year she said: ‘I’m not going to lie – I’m not one of those people that says, “Oh, I eat hamburgers.” […] I eat salad. And I start off every day with a double espresso. Then I get on the running machine and I run like a bat out of hell.’
Or Liz Hurley, who went to bed hungry to lose the baby weight.
Or Myleene Klaas, who recently admitted that staying a size 8 is hard, hard work and means watching what you eat at all times.
Do you still think that being ultra thin comes naturally? Think again!
Thanks Amy for pointing me into this direction.
Malnourished Monday #14
I love these Malnourished Mondays. It is very sad to see girls like that, who are apparently role models, to talk like that.
It is so aggravating when these terrifyingly skinny women say ‘oh I just eat what I want in moderaton’ or some such crap. We’ve all had a dark moment thinking our bodies are broken because normal eating doesn’t produce that skinniness. I’d rather hear them admit their freaky, abnormal, and frankly pathologically obsessive, eating habits so no young girls are under the illusion it’s a normal way to be.
Oh society is a bastard at times
I agree, I hate seeing all these emaciated girls walking around telling younger impressionable girls that their size is their normal size. It is unfair,but these “celebrities” don’t seem to realise or care about it. As long as they fit into tiny clothes they’re happy.
That’s too spookily thin. It actually made me feel a bit sick to see that.
anything below an 8- 10 doesn’t come naturally to most normal sized people I don’t think- some petite or just small people perhaps but otherwise I think that’s about right for people of regular height and shape who eat a balanced diet with some naughty and some nice things.
I cannot even really fathom how small a size zero is most of the time to be honest. It’s a UK size 4 yes? size 6 jeans make me feel faint most of the time so what size 4 looks like I don’t know. It’s a child really surely? I do not believe anyone is that size without a lot of sacrifice and I actually don’t believe the men who find women that tiny attractive are very well either.
I know really quite a lot of people with managed eating disorders. People who have persuaded themselves of allergies to virtually everything and who have to look up the menu for everywhere we go before going to check what to have and the calories in advance. People who have colonics and herbal laxatives regularly to keep weight off and say they have digestive trouble but basically the trouble is they eat normally and they are a 12 or they do all this and they are an 8. They aren’t well and the boyfriends and husbands who encourage it because they want their partner to be as tiny as the other guys- probably not because they like it but just as a competitive thing- they make me sick to be honest.
Nadine looks dreadful. I saw her in concert only last year and she was very slim but not emaciated. Her thigh muscles have wasted away, that only happens when you starve yourself. Fact.
I’ve never understood the super skinny look.
I’ve always liked woman with a few curves on them.
That looks unhealthy, unattractive and self obsessed! However I need to lose weight and am hopeless at it. So I can’t talk. I have clicked the correct no 5 times and it keeps tellin me it’s wrong. Had this problem last week too – just thought you might like to know.
Your picture of the model at Louis Vuitton is great. I saw a clip of the fashion show here and they models, and clothing were gorgeous.
http://www.garancedore.fr/en/2010/03/12/from-the-front-row-louis-vuitton/
But that very sick looking Nadine needs some help surely. Done a lot of running!! Her legs would snap, poor thing. So sad that she thinks she looks good this way. I hope she has some support to help her soon.
I saw recent photographs of all the Girls Aloud crew and including the lovely Cheryl Cole (soon to be Tweedy again) they all look just ghastly, skinny, hungry and not remotely attractive. The message as you say, they give to young girls is such a bad one. They all looked fabulous before they began the competitive thin issue. I just despair.
Hope alls well x
Goodness, that woman looks like a gust of wind would break her legs! How sad that people have such distorted views of themselves and that the media does nothing but feed the beast (or starve the beast, in this case).
I also felt very sad upon reading about this story. The photograph of Nadine is horrendous, she looks so ill and unhealthy. She was photographed again today wearing skinny jeans and they were just hanging off her.
Very much the wrong message to be sending to young girls
Jesus Christ, what has happened to Nadine? She had a lovely figure before. Sad.
I just want to chuck Nadine a few burgers. And I’m a vegetarian so that says a lot.
apparently i don’t know my own websites address because i just noticed that i’ve been posting under thelovelist.com instead the lovely. silly! i wanted to let you know i finally did the whats in your purse post! finally!
What’s really odd about Victoria Beckham is that she totally has the blinkers on when she says crap like: “I appreciate there are young girls and women who look at me as a role model and it is simply untrue to say I do not eat and I am unhealthy.” Look lady you could not look more like a freakish alien with breast implants and just because you eat a couple of bits of lettuce does not mean you are not being totally irresponsible seeing as you are a role model for young girls!! not many people know this but posh and me used to go to school together !http://tinyurl.com/yd45mo6
i’m glad i was of help:D i was so shocked to see nadine like this, i know she was thin before but this is scary!!
At the age of 16 me and my best friend would smoke fags all day, flick through fashion mags and compete to eat less than the other. These days at age 25 I just want to be fit and healthy. I feel sorry for Nadine, for thinking that being malnourished means will give her be beauty.
Nadine looks dreadful – her legs are like twigs. Whoever manages her ought to be sending her to eating disorder rehab, pronto…..
Their vision must have become so distorted that they can no longer see what’s what. I am sorry to hear you know first hand. Have you seen those photos of Rachel Zoe (the stylist?) She also didn’t think she was too thin when she was practically concave. And Lara Flynn Boyle. It just seems to be everywhere in the media. And it’s starting younger and younger with children. As a mum to a daughter, as you are, I worry so much.
You’re so right, the girl from Girls Aloud that claims she’s not too skinny is sending a message to young girls – that this is not only normal, but cool. And I remember reading that interview with Liz Hurley (I think in Hello) where she admitted she went to bed every night hungry, and feeling absolutely horrified that she – a role model – was basically starving herself.
I wonder if they will look back to their life and think “man, I was miserable. But I looked good.”
Is looking good enough, if you cannot enjoy life? I don’t think so.