Poor Body Image - From a Mannequin?

I apologize ahead of time if I offend anyone, as this is not my intention here. If you know me even in the slightest amount you know that I am very passionate about fitness, nutrition and health. I do believe that there is a healthy weight that each person should be at, and should work towards this goal. Being overweight causes a myriad of complications and compromises your health both physically and mentally. HOWEVER........ I am SO tired of the media making women (and men for that matter) feel bad about themselves, and putting unrealistic expectations on us.

In 2010 a department store in Sweden, Ahlens, put "plus size" mannequins in their store front. It caused huge debate as to the wisdom of them putting these mannequins on display, as it was feared it would justify obesity in women and make them feel like this was acceptable. The size of the mannequins? Size 12. Now, in my 5'2" petite frame a size 12 would be considered obese - though not morbidly - but in my 5'10" medium build friend it wouldn't even be close. These mannequins above do not look unrealistic to me, especially considering that size 12 is the average size of a woman.

On the flip side, in 2011 the gap had these lovelies in their store to advertise their "always skinny" jeans. Holly Hell, are you kidding me! Maybe if you were the spawn of Jack Skeleton and a stick figure you would be able to fit into these pants. I would be lucky to get my arms into them let alone my legs.

But, lets not talk extremes here. Let's just talk the average American mannequin in any average American store.

How many times have you walked by a store front to see an outfit that looks amazing only to look like you have the fashion sense of a 5 year old once you get it on your body? That's because mannequins are typically 6 inches taller and 6 sizes smaller than the average American woman."Clothes look better on tall, thin, abnormal bodies," said Roya Sullivan, visual director of ready-to-wear at Bloomingdales. "The average size in America will continue to go up, but high fashion will always be shown on smaller models."

And this isn't just in the ladies departments either. Most mannequins sporting the mens attire are beefy with defined abs, pecs to die for and a chiseled jaw that just won't quit. Of course it doesn't hurt that, as a mannequin, those boys can sustain a zero percent body fat.

But, our men mannequins are evolving as well, and not in a healthy way. The new look? Just as in the Gap "always skinny" campaign, the men are getting skinnier too. The average waist size of a male mannequin used to be a size 33. It is now being scaled down to a mere 27.

As I said, I am all for being healthy, and part of that is working toward a healthy weight for your body type. But, where I'm sitting, there aren't very many people in the world that have the type of body that would ever realistically be able to fit into any of the clothes displayed in our department stores.

Ladies and gentlemen, please do not let society make you feel like you are unattractive, unworthy or not good enough! No matter what your current size, shape or form, you ARE worth it. You are amazing and you need to feel good about yourself. Learn to feel good in your own skin. It doesn't matter your size. What makes you attractive is your confidence and attitude - so wear those well.