The fashion industry does not "set the beauty standards." Beauty standards are beauty standards because human beings are born with an inherent sense as to what "beautiful" is. It's not something you can teach or re-learn or re-establish, it just is. Sure the fashion industry needs tall thin models because the garments look better on those types of bodies, but who doesn't already know that?!?!

The idea that "the fashion industry" is responsible for making women and girls critical of their bodies is ludicrous. I've never met a woman or girl who wasn't just naturally critical of their own looks, and men don't take cues from the fashion industry for beauty standards.

The current obsession with fairness and inclusivity won't negate what people feel naturally. You can't just suddenly decide that overweight, misshapen, aged, or just aesthetically uninteresting women are all-of-a-sudden "beautiful." That's not how it works. If everyone were beautiful then nobody would be beautiful.

I hesitated to watch as I wasn't sure if it would stir up my emotions about my own body image and daily ups and downs. As someone with a unfortunate past of eating disorder relapses and recoveries (and the consuming isolation and torment that are far from glamorous),this hit close to home but in only a good way. I felt like I related unfortunately to the school girls being interviewed and how they compared themselves negatively, insecurities and worry taking ahold unconsciously. And then I marveled at the beauty of women who weren't a size 0, with mesmerizing bodies, being in a field that dictates the skinnier the better. I found them so cool! Beautiful in every sense of the word! And I couldn't take my eyes off their images, isn't that the point of a model in advertising? People may try to debate the issue to fit their own views but the images portrayed in the media directly influence perception and what society values. The majority of fashion images of females are photoshopped malnourished models but why does it have to be so? Why judge beauty based on size?

I was interested in seeing "Straight/Curve" because I think that the messages that women (especially but not exclusively girls) are bombarded with about weight are unhealthy and unrealistic. However, the film didn't exactly hit the mark. It did call for more inclusion in the modeling industry BUT it featured 'heavy' models* who were sizes 12-16 (tops)...as if that was a complete range of women and body types. No larger women, no Asians, no disabled models. What?! I just don't understand the film and how they SEEMED to be saying "models should be just a bit heavier in some cases...and maybe occasionally black". That's NOT true inclusion and the film would likely make many viewers feel left out or angry.

For a much, much better film on the same topic but one that covers a REAL range of body types, try the infinitely better documentary "Embrace".



*By the way, the only heavy woman in the film was actually a photographer!