What Ever Happened to Just Blaming Barbie?

Argentina has an anorexia problem. Who to blame? Activists are launching a campaign against designers who only produce tiny sizes. The Christian Science Monitor reports:

Prompted by anecdotal evidence and expert testimony, the Argentine legislature is considering whether to force clothing manufacturers to cover "all the anthropometric measurements of the Argentine woman" up to size 54 (the equivalent of extra large in the United States)….

Girls being treated for anorexia at ALUBA, Argentina's most prestigious anorexia clinic, told a reporter they would welcome the opportunity to find the latest styles in larger sizes.

"There's never your size; it's always smaller," says Natalia, to nods of agreement from other patients.

"The companies don't want big girls wearing their brands because it looks bad," says Yamilia.

I hate those designers as much as the next woman, but I'm pretty sure anorexia is more complicated than Max Mara camisoles. Perhaps the problem has something more to do with an anorexia clinic being "prestigious."

Comments

[Jason Ligon]

It's like Say's Law gone wrong ...

[Stretch]

It sounds to me like there might be a market for fashionable, larger size clothes. An opportunity in the making that the gov't will cut off.

If they force the designers to make bigger clothes, do they mandate a proportional representation? And when the designer companys start losing money, so they subsidize them?

[Rick Barton]

Obnoxious busybodies! Just ridiculous. And if they care nothing for liberty, which they don't seem too, maybe the Argentine legislature could be motivated to lay off if they consider the health benefits of being slender.

Not that it takes away from my point but; Full Disclosure: It seems like a girl just can't be too thin for my tastes.

Jason,

Interesting consideration of Say's Law. This might be an example of why we shouldn't call economic relationships "laws" the way we do with physical relationships. 😉

[kwais]

No way! The way to get fat bitches to lose weight is to make smaller clothes? Wow, I never knew it was so easy.

If I ever get married and she starts to gain on me, all I gotta do is to buy smaller clothes?

[js]

Quick! Quick! We need to begin negotiations with Argentina for support on the "war on obesity" in America!

Maybe the logical (and well logical may not be the correct term ...) extension of all this will be mandating clothing manufacterers to make clothes in large sizes while at the same time making government subsidized tv ads warning of the dangers of obesity. Kind of like farm subsidies to tobacco farmers ...

[OATMEAL]

kwais:

TAKE YOUR JUVENILE RANTINGS TO SOME OTHER WEBSITE.

OATMEAL

[Jennifer]

Oatmeal--
Chill, dude.

[aaron]

I spent some time in Argentina this fall, and I must say there didn't seem to be much of a market for size 54 clothes.
I realize that's the (specious) point. I'm just sayin'...

[Marie]

I wish Max Mara made tiny sizes. Blame Bebe or BCBG.

[kwais]

Oatmeal,
Why would you shout those hurtfull words at me?

[EddieB]

Why don't plus size women design their own clothing if the clothing produced by fashion designers doesn't fit them?

[SR]

OATMEAL, I'm no fan of kwais, but he's a regular and you're not, so dry up.

[Twba]

If I ever get married and she starts to gain on me, all I gotta do is to buy smaller clothes?

If you marry, you will quickly learn to say, "No, that doesn't make you look fat."

[Dynamist]

No, honey, it isn't the clothes that make you look fat. Maybe you should cut back on the oatmeal, or I won't be able to find your blowhole anymore.

But seriously, at the other end of this spectrum in USA, we have obviously unhealthy people being pandered to with ever-larger clothes. Unreasonable body images cause troubles at both the thin and fat ends.

[Stick in the Mud (Oatmeal)]

SR: My right to speak up and tell the poster to be quiet is not trumped by the fact that I merely read at this site and do not post responses. This is a public forum with regular readers (like me) who scan through the comments, and where basic standards of civility should outweigh tolerance for stupidity.

I expect open discussion about virtually any topic at this site, and I like a lot of the humor I read here, and of course I do respect the privilege of being stupid, but I do not think that there should be much support for immature posters.

Where is the ombudsman?

Now, Jennifer, I will chill out.

[smacky]

Why don't plus size women design their own clothing if the clothing produced by fashion designers doesn't fit them?

Why do Argentinian men not have the same problem? Do they make large, i.e. "big and tall" (since that's the nice way of saying "fat" for men) clothes for Argentinian men, and not for women? If they're making fatass sizes for men but not for women, that's not saying much for respecting women in that society(yes, even the fat ones). That's such a double standard. As much as I know fat women are easy targets, what makes men think that women like tubbiness as a feature on men? I think fat guys are just as gross as fat women, for the record.
Or, is the problem limited to designer labels? I could see that being the case, as it is true for many designer labels in the US, too. If you're too fat for a certain brand (someone cited BCBG earlier), it's your own tough luck, and you can't shop there. Many US clothiers have considered the ever-growing wasteline of the US, and many have cashed in on the plus-sized purchasers (which makes sense, from a lucrative standpoint). I think it makes sense to capitalize on fatties, if you're looking to make money. But there shouldn't be legislation made to counter this problem.
Also, if the problem in Argentina *IS* just with designer labels, and not your average-Josita-mass-produced labels, well, I'd kind of prefer that it stay that way, aesthetically. I say this as a chubby (NOT FAT!) girl. One of my biggest rewards in losing weight is getting to wear tiny,sexy clothes that are (and should be) reserved for women who look good in them. If you take beautiful, artistic, gorgeous clothing and start making it in gargantuan proportions, you're going to ruin the aesthetic of the piece. Especially so because most really designer clothing is made to accentuate the NATURAL human figure, not the grossly fat figure. (This is all an aside; to address the article, it sounds like manufacturers in Argentina are not giving the option for women to ever wear clothes that are not tiny, which sucks for those women, if it's true of all clothing manufacturers there. I empathise because although I like to wear sexy, flashy clothes when I am small, I am sometimes relieved on "fat days" to know that I can always rely on my "fat clothes". If i couldn't rely on those every now and then in my life (my size fluctuates like many people's), I think I would have to walk around nekked. So if Argentinian women are really being forced at all levels to buy tiny clothes, I feel sorry for them. I know I wouldn't want at all times to have to make sure I must be a size (whatever)... But conversely, if it's just that Argentinian women insist on wearing ONLY designer clothes and the designers don't want to ruin their posh name and snob appeal, I would tell those rich, fat, spoiled Argentian women to suck it up.

[Jennifer]

Oatmeal-
So you're saying that you took Kwais' comment seriously? Uh, okay.

Incidentally, if these fat Argentines can afford to pay for a "prestigious" clinic where they can throw up in peace, can't they afford a seamstress to tailor-make clothes to fit them? Methinks they could.

[smacky]

H: I love this cake, my darling
W: I know. It's 3 layers; it tastes like 4.
H: Oh, you know what? That cake is just like you. You've 2 layers and you
taste like 5.
W: You're 7 and you seem like 11.
H: Oh, I love you.
W: Oh, this is going to be the best anniversary ever
H: Oh, give me a kiss. [Kisses her hand. S1 and S2 enter.]
S1: I couldn't help but overhear that this is your anniversary. A beautiful
flower for a beautiful lady. [Hands her a rose.]
W: Oh, that's so nice.
S1: I have a song. It's very personal and close to me and I would like to
share it with you at this special moment. May I be permitted to sing
it for you?
W: That would be just wonderful.
S1: Maybe one day, this will happen to you. Rolando?
S3: It's important to me
That the both of you see
The process of
Liposuction [couple looks uncomfortable]
[Surgeon holds up photo of marked body]
Liposuction
Liposuction
Here's how you begin
Make a cut in the skin [surgeon holds up another photo]
Liposuction
An incision the size of a dime
How you doing? I'm doing fine
Then you insert the hose
Suck out human fat globules [another photo]
That's liposuction
If you're over 300 pounds
And you're hiding it under big gowns
What do you do? [to H]
H: Liposuction
S3: What is that? [to W]
W: Fat reduction
S3: But you better stop sucking soon
Before you're sucked down to the size of a prune [another photo]
Prune ...
S1: Here's your complementary bag of fat
Brought to you by
S3: Liposuction
S1: Be a pig
S3: Liposuction
S1: Crush your lover
S3: Liposuction
S1: Look at me [shows liposuction scars]
S3: Liposuction
S1: Be a pig
S3: Liposuction
S1: Crush your lover
S3: Liposuction
S1: Look at me [shows liposuction scars]
S3: Liposuction
[H and W rise and leave]
What do you do?
Liposuction
What is that?
It's fat reduction
What do you do?
Liposuction
What is that?
It's fat reduction
What do you do?
Liposuck!

-- Transcript from "Kids in the Hall" - The Liposuction Song

[thriftshopper]

I wonder if those awful designers have the idea that there is such a large market for small-sized clothes because so many women buy clothes that they are "going to" fit into one day.

Of course, I also wonder why women who can afford designer clothes don't just try shopping at Wal-Mart for a while and using their savings for lipo and drugs.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

The Argentine legislature is doing the clothing companies a favor. This not only opens up the market for "full-size" girls, but also cross-dressing males. Ka-ching!!

[dhex]

"where basic standards of civility should outweigh tolerance for stupidity"

you're new to this whole internet thang, ain'tcha?

[rst]

Perhaps the problem has something more to do with an anorexia clinic being "prestigious."

I think you about nailed it here.

[Cecilia]

LOL and for the record:
1)Anorexics and bulimics are usually very very thin or have an average weigh.

2)In the American Continent only USA and Canada have an Obesity pandemic. Rich country = fat people

3)clothing sizes in Argentina go from 0000 to 1

4)This clinic they are talking about is not exclusively for anorexia, it is for eating disorders in general and it is a NON for PROFIT ORGANIZATION therefore poor people go there as well, they are "prestigious" because they were pioneers in the treatment of ED

5)it is actually funny how people can talk and talk about topics they have no clue. Right on guys! you are doing a good job! ;^)