British department store Debenhams recently began using size 16 models in an effort to reflect the shape of “real women” in the UK however Britain’s chief medical director Dame Sally Davies says the move makes obesity seem normal.
“I have long been concerned that being underweight is often portrayed as the ideal weight, particularly in the fashion industry. Yet I am increasingly concerned that society may be normalising being overweight,” says Davies.
The majority of retailers in Britain use size 10 or size 8 mannequins although the average British woman – like the average Aussie one – is a size 16.
In an interview with BBC Radio, Davies called the use of larger mannequins “size inflation” and said an increase in vanity sizing made it difficult for people to recognise they were overweight.
“News stories about weight often feature pictures of severely obese people, which are unrepresentative of the majority of overweight people.”
In her annual report on the state of health, Davies indicated that nearly two thirds of adults and a third of children are overweight or obese – classed as a body mass index of above 25. This is about double the numbers in the early 1990s prompting suggestions of implementing a “sugar tax”.
“I call on manufacturers to ramp up reformulation of products to use less sugar … If voluntary efforts fail to deliver then we, as a society, may need to consider the public health benefits that could be derived from regulation such as a ‘sugar tax’.”
When Debenhams introduced the bigger mannequins in December a spokesman said they were hoping many more department stores would follow suit however so far many have declined.
A spokesperson for retail giant Marks & Spencer said it takes a “responsible approach to visual merchandising” and highlighted that its stores uses size 10 models, which is above the size 8 market average.
