It isn’t a secret to anybody that beauty standards in fashion tend to change over time. Ancient paintings are often quoted in this respect, stating that, for example, many women that were considered to be the epitome of beauty during the Renaissance would be seen as morbidly obese today, and vice versa, today’s top models would be considered unhealthily undernourished by Renaissance standards.
In view of that, for the last couple of years we often hear about what many call a new trend – a newly-found interest in what in politically correct terms is called ‘plus-sized’ people. We see campaigns both by individual activists and fashion designers, pompously sounding slogans like ‘Plus is equal’ and so on, all seemingly agreeing on one thing: there is nothing wrong about being overweight, it is beautiful and should be celebrated.
The problem is that it is exactly what it looks like – a campaign. When you have to tell people you are equal, you are actually not. And what’s more, you are painfully aware of the fact.
Let’s face it: obesity is one of the most widespread problems of modern society in developed countries. However, it is much easier to let people think that obesity is nothing to be ashamed of (because they are subconsciously looking for the justification of their condition) than to teach them to take care of their health. Staying fit requires self-control, careful planning of your life, physical exertion and readiness to make sacrifices. Staying overweight and being proud of it requires nothing but a little bit of persuasion.
In the end, however, those who are so happy about their victory over what they call ‘body-shaming’ are doomed to shorter lifespans, poorer quality of life and a host of diseases inevitably accompanying excess weight. Oh, and it puts an additional strain on our healthcare system that is already suffering from Medicare reform by clogging its arteries with patients suffering from easily preventable diseases.
When we speak about slowly changing standards of what is considered beautiful and healthy we should take into account the fact that these changes occur naturally, over prolonged periods of time and are rarely very drastic. If you take a look at what was considered to be a beautiful body in Western society for the duration of 20th century, you will see certain changes, but they are far less prominent than you may have been led to believe.
So, is overweight a new trend? Yes, probably it is a trend. It will be talked about for a couple of years, but eventually will stay on the margins. There will be a number of people all too happy to delude themselves by believing that they are making a stand against discrimination or something along the same lines, but those who really care about themselves will simply shrug their shoulders and go on with their workout and dietary routines, while promoting the same among those whom they know and care about.
So, trend? Probably. A serious change in course? Unlikely.