Naturally thin: Dream come true or curse?; THE MAJORITY OF BRITISH

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Aug 22, 1999 | by Denna Allen

Now I work around models all day and they have to be very conscious about their bodies. A lot of them laugh at me and say: "Whenever we come into the office you're always eating! How do you stay so slim?"

People assume because I'm skinny I must work out all the time. But I don't, I never have and even though my partner thinks my legs could do with toning, I'm not about to start now.

The only time I've ever put on weight was when I was pregnant. I gained two stone and my bust went from 32B to 36C which I loved, because I felt very curvy and feminine. But as soon as I stopped breast feeding I went back to normal.

I've never been accused of being anorexic. And if anyone made a rude comment I'd come back with a put down.

The Verdicts

Helena Fishlock-Lomax, founder of the Size 8 Club which has 18,000 members, says: "I got fed up with all the skinny bashing. The average size of British women is 16 and stores started catering more for the larger figure and neglected the petite. The word slim also became synonymous with anorexia which was very hurtful for those of us who are naturally small and can't do anything to change the fact. I wanted the Size 8 Club to offer support and confirmation that it's okay to be slim and to offer practical advice and tips on where to shop or which designers have the best petite range. We even offer advice on how to deal with remarks from shop assistants like, 'God, you're really skinny!'. It's politically incorrect to make a comment about a larger woman's size, but it doesn't work in reverse. If you have pudding after a meal people say, 'You must have hollow legs!', but if you don't have one they'll say, 'No wonder you're so slim!' You can't win. I get fed up of people saying I'm so lucky, because I've got the figure of a catwalk model, yet I can't find clothes to fit me. What's great about that? I've started my own label, designing and making clothes for size 8 women, to get round the problem."

Julia Campion, who runs First Impressions image consultancy with her husband, Paul, in Milton Keynes, says: "Very slim women come to us because they are struggling with their clothes. They need to know what to wear to give them more confidence and, just as importantly, where to find them. Sometimes particularly slender women feel they have a problem being taken seriously and projecting an authoritative appearance, especially if they are not very tall. We help them to find a style that will be appropriate. Being very thin is rarely seen as a disadvantage by other women and in fact they can wear most styles. However, their personal aim is often to create the appearance of fullness in their clothing and you can achieve this by using fabrics that are soft and a little textured to give more shape and curve. Layering medium to lightweight fabrics works better than wearing heavyweight fabrics. Gentle soft lines are more flattering than severely tailored looks. We advise women to always try to cover the very thin bony areas with scarves, for instance. And check their sleeve lengths - bony wrists on show can draw attention to thinness."