Shops should put larger mannequins on display to boost a health body image, says minister<br /> Average dress size has grown from 12 to 16 in just over a decadeBut many stores are still displaying the latest trends on size 10 dummiesEqualities minister Jo Swinson calls for a change in the culture of fashion<br />By <br> Published: 13:55 EST, 8 September 2013 | Updated: 15:00 EST, 8 September 2013 <br>

var googletag = googletag || {};
googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || [];

googletag.cmd.push(function()
googletag
.defineSlot(‘/’ + adverts.config.dfp.networkCode + ‘/dm.dailymailtvhouse’, [638, 92], ‘para_top’)
.setTargeting(‘pos’, ‘para_top’)
.setCollapseEmptyDiv(true, false)
.addService(googletag.pubads());

googletag.display(‘para_top’);
); The dress size of the average British woman has grown from 12 to 16 in just over a decade<br> <br>Fashion stores are being urged to show their clothes on larger sized shop mannequins to reflect the true shapes of modern women.<br /><br><br>Leading a Government drive to promote body confidence among women, equalities minister Jo Swinson has called on high street stores to feature a wider range of dummies on their shop floor.<br><br>The dress size of the average British woman has grown from 12 to 16 in just over a decade, but stores are still displaying the latest trends on size 10 dummies.<br><br>The reason for this, according to healty eating campaigners, is the skinny ‘waif’ culture, which has dominated the fashion industry for over two decades and been linked to eating disorders among women.<br><br>However, Debenhams in Oxford Street, London, is preparing to display a range of size 16 mannequins in its flagship store – its summer catalogue featured an amputee while three models were aged 40-plus and one was almost 70.<br><br>Jo Swinson told the Sunday Times: ‘I would really like to see more retailers doing the same. Many customers want to see more realistic images in magazines, TV and on the high street, and having mannequins that reflect and celebrate our diverse society is a really positive way of helping to achieve this.<br><br>’The images we see in the world of fashion are all pretty much the same – it’s as if there’s only one way of being beautiful’.<br><br>The move has also been welcomed by healthy eating campaigners, who say the small sized mannequins can cause low self-esteem in women with fuller figures because they feel guilty that the clothes do not look as good on them as on the models.<br> Normal people: Debenhams in Oxford Street, London (pictured above) is preparing to display a range of size 16 mannequins in its flagship store<br> <br> <br><br>Susan Ringwood, chief executive of the Beat charity which advises ministers on how to tackle eating disorders said: ‘Showing real body shapes would only enhance people’s body confidence.'<br><br>But not all fashion stores and chains are eager to promote the plus size. The Arcadia Group, which includes Topshop, criticised for Slot using a painfully thin size-zero model in its website, said its mannequins reflected the profiles of its customers.<br> RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article
Share

<br>It was for Topshop that supermodel and original ‘waif’ Kate Moss designed her own clothes range from 2007 which became bestsellers here and in the US.<br /><br><br>Miss Selfridge mannequins are also mainly size 10 while the Dorothy Perkins and Wallis fashion brands show mainly size 10-12 and Evans size 16.<br> Original ‘waif’ Kate Moss pictured wearing skinny jeans and top from the fashion collection she designed for Topshop<br> <br> <br><br>Body image and confidence have been debated vigorously among those working in the fashion industry since the ‘waif’ look emerged.<br><br>In 1997 US President Bill Clinton fired a broadside at the fashion industry for glamorising heroin use by using skinny girls with pale skin and limp arms to promote a ‘heroin chic’ look.<br /><br><br>But British industry insiders claim retailers are already working hard to promote body confidence by ensuring items are available in a wide range of sizes and offering advice on figure-flattering clothes both in-store and online.<br>
adverts.addToArray({“pos”:”inread_player”})Advertisement