Here's food for thought: UK display manufacturer Displaysense has seen orders for size 12-14 fashion mannequins increase by 16% recently as shops lean more toward hourglass figures.
A Swedish H&M store is being talked about across the web after a photo of two surprisingly curvy mannequins on display there was posted online. Featured in lingerie (and socks! Love it!), the mannequins display softer stomachs, fuller thighs and generally more realistic proportions than traditional department store models. (For comparison, most mannequins here in the U.S. are between a 4 and 6 and FYI, the average American woman wears a size 14.)
On the "Womens Rights News" Facebook page, where they posted this image (at left), there is a majority of positive feedback, which is reassuring. It's nice to see people applaud this effort. But there are still some disturbing comments among them like "like we should really be encouraging women to be obese" and "no offense to fat chicks, man, but..."
Let's get one thing straight. These are not representative of fat chicks. Women who look like this are enviable to women like me. Women like this do not have to shop in plus size departments or specialty shops. Obesity? Not even close.
How many times have you seen something on a mannequin and strategized your shopping choices as a result? How many times have you seen a rail-thin mannequin, rolled your eyes and thought "yeah, right." Don't they make you feel genuinely shitty sometimes? So I say, as long as mannequins are influencing self esteem and influencing fashion as a whole, reflecting more real-life bodies is a step in the right direction. Bring it to the U.S. H&M. Well done.
Size 16 Mannequins Debut - COFG
Swedish Mannequins Cause Controversy - Yahoo! Shine
