Is the French fashion industry's ban on using uber-thin catwalk models a reflection of the way Kiwi women are already thinking? Amy Shanks reports.
Research shows New Zealand women don't find ultra-slim models appealing when it comes to advertising. THE HOME of couture has read the minds of Kiwi women.
French MPs have passed a law making it illegal to employ unhealthily thin women or photoshop images without clearly stating the changes.
Agencies employing undernourished models below a certain Body Mass Index (BMI) yet to be defined risk a maximum of six months in prison and a €75,000 ($105,000) fine.
Magazines must also indicate any digital alterations which make women look slimmer or bulkier.
The news sent shockwaves through the fashion world, designers reacted in anger, there was talk of harm to a lucrative industry but the argument stood: it was crucial to change worrying mentalities about the acceptance of skinniness.
According to the World Health Organisation, people with a BMI below 18.5 are considered underweight and at risk of being malnourished.
In New Zealand the legislation came as a welcome change and was not likely to damage the local fashion industry - in fact quite the opposite.
Massey University marketing researcher Professor Leo Paas says it's well accepted that ultra-thin models can damage the self-esteem of female consumers - his research shows it could also turn off potential customers.
In a unique research project, young female participants were shown advertising images featuring a very thin model or healthy-sized model, wearing either a bikini or skirt and top.
Adverts where the model's BMI was in the "normal" range were more effective at every level.
"[She] was considered more attractive, the advertisement was viewed more positively and considered ethically acceptable, and the intention to buy the featured product was higher," Paas says.
"The strongest negative reaction was generated by the thin model wearing a bikini, presumably because it was easier to see just how thin she was.
"This was an interesting result because it is generally believed that thinner models represent the Western ideal of beauty and are deemed more attractive."
In a follow-up study he tried to identify the "optimum" model size for an advertising image. The same model was digitally manipulated to represent a range of body sizes.
"We found that consumers preferred what I call the 'golden mean' - a healthy-sized model, who was neither too thin nor too large, led to the most effective advertisement," Paas says.
"This confirmed that if companies use very thin models their advertising will be less effective with mainstream consumers."
Although survey results showed the images featuring larger models were also less effective, it was not a reflection on 'backlash campaigns' focused on curvy figures such as Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty.
Paas believes the fashion industry may believe its products hang better on a tiny model, but this is probably the view of a small and targeted group.
"Marketers that use very thin models either have a perception of their audience that is not correct, or they are listening to a small group of fashion leaders who reside in Milan or Paris," he says.
Hawke's Bay designer Lucy Kemp, who founded the label Pardon My French, says though she does use slim models, there are lines she wouldn't cross when picking models to represent her brand, like making a a conscious effort, particularly at New Zealand Fashion Week, to steer clear of skeletal frames in favour of "Amazonian babes".
"I think clothes don't necessarily look good on a rake-thin model, I think if their bones are sticking out the clothes aren't going to sit right," she says.
Kemp supports law changes in France, saying things aren't so bad here, but reiterates that every designer has a choice to say no to promoting an unhealthy body image.
Swimwear and lingerie boutique Suzelles has all shapes and sizes walking through the door.
Though they embrace them all, images promoted by their brands reflect a change toward acceptance of curves - it also reflects what they are seeing in store.
"All bodies are beautiful, it's about putting them in the right garment to embrace the female shape," sales and marketing manager Roslynn Young adds.
"From an A cup to a K cup everyone has the right to feel and look wonderful, with the young girls we are seeing a much fuller bust than in the past."
Young says they don't discriminate, even when it comes to mannequins in the store, which go up to about a size 20.
"They are lovely and curvy, we would put a swimsuit on that and pop it in the window, it's what we want to promote, to embrace our curves we don't stereotype."
A local clothing retailer has added another dimension to the debate saying high-end clothing looks nicer on a slender figure, but the meaning of a "true size" was no longer easy to pin down.
Different brands have different sizing, meaning women could no longer expect to make a beeline for their size on the rack and get the perfect fit.
"People have an idea that if they are a size 10, they won't look at anything else, it's best to look at the size of the garment instead of what's on the label."