Editorial: OMG that gap is just so perfect

Apparently if you have a teenage daughter in your house you will know what a "thigh gap" is.

A news item informed me that the latest body trend for our impressionable young girls is having a gap between your thighs when you stand with your feet together.

I was intrigued. Body obsessions are nothing new. People of all ages strive for the perfect body. However, when I looked on Facebook there were pictures of girls so skinny they looked terrible. One comment was "give those girls some food". Very sensible.

I asked around the office about thigh gaps. I got some very weird looks but one young lady of about 25 knew exactly what I was on about.

"I heard about that when I was at high school 10 years ago," she said. "It was like oh my god you've got a thigh gap ... you have the perfect body."

Other comments I got were: "Body issues are back."

"It's like Hollywood coming to New Zealand."

"Teenagers always have been and always will be obsessed with their bodies."

"You could fly a Jumbo jet through my mum's."

"I've never ever had a thigh gap. I'd rather have a flat stomach."

Advanced personal trainer Dwayne Reha who works out of Asprye Fitness in Hastings said it's the younger girls who want to achieve the thigh gap.

"They see these models in magazines and don't realise they have been photoshopped.

"It is achievable but it takes dedication. You have to change your eating habits and train hard."

So it's not new. Probably social media has brought it into the limelight.

Me, well I don't think it would matter how hard I trained, I can't stop throwing food (and wine) down my throat.