Gemma Cartwright writes...
If one thing really gets my goat working the in fashion industry, it's the idea that each season, there's a 'stylish' body shape. It's all well and good to tell us what we should wear or how we should style our hair, but our bodies? Weight aside, whether we have a straight torso or a nipped in waist, long legs or short, 36EE or 36AA's...some things are just down to genetics and luck. So when the Telegraph reported that fashion is banishing the bosom, I groaned inwardly. Was this what I was supposed to be writing about this season? Luckily, Hannah Betts (who is quickly becoming one of my favourite people in the world, ever) feels exactly the same way...
The thing is, we can't exactly help having - or not having - boobs. I can lose or gain weight, I can wear heels or flats, I can cinch my waist with a belt. I can't make the girls disappear without surgery...and they're not even big (I'm a C cup). More importantly, would I really want to? Boobs - big or small - are part of what makes us women, and trying to hide them for the sake of fashion is ridiculous. I'm not saying we should put them on display at every given opportunity (in the words of Lucinda 'Vogue' Chambers, "it isn't a pay and display moment") but sometimes it's quite nice to put on a deep v-neck top and detract from other proper problem areas (like the entirety of my body from waist down).
It seems I'm not the only one who'd rather forget these silly body 'rules' and make the most of what God gave me. Dollymix editor Cate has raved many times about the joy of finding the perfect bra in Bravissimo, and according to the Telegraph piece, in a recent poll by Debenhams 3000 British women nominated the push-up bra as the greatest fashion invention of all time. That's 20% of the total votes.
As is always the way with high fashion vs real life, I doubt we'll exactly be reaching for the heavy-duty, extra-wide bandages just yet.
Gemma Cartwright is Fashion Editor-in-chief for Shiny Media. She's lasted this long not changing her body for the sake of fashion. She's not about to start now.
