Size Zero. RIP.

Size Zero. RIP.

Like tea or coffee, sugar or sugar free, image gurus have battled with the size zero conundrum for years. The silence was broken when a very bootiful Cindy Crawford appeared on a magazine cover flaunting her bump. That was breaking all fashion principles. How can someone who was known for her hourglass figure expose her ‘flaws,’ so publicly?

That edition was a runaway success. Something the publishing team at W magazine took their chances with and were rewarded with an all-copies-sold-out prize. That was the new wave of fashion imaging. It reached out to the everyday woman. Someone who had little time for herself and led a very normal life with a little bit of a bulge on the belly and flab on the arms. It gave the everyday woman hope. Hope that one day she can be accepted as she is. Today, albeit thin is still in on the ramp and fashion brands, thin is also relative. More brands want nicer bodies over anorexic ones. Of course, if you’re genetically blessed with the perfect stats you are welcomed with open arms, but that's becoming rare.

At the more recent, American’s Top Model fashion reality show, Tyra Banks and the rest of the judges actually let go of three prospective fashion super stars because they thought they would project the wrong body image to the young and restless. Are we truly changing the way fashion imaging is projecting bodies or is it just a phase? Do you like to see slightly healthier curves on the cover of a fashion magazine or do you still prefer the non-realistic fantasy of a mannequin body on the cover?

I wish I had access to the Neilson’s research of sales for size zeros across the globe. With so much awareness and focus on better health and fitter bodies rather than skinny ones, I bet the size zero phenomenon is near extinction.

If you’ve got the curves and look attractive, watch out, you could be picked for the next fashion campaign. Enjoy your healthy body and stop obsessing about being skinny because real is in, size zero is out.