can fashion make you fat?

in an article written by Francesca Gavin, the author confesses to having gained weight because of all of her loose fitting clothing.


i didn't really notice at first, then, annoyingly, there it was - straining against my waistband. where had it come from? food? booze? embarrassing lack of exercise?

she finds herself realizing that unnoticed weight gain could easily be camouflaged under a well-chosen piece of Marc Jacobs.

as funny as it sounds, it may be true that wearing looser clothing gives a bit of a reason to not have to be as aware of our physiques as say, wearing tighter clothing. it sort of makes sense that weight could be put on without really noticing (i personally excercise most days of the week and make sure to eat in moderation, so my weight stays in a steady place-- no matter what time of year, no matter what the trends happen to be). but since she did notice, what do you think she does to fight off the pounds? she buys new clothes of course!

there was only one remedy: if fashion got me into this mess, then fashion was going to get me out of it. the first step was to go shopping. i needed desirable, fashion-forward clothes that would retrain my body shape. instead of the freedom of loose layers, i went for restriction. instead of super-stretch cheap Mondays, i went for Chloé-style high-waisted jeans with a lot less movement. i stocked up on tight pencil skirts and tucked everything into firm waistbands for heightened visibility. i invested in a little more tailoring, with dresses that had some light boning. the idea was that, if i literally restricted my clothes and forced myself to be aware of my body, my flesh would inch off.

what do you think? does fashion dictate what shape your body is in? has your weight fluctuated because of past or recent fashion trends?

let me know in the comments!

read the entire 'Fashion Made Me Fat' article and find out what other benefits, besides weight loss, Francesca gains by wearing more form-fitting clothes.

xo

photo: TimesOnline UK Edition