Thigh gap is dangerous

I went to a fashion sales event in Second Life today and kept seeing images of women with huge breasts, huge bums and the thigh gap, that is now so trendy among young women, who encourage each other to lose weight in dangerous ways. It made me very sad to see so many stores perpetuating this dangerous phenomenon by their actions. It just feels cruel to do that, no matter why you do it. If you think "you need to give people what they want to sell things" is a good excuse, you need to think again.

I know that in Second Life we do not always look completely realistic. I am much taller in Second Life than many guys are in real life. I am skinny in my virtual form, even though in real life I have a full figure. People are allowed to look the way they want to, in SL we get that freedom of choice. The huge boobs and bums are just a matter of taste I guess and unrealistic on figures that otherwise have a tiny waist and thin neck, arms, legs, etc. If you had those in real life, you would not be able to get out of bed, if you were alive at all. But fine, people have their tastes. But when stores start to encourage dangerous behaviour that is a big threat to health in real life, such as the thigh gap phenomenon, I have to say something.

I probably have missed some stores that do this, and blogged their items unwittingly. But I promise that I will not knowingly buy from a store like that. Enough is enough! Young girls are comparing tips on how to get so skinny that their thighs do not touch. While some people may have this happen naturally due to heir normal body type being very skinny, most of us do not get this way by healthy living.

So I made this button. You are free to use it on your blog. I also found a very important link to use as the target of this button. It is a discussion about the thigh gap, the reasons why girls want to do it, and why it is dangerous. I hope you take a moment and watch the clip. Gives you something to think about even if you never were part of a dangerous body image movement. Have a good, and safe, real life, and a more thoughtful virtual one.

 

(Posted by Alana Pyara)