I read an interesting article this week on the Independent website this week regarding the effect plus size and under sized models have on the self esteem of ladies who veer onto the overweight scale of sizes. The article is based on a study carried out by US, German and Dutch scientists who for the
Journal of Consumer Research.

The main conclusion from the research was that the size of a model doesn't matter, as all models
make overweight women feel bad about themselves. The findings show that larger women all suffer from a decreasing self esteem, regardless of the model they look at. On the flipside, underweight women only seem to get a higher self esteem, again regardless of the size of the model. When not looking at models, both groups had about the same level of self confidence and esteem.

I personally find this a little bizarre. As a size 14, I love seeing models wearing the same size
clothes as me because it then becomes a fashion that I can actually see myself wearing. I love some of the clothes that Nicole Richie wears, but the reality is that I'm more likely to feel more motivated to buy something Colleen Rooney or Charlotte Church wears as I can see that it is wearable on somewhere who doesn't have a size 6 waist.

It goes against Karl Lagerfield's remarks that no one wants to see a curvy model. If we go by this study, no one really cares if you're a curvy model or a skinny model as it's simply about seeing a model! It would be interesting to see if the findings would be different if they had
been conducted in the UK, rather than the image obsessed USA!