“Skinny Latte? – No, make it regular!” For years, we have been told that a great way to lose weight without dieting is to simply, change milk. We are told that a regular latte is two to three hundred calories, while, if we change to a “skinny” latte, we will be saving ourselves at least 60 to 100 calories. We are told that you cannot taste the difference and you will lose weight – so why not?! Right? Well, I can tell you that I have been an avid “skinny” drinker for years, mainly because I decided that I was in serious need of losing weight and decided that my coffee calories were the place to start. To be truthful, I don’t know the difference any more – taste-wise I mean - because I have drunk it that way for so many years now. Though, on the rare occasion that I go somewhere and they don’t have skimmed milk, I do find the drinks richer and am left with a rather bloated sensation. However, I would bet that if you tasted a regular and then a “skinny” you would be able to taste the difference immediately. Some of you may like it. Some, may not. But you see that, right there, is my point. Why should you change your drinking-style for any reason other than you want to? Why can’t we all just eat and drink what we want without people harping on at us with comments like: “A moment on the lips forever on the hips” and “You know, if you had non-fat…” But you know what is really quite exciting...? Now, it seems, we can! Hooray! Finally fashion is throwing out the size 0 waifs and saying let’s use real women to model real clothes. The latest LK Bennett campaign shows real women wearing real clothes – the women they found on a nationwide search who are not only models, but they have careers. Tom Ford wowed the critics by using 30 models who were not only definitely not size 0, but they ranged in age of about 40 years!
We are, (and I hate to bring it up) still, unfortunately in a Recession. There’s no question about that. The government are cutting jobs and salaries, and people just can’t spend what they used to on throwaway fashions. Last season saw the beginning of real fashions: timeless styles that can be worn for years, such as the white shirt, the silk blouse and the crisp tailored suits. But that wasn’t enough. We don’t want to buy clothes that, however timeless, are modelled only on women considered “perfect ideals” because, let’s be honest, they are not. Perfection doesn’t mean being stupidly tall with legs for days, think of Marilyn Monroe, considered the most beautiful woman to ever live, was she not a size 14? Of course she was, because it is only in the last few decades that society decided that women should be skinny and abandon their curvy silhouettes – I guess we have, in part, Coco Chanel to thank for that but I won’t hold that against her. Historically women always looked like women. They had an ample bosom and a beautiful, flawless hourglass silhouette. Then the likes of Corinne Day came along with their Heroin Chic and Kate Moss models (by the way I am actually a huge fan of Corinne Day’s work, especially after reading the latest tribute to her in Elle) and suddenly everyone thought, “I want to look like that! I am going to starve myself until I’m that thin.” I am not saying that everyone that is thin has starved themselves to get to where they are, but it is no secret that eating disorders have risen worldwide in the years of late. Finally, celebrities are telling us it is ok to be who we are. We are all beautiful in our own way and the sooner society loses its fascination with “skinny” we can all go back to being what we were intended to be: Normal healthy people who like the odd indulgence and don’t have to count the calories on the ingredients for every meal. It is thanks to the like of the wonderful Lara Stone that the female form is returning to normality and we can finally order whatever coffee that tickles our taste buds. So remember, next time you get a cappuccino, latte or Americano, don’t make it skinny; make it you. I’m Kerry-Louise Barnaby Guest Writer