Okay, well I never planned to start a war of words but anyone who knows me knows I will never shy away from a weighty debate, pun very much intended. I find it ironic that I have been brought to Australia from LA by www.1selectfitness.com.au to promote a website that finds the right gym for everybody no matter what size/type they are and am grateful that they realize that there are many types of bodies seeking health and fitness and that not all “poster” girls are skin and bones.
So, following on from my Blog entitled “One size does not fit all” before attending Mercedes Benz Fashion Week’s Big is Beautiful catwalk show there are a number of issues I must address.
First of all, it was so exciting and refreshing to see so many REAL women on the catwalk as well as the allegedly “BIG” and undoubtedly beautiful models. I was saddened to see many empty seats but not surprised. I am ecstatic to see so many designers spreading their rolled out paper a little further enabling women who are a little more curvalicious than others have the luxury of dressing in something other than tracky daks and pooh bear sweaters usually found in the PLUs size section – a place I shopped in for many years.
I was also impressed to hear that a designer who has always openly and enthusiastically dressed me, Peter Morrissey had a follow on show that displayed models of all sizes on HIS catwalk without there being mention of him doing so. Yay! That is the very point I am making. We don’t need segregation we need INTEGRATION and the sooner we fight for it the sooner women and young girls will grow up with healthy self esteem and fewer eating disorders.
Secondly I would like to address Alex Perry and his rampage of anger aimed at me starting with a mention in today’s Telegraph. Ummmmm, okay, so the newspaper said that I said that he said then I said ……..Okay, well first of all if anyone EVER wants to hear the TRUTH coming directly out of my mouth then read my tweets or my blog. Secondly, so they paraphrased me, good on them for giving the issue some air because change will only come when many voices are heard. But for the record here is what transpired and my friend Nikki Goldstein can verify because she was standing beside me.
I was approached by Joel Christie from Confidential and asked what I thought of the show. I echoed my sentiments already shared in my Blog, once again explaining that the fashion world is rife with prejudice and shared with him my personal experience, once again ALREADY shared in my Blog, of being interviewed by Alex Perry for a Logies fashion piece whereby he thought it hilarious to say to me (a size 10-12 at the time), “Come on Ajay, you have to admit that in model terms you are a size 400”. Now, if that is not fat bashing then what is? Sure it’s funny and I have a thick skin and took it on the chin but I am also human with all the frailties a far from perfect girl has and I would be lying if I said it didn’t hurt me deep down inside.
I also went on to share a story of a girl I spent some time with whilst walking the Great Wall of China with Olivia Newton John to raise funds for cancer research. She was a model, had worked with Alex for years and shared her story of losing her grandfather and putting on weight “ballooning” to a, god forbid, size 10-12, which apparently in model terms, according to Alex, is a size 400. She said it was an extremely tough time, that she was no longer hired for catwalk or model work and when she returned to a size 8, her good friend Alex sent her a size 8 dress as a reward for getting back to her model figure.
I have NEVER asked Alex Perry to dress me and his insistence that it is his refusal to do so (a point he reiterated today on MixFM) is what has, in his words, made me “bitter” and therefore the reason for MY outspoken insistence that REAL women be given equal respect and reflection in fashion and the media, is to be quite frank, narcissistically ill informed. I did offer Alex the opportunity to read my actual statement on him in my blog but he said he was not interested in doing so.
However it does bring up a very interesting point: Alex insists he refused to dress me and went on to explain that whilst I personally have NEVER approached him to dress me the network I formally worked for had and he did in fact REFUSE TO dress me. Look at the women he usually dresses – Amazonian, statuesque, slender women – I would never for a second spare the mildest of delusions assuming he would put anything but a potato sack on me with a label “return to sender”. But why WOULD he make a point of saying this? I thought we were talking about the emergence and representation of real sized women in fashion and media. I’ve worn two “home made” dresses to the 3 Logies I’ve attended! I don’t care who dresses me – it’s not a popularity contest….haha well it is but that is NOT what I am about and anyone who knows my work with The Eating Disorders Foundation, Healthy Body Club, and 1selectfitness know this to be true.
Alex then went on to discuss ME on Kerri Anne and I am sure he had an open platform to say whatever he wants given their inability to invite me to share MY side of the story. But then what is the story? Is it Alex wanting to not lose the business of the women he “refuses to dress”? Or does he genuinely embrace women of all shapes and sizes and as he tweeted this morning to other curvalicious friends of mine, he is now stocking Size 16 in David Jones. Yay and I can’t wait for the 18’s and 20’s to follow. Guess what Alex? Women of ALL shapes, weight and sizes want to look beautiful and sexy and feel like the princesses we ALL are. Alex later tweeted “A bit more gym time and a little less whinging for a great life I say x”. Oh, I’m sorry, did you hear that girls? Charming!
Let’s not get confused here: obesity is deadly, but every single female on earth deserves to be represented and each and every one of us has the right to feel embraced and included in ALL walks of society – media, fashion and otherwise.
And so I put it to you Alex and the fashion mags: why not grab some of Alex Perry’s generously proportioned size 10, 12, 14 and 16 dresses from DJ’s and let’s have a shoot! Unless, of course, Alex is still insisting on “refusing to dress me”. Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn!
If you want FREE online support in your own quest for a healthy life and self-esteem then join www.healthybodyclub.com.au . It is in its 8th year, is FREE, we don’t do advertising or sell email addresses and is the passion I have shared since transforming my own life almost 10 years ago.
Thank you for listening!
Love you AJ xx
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