The Anti Size Zero Campaign - Battlefront

One Last Blog...

2009-06-13T07:05:00.000-07:00


	I may have brought my campaign to a close but this morning when I woke up I felt that I just had to come back for one more blog. I think I've really got somewhere with the campaign. Not me personally but every single positive body image campaigner out there. The fashion industry has finally sat up and taken notice. Check out this editorial I wrote for my fashion blog regarding the subject this morning... http://wastemylifepretending.onsugar.com/ Rachel xoox

Well I suppose this is goodbye...

2009-05-14T23:18:00.000-07:00

At the moment I'm slap bang in the middle of my GCSE's and everything is pretty hectic right now! However I've ben evaluating my time at Battlefront a lot recently and looking at how much I've learnt....

Campaigning.

When I started out at Battlefront I had a campaign (a very bad one at the time!) but I new nothing about "being a campaigner". Working with all the Battlefront mentors and my favorite, trial and error I can now happily say I'm a "campaigner". I didn't realize it at the time but when a friend asked me for advice on how to set up a campaign recently I realized that I knew exactly what to do, how to do it, the best way to do this, the best way to do that...

My campaign, however much I believe in it and want it to success is bigger than me. So many people are championing it, celebrities etc. how have a greater chance for success. Hopefully I've raised awareness etc. but I think I'm gonna find another campaign I believe in to join, something I my experience etc. can make a big difference in.

So I've decided to stop running this campaign. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do yet but I'll keep you posted! However I am going to spend sometime doing other stuff before taking on something else big like another campaign, and one of these things is that I'm gonna be lending my advice and experience to some other campaigns, for example my friend Paul's campaign, The Literary Den Campaign, (http://battlefront.co.uk/campaign/the-literary-den-campaign/) which as a writer the cause of getting writing and writing as a leisure activity to be seen as "cool" again is very close to my heart!

So check out Paul's campaign, and thank you to everyone for their support! (and thanks to everyone who's left me negative messages too - its been nice to polish up my debating skills!)

Rachel

xoxo

2009-04-28T05:48:00.001-07:00

Hi

My name is Caroline and I am part of Battlefront team. Rachel and I have been discussing the fact that we should not judge people by their cover so I thought I would share my thoughts with you too!

A prime example of how people are pre-judged was witnessed by people ALL over the world when an incredibly talented singer was mocked when she appeared on stage because of the way she looked. Right up until she opened her mouth to sing, EVERYONE in that room looked at her with disbelief - and some with pity - expecting her to show herself up. This woman was of course, Susan Boyle.

The looks of surprise were followed swiftly by whoops of joy and shouts of support when they heard her sing. What started out as a very uncomfortable bit of viewing turned into a very uplifting and inspiring experience. Like Paul Potts, Susan's talent has been unearthed in an arena where anything and anyone goes. And because of this open-minded arena (albeit it in an entertainment arena) people who are ACTUALLY talented are given a chance. It was a great moment in TV - but alas they are few and far between. Moments like these give you rare insights to how the media can work miracles and change someone's life for the positive - but we need more moments of these realisations so that people look beyond the exterior to what is inside.

We live in a materialistic world where possessions and the way a person looks can be the difference between acceptance or rejection. But I think times are changing and people are more and more looking inside themselves and asking 'what really matters?' At a time where money and jobs are worryingly sparse, we need to ask ourselves 'do material things REALLY make us who we are or are we all worth more than that?'

It's Been A Long Time Coming...

2009-04-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

Well sorry I haven't updated in ages... its just that not much has happened! I've been getting really stuck into preparing for my GCSE's (art coursework and exam preparation's a killer!)

Also if anyone wants advice on how to make your Mac Book pro survive having a mug full of water spilt over the keyboard I'm your girl!

I promise I'll be back with another campaign update after the exams!

Rachel

xoxo

My Debut

2009-04-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Well Rachel introduced me-I'm Angus. Almost everyone thinks these body image issues concern girls almost all of the time. However ive almost always had a friend who's been obsessively worried about his body, it may be about anything from their build to their fitness or may be caused by different things but they're still just as important for this campaign

so if anyone wants to ask any questions ill be happy to answer
Angus

Introducing Angus!

2009-03-11T05:45:00.000-07:00

Ok so some of you may have watched my campaign interview 'Boys Opinions Matter Too' where I interview my good friend Angus on the male side of body image.

Angus has offered to become a guest blogger for this campaign so look out for his blog and twitter posts on the guys side of positive and negative body image!

Rachel

xoxo

Catch Up...

2009-03-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

Sorry there hasn't been much action and other stuff like that on my Battlefront pages... those of you who've been there will know exactly how much work taking GCSE entails! I'm literally snowed under and I haven't done any campaign work, or magazine work even for like... months!

One way I've been thinking about kick starting my campaign, is to do some sort of press stunt...

I have a couple of ideas that I'd like to think about an look at the possibility of doing, but if there are any, like creative geniuses out there feel free to drop me a line! I'm sure your ideas will be way better than mine! Also, if there are any budding make up artists or fashion or portrait photographers out there... it would also be great to hear from you! (I just won't tell you why yet!!!)

Rachel

xoxo

Missing In Action & Plee For Help

2009-02-20T02:50:00.001-08:00

As many of you may have noticed I've vanished off of the radar a bit. Things have been pretty hectic my end! Lets see... GCSE Mocks, not pretty I'm telling you, lots of magazine work and magazine photo shoots, oh and the incredible amount of accidents I've managed to have in the past two weeks since I received from being sick... I have a bruised nose and upper lip from being hit in the face with a Lacrosse stick while playing Lacrosse (now I know why we have to wear gum shields - I would have lost some of my front teeth!), bruised and swollen wrist from very same Lacrosse session, and a big bruise on my forehead from opening a car door into my face (I know... I'm a klutz!). It didn't bruise at the time but coming back from a photo shoot I hit my head with the camera so NOW its bruised!

So in short I've been being a bit of an idiot. Then I had History coursework: 'Why is the Battle of the Somme regarded as such a great military tragedy' and 'Is there sufficient evidence in Sources A to G to support the Modern Military Historian John Keegans’s view that Haig was an ‘efficient and highly skilled soldier who did much to lead Britain to victory in the First World War’?'

I think you get the picture.

Now onto campaign ish stuff...

I'm stuck. I'm trying to think of a stunt. I;m trying to think of stuff to do... I'm out of ideas!

So if anyone has ANY send them in... I'm DESPERATE!!!

Rachel

xoxo

Why DO Celebrities have to be thin?

2009-02-11T04:53:00.000-08:00

Ok so I’m expanding my campaign to not only encompass models but celebrities too. I like reading blogs and stuff, my favorite three being one on mainstream alternative music news, one on fashion and one (I’m ashamed to admit it) on celebrity gossip. (Though I do skim over the pointless articles to things slightly more important to me such as who’s being cast in the next Twilight film for example!)

One news article I have been following this week is the story of Jessica Simpson’s weight gain. Apparently even President Obama had something to say about it.

I personally can’t see what the fuss is about - she looks fine, if not better than ever! And the fact that people are starting to suggest that she’s having a personal break down just because she’s gained weight - ridiculous!

http://tinyurl.com/djps4b

But this got me thinking... why DO celebrities supposedly have to be thin?!? Your ideas?

Celebrity Fitness Videos

2009-02-04T13:52:00.001-08:00

This afternoon, because apparently you can’t play Lacrosse on frozen over pitches covered in snow turned solid ice my team and I were sent to a classroom during sport. On the Lacrosse notice board it said to come in our sports kit and trainers. When my team mates and I arrived we discovered we were going to be doing one of my least favorite activities. A celebrity fitness video. I’d done this particular one once before and I seem to remember hating it and being totally useless to boot.

I was right. As a joke I moaned to my friend never to me, Helen whom some of you would have seen in the documentary (she was the make-up artist), that I really shouldn't be doing this as its against my ethos. I only said it because I like to complain about being made to do things I don’t want to. But a few minutes later while I was jumping up and down I was like, wait a sec! This really is against my beliefs.

Why do celebrities make fitness videos? -----> Celebrities make fitness videos because they make lost of money by doing so as people buy them.

Why do people buy celebrity fitness videos? -----> Because people want to look ‘nice’ and thin like said celebrity.

Is wanting to look like someone in a magazine who is totally different to your beautiful self useful? Helpful? Constructive? A positive thing to do? -----> NO!

Unfortunately after this revelation I kept my mouth shut figuring that my coach wouldn’t be best impressed if I refused to do the same exercise as everyone else based on the grounds of my personal ethics and my not wanting to look like a hypocrite so I had to finish up. But the afternoon got me thinking so at least it achieved something.

What do you think about Celebrity fitness videos?

Help Me Get Well!

2009-02-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

Just because I'm ill, and bored, I decided to google my Battlefront campaign and I found the teaching notes for my Battlefront episode on the Channel 4 education website and a list of activities for PSHE, PVE and Citizenship teachers to get their classes to do after spending 1/2 an hour of being tortured by my presence on the big screen of their classroom...

Some of these questions I think are really good, but predictable, but some of them I really wanna know what peoples answers to them are! So it would be really fantastic if you guys could answer them for me, either in a comment to the blog, or a Bebo page comment or a Battlefront comment or an email... you know the drill!

And I really wanna read your answers! You'd all be contributing to me getting better quicker!!!

1. What is Rachel's opinion of images of models and celebrities in the media? (Ok, I know what MY opinion is, but I wanna know if I got my message across right!)

2. How much impact do you think Rachel's online magazine will have?

3. Who helps out Rachel the most and why? (Again, I know who helped me the most but I'm curious to your ideas on this...)

4. How would you promote the use of healthy-weight models in fashion photographs?

And finally, I may be digging my own grave here... but after seeing the question I just had to ask...

5. Rachel is a healthy size - how does she look?

For a full list of the questions check out the page I got them from here:

http://www.channel4learning.net/support/programmenotes/micro/battlefront/prog4-activities.html

And I can't wait to hear your answers!!!

Rachel

xoxo

Sorry...

2009-01-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

As I have just said to all my magazine staff - sorry for being M.I.A recently! I've had exams (grrr....) and I'm just waiting on the marks... :S...

Anyways... I have a little announcement for you all, something, considering as it directly affects them I hope my magazine staff won't kill me for telling you guys all first!

Lipstick Royalty Magazine are launching a mini mag which is going to be part of the magazine each month. I had the idea for it when doing some campaign research! Its called Diamond Duchess Magazine (I know... what's this with me and the crazy names!) and its going to be headed up by Who Wants To Be A Size Zero campaign team member and Lipstick Royalty fashion editor Amy.

Diamond Duchess is going to be a woman's magazine like Cosmopolitan and Glamour and Company.. but with out what i call all the nasty bits, like diet pages! Its going to be a real magazine for real women who WANT to feel good in their own skin!

We're hoping to launch it in March on the Lipstick Royalty page but we can't do that until we get a creative Director, so if you know someone who has graphic design skills they'd like to lend to creating our layouts each month give us a buzz!

Just one last think, completely unrelated to the campaign but really really important to me! My writing group (which Amy and LR Arts Editor Lauren are also a member of) launched an Anthology of short stories last year, selling it in aid of the Laura Crane trust for teenage cancer. My short story 'Family' is published in there as well as some other pretty fantastic pieces of writing and I really recommend it as a great read! You can either download it as a PDF or buy it as a paperback here:

http://www.lulu.com/content/2619890

All proceeds go to charity! We've sold 51 copies so far and we'd love to sell lots more to be able to present a great big fat check to the charity!

Enjoy your weekend,

Rachel

Did you know?

2009-01-05T16:51:00.000-08:00

In 1970 the average age of a girl who started dieting was 14; by 1990 the average dieting age fell to 8.

After viewing images of female fashion models, seven out of ten women felt more depressed and angry than prior to viewing the images.

Young girls are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing their parents.

30% of women choose an ideal body shape that is 20% underweight with an additional 44% choosing an ideal body shape that is 10% underweight.

Twenty years ago the average fashion model weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today she weighs 23% less.

Kate Moss is 5’7” tall and weighs 95 pounds; 30% below ideal body weight. Her fellow supermodels Niki Taylor and Elle Macpherson both meet the physical criteria for Anorexia.

In 1999 Gisele Bundchen was Vogue’s model of the year; the magazine stated that this was because she strayed from the rail-thin image. At the time Gisele was 5’11” and weighed only 115lbs, that’s 25% below her ideal body weight.

The average woman in the UK is 5’4” tall and weighs 140lbs. The average supermodel is 5’10” tall and weighs only 112lbs.

Special thanks to campaign team member Kee for finding these stats out!

Happy holidays!

2008-12-22T04:57:00.000-08:00

Well… first I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Hanukkah and general holiday merriment to everyone!

What a year it’s been, and I just wanted to thank all of you for everything. Both I, and the campaign have achieved so much over this last year and most of it is down to you guys; the people who have supported the campaign since the start, everyone who send in messages of support after watching the campaign on Channel 4, everyone who both read the campaign issue of my magazine and gave me such wonderful feedback, as well as everyone who has read the other magazine issues this year. Also my fantastic all new campaign team; Larnie, Greg + Amy and all the ideas they have come up with so far (some great stuff planned for 2009!), all the magazine staff who were patient with me while I was trying to get the campaign issue with all the campaign pictures just right! (sorry about all that guys!). And even a big thank you to everyone who has sent in negative messages to the campaign; its allowed me to change the campaign for the better by playing devils advocate!

Thanks again, and don’t worry about how many mince pies you’re eating!

Rachel

xoxo

Since the documentary...

2008-12-22T04:41:00.000-08:00

Hi!

This is kinda like a quick catch up since the documentary was on television, because I recon by now you all think I’ve vanished off the face of this earth!

I’ve been quite busy with school work (GCSE mocks coming up!) but I have found time to lots of campaign - ish stuff!

I now, for starters have a campaign TEAM. There are four of us; I’m going to be getting each of them to be typing a quick introduction to themselves for all of you guys but here’s just a quick intro from me!:

Larnie – Campaign manager. She’s great, straight to the point and full of ideas. She’s also one of the new staff writers for LR Magazine!

Greg – The think tank. Diligent researcher and he’s been a great help to me and the campaign so far (apart from I don’t like the fact he comes up with better ideas than me!)

Amy – The magazines Fashion Editor, who has always felt really strongly about the cause is joining us too.

The main sort of stuff the team and I are working on at the moment is research; I did a lot of this at the beginning of the campaign but now I think its time for a little bit more!

Greg, is talking to a male sufferer from negative body image and writing an article for us about it; but I’d love your help too!

It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy, or how old you are but I’d like you to send in to us your perception of: What Is Beautiful?

I think both the team and I really need to get a grip on what exactly your guys are thinking too, not just what we think you think! It can be as long or short as you want, either a few words or even a whole paragraph!

As always you can either leave me a comment on my Battlefront page, Bebo or you can drop me an email at: rachel.insideout@yahoo.co.uk!

I can’t wait to hear from you, and have a great holiday!

Rachel

xoxo

Replies...

2008-12-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

Answer Blog...

I don't like want to fill up my whole comments box answering you all... so I'm writing them in a blog post instead! But I just want to say; thats SO much for all your comments and your support... you've all made my day! I rushed back on my lunch hour to watch it and when I logged on afterwards... you all made me feel on top of the world - and I have loads of new ideas for the campaign!

Sophie, 04 December 2008 12:01 - Can I have a look at some of your pictures? It would be great to work with you! You can email me at rachel.insideout@yahoo.co.uk!

Abi, 04 December 2008 12:03 - I would LOVE your help! Interested in joining our street team? As your only in Whitstable your could come and meet me and the magazine's Secondary Editor Catharine (she was in the film too) sometime to talk about campaign stuff... email me! rachel.insideout@yahoo.co.uk

claire louise, 04 December 2008 12:13
Thomas Hedderwick, 04 December 2008 12:15
laura, 04 December 2008 12:24
Briana, 04 December 2008 12:26
Viviane, 04 December 2008 13:30

- Same as above - interested in joining the street team? Drop me a line! - rachel.insideout@yahoo.co.uk

Sophie, 04 December 2008 12:31 - You can add by Battlefront Bebo - bebo.com/anti_size_zero!

Connor francis, 04 December 2008 13:47 - I'm interested! Can you tell me a little bit more?!? rachel.insideout@yahoo.co.uk

jhaniel smith, 04 December 2008 15:25 - Hey! Can I see some of your work? You can email me at: rachel.insideout@yahoo.co.uk

Fern - Lynn, 04 December 2008 19:03 - Ideas... I'd love to here them! rachel.insideout@yahoo.co.uk!

Amy , 04 December 2008 19:06 - Email me (rachel.insideout@yahoo.co.uk) and I;ll email you back with some more info!

Thanks guys... I hope thats all your questions answered!

Rachel

xoxo

I wanna help out!

2008-12-03T23:57:00.002-08:00

I really support your campaign and want to help out... but how?

You can join the new Who wants To Be A Size Zero Anyway Street Team...

email me for more info @ rachel.insideout@yahoo.co.uk !

Rachel

xoxo

Model Support...

2008-12-03T23:57:00.001-08:00

A couple of days ago I had a worry moment... I was getting lost of negative comments, and mot of them from models. Did all models hate me now?!? Not ideal for a fashion magazine editor...

... so I had a buzz round and asked a couple of internet models, for those of you who don't know; these are normal models with normal modeling careers from across the world who promote themselves on the internet and have gained a celebrity like following... This is what I got in reply!

Tara Mason - Artist, Model, Promoter, Designer, Entrepreneur, Musician, Actor, Host, Writer, Manager, Marketer, Stylist. (Yes - she's even busier than the Battlefronters!)
http://www.myspace.com/taramason

"I think it's (the campaign) awesome! keep it up!"

Sharon TK
http://www.myspace.com/sharontrustkill

"I'm all for a healthy body image, who wouldn't be. The fact that people would give you shit about it makes no sense at all? I do understand that in the modeling industry clothes look better on a person that is between certain weights but there needs to be a healthy lower limit with that. No one wants to see stick figures walking down a runway and if they do then they have some serious issues!"

Joshy Lofty
http://www.myspace.com/josh82886
(bear in mind he talks American sizes!)

"I completely agree with what you're saying. not everyone has to be a size 0 or 1 to look good. I'm a size 2 and i get poked @ every day for being skinny. i can't help that i'm skinny! i'm actually pretty athletically built but i'm a small framed boy. leave me alone! lol. i also believe everyone can be beautiful. you just have to find out how each person is beautiful. Rachel Ray for instance... she is GORGEOUS to me and she's a 4. she has a very nice curvy body, nice butt & nice natural boobs. she is gorgeous! and not a size 0. I think the world should just lay off."

Loriel Andre'a
http://www.myspace.com/xoflyleafxoloriel

"This is so true! I hope more girls and boys just stay true to themselves and stop worrying so much about how they look or how skinny they wish they were. Find beauty within your unique qualities and be yourself, because trying to look like everyone else is boring and typical as long as you are doing good for your body eating good and exercising regularly just so you stay healthy you should just be happy with who you are."

One of the most famous internet model/ celebritys of them all... the one who was on the cover that sparked this whole campaign... Audrey Kitching!
http://www.myspace.com/audreykitching

"im not stick skinny at all i eat whatever i want and hate eating disorders because of todays media i back it (the campaign) fully oox"

A Models Perspective...

2008-11-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

In the new issue of Lipstick Royalty you'l all (hopefully!) be reading on December 15th we have our fashion editor Amy interviewing an alternative model with a twist - Ulorin Vex.

I've just been reading through the interview for the first time and I was like jumping up and down with happiness when i read this passage...

"Finally, when I told her about Editor Rachel’s “Who Wants To Be Size Zero Anyway?” campaign, she wondered whether people understand that what they see in most magazines (we are proud to count ourselves out of this!) is often not actually real. “It's amazing what a difference professional hair/makeup and good lighting makes.” She told me, and to be honest, I think she’s right; more than that, even, many photo-shoots are airbrushed to make people look better than they really do. Despite the fact that she’s a model, and that she believes this, though, she still has things that she wants to change about her appearance, just like the rest of us. “I've learned to be happy with what I have, if you can't change it there's no point in stressing about it.” Very true. Very true indeed."

Hear that ladies? We have it straight from the models mouth... WHAT WE SEE IN MAGAZINES (except Lipstick Royalty of course!) IS NOT REAL.

Who wants to look like they were made out of highly polished plastic?

Who Wants To Be A Size Zero Anyway?

Rachel

xoxo

Lipstick Royalty Magazine are looking for a New Staff Writer!

2008-11-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

Lipstick Royalty Magazine (the funny little thing that used to be Inside Out) is looking for a new staff writer! (Our staff writers are basically the people who write funky aritcles and interview cool people.)

Job Requirements:

Some writing experience is required be it journalistic, fashion or creative.

Applicants need to be enthusiastic, and have access to the internet each day.

They also need some previous knowledge of both alternative and main stream fashion.

They need to be able to work as a team and be unafraid to pitch ideas to others.

To apply either Bebo message me, Lipstick Royalty Magazine Myspace message me (myspace.com/lipstickroyalty) or email me! (rachel.insideout@yahoo.com)!

I can't wait to hear from you!

Rachel

xoxo

Note To Applicants: Positions at LR are unpaid, but great for experience and unbelievably fun!

Inside Out Nov. 2008 - Who Wants To Be A Size Zero Anyway? Issue!

2008-11-14T04:52:00.000-08:00

http://www.myspace.com/insideoutmagazine

Check it out and tell me what you all think!

Rachel

xoxo

2008-11-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

I spent this afternoon designing clothes that you CAN wear and feel good about yourselves!

I'm talking about the Who Wants To Be A Size Zero/ Lipstick Royalty Women and Mens T Shirts + Tote bags!

I'd love you guys to all by one and help spread the word! (the website are on the back!) and they'll soon be available to purchase online so watch this space!

Womans T Shirt: £13.60
Mens T Shirt: £12.60
Tote Bag: £12.60

Rachel

xoxo

Bye Bye Inside Out Magazine

2008-11-07T06:04:00.001-08:00

Well.... its a long story... very long story actually, but the special Who Wnats To Be A Size Zero Anyway issue of Inside Out will be its last. But never fear. On the 15th December 2008 the team behind Inside Out are unveiling...

Lipstick Royalty Magazine - Inside Out, but bigger, and of course better!

myspace.com/lipstickroyaltymagazine

Rachel

xoxo

Picture Exclusive...

2008-11-07T06:03:00.001-08:00

Well its not THAT exciting as there's only one of them, but check out the profile picture... thats the ONLY picture I'm gonna release until you see the whole spread from the shoot on Nov. 10th in Inside Out!

Rachel

xoxo

Name Change!

2008-10-12T09:14:00.001-07:00

As some of you may have noticed... the official name of my campaign has changed! Well it USED to be 'Anti Size Zero' but I felt like that was a kinda negative slogan, and it was really exclusive to certain people etc. so its now changed, to something which was one of my original slogans when i started Inside out Magazine - 'Who Want's To Be A Size Zero Anyway?' as I feel this is much more fun and positive etc. and it includes everyone!

She's A Real Woman!

2008-10-11T13:31:00.001-07:00

How many of you have just finished watching tonight's first live stage of the X Factor?

On the show we had one of the most stunning women ever, who is living proof you don't have to be a size zero to look absolutely fantastic. I'm talking about Ruth, or, for those of you who are bad at names the one Simon Cowell fancies!

In that white dress she looked like the most stunning woman I've seen all month! That is what you should be aspiring to ladies!

Watch the performance: http://xfactor.itv.com/videos/video-detail/item_200311.htm

There are also some great pictures of her on that site too!

Video credits: ITV.com

Shopping!

2008-10-04T09:29:00.001-07:00

Hey all! Sorry I haven't been keeping you updated this week... lots of school work! I finished lessons at one today and I went straight off to start sorting things out for the up coming 'Real Girls' photoshoot.

First off I walked down to Armoire - the fantastic little boutique who have greed to lend us clothes for the shoot! I was really glad when Sophie, the owned agreed to lending us clothes as I think that the stuff in there is perfect for our cause. The point of the shoot is to show that real girls, not just super skinny models can look fantastic too and in Armoire every single dress (thats not including the cute little accessories!) look fantastic, and any woman of any size could find something they'd look fabulous in in there! I even got side tracked and tried on a gorgeous little purple satin dress which I'm going to use in either that colour, red or green in the shoot!

Then I went round (this is the surprisingly boring bit!) and spent hours finding the right colours and types of make up for the models!

So now almost all the organizing is done, I have a photographer, hopefully a make-up artist an stylist, and 1.5 models (one is unconfirmed!) and a location and almost a date!

Who Wants To Be Size Zero Anyway?

2008-09-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

The 'Who Wants To Be Size 0 Anyway?' campaign want's YOUR answers to the crucial question!

Ladies with Facebook please join the group and tell me: When WAS the last time you felt good about yourself?

http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=28505054759&ref=mf

Paul Costelloe - The Right Example

2008-09-27T05:40:00.001-07:00

As some of you who’ve read my catwalk report in the current issue of Inside Out on the Paul Costelloe Spring/ Summer 09 collection will know that I was at the show, but not how I came to be there!

The opening show of London Fashion Week was really my first proper research trip for the campaign and, I learnt a lot! I started the day (at a ridiculously early 4:29 am start I must add) with two aims in mind. First of all it was, hopefully to come away from the catwalk show with the proof that normal sized models could look fantastic on the runway too!

The designer Paul Costelloe is well known for his assertion that he doesn't use models below a size ten. I hoped to watch a fantastic catwalk show where all the models looked like poster girls for my campaign; and I wasn’t disappointed! The only way to describe my reaction to the show is that I was blown away. That, and how the hell can I make myself look like one of those runway models?!? THEY are what young women of today should be aspiring to. While about 20% of me was blown away by the show 80% of me was so pleased at my findings. The models were beautiful, but they looked healthy. They glowed in a way that no make-up artist of lighting tec. could create, their limbs looks tones and well formed, completely in proportion, more like yours or mind than shrink wrap draped over a structure of barbecue skewers.

I saw this as a success in both my research and in my campaign in general. Since the word go I’ve been telling my campaign that normal sized girls can both look fantastic as models and make the clothes look spectacular to boot but now I’ve seen the proof on the runway. Google the Paul Costelloe Spring/ Summer 09 show at London Fashion Week; thats what you should be aspiring too.

My second goal of the day coincides with the second feature of my morning in London; my interview with the international supermodel Erin O’Connor. Everyone’s been asking me about it! They seem shocked that I’m more interested in what Erin said than what it was like to interview someone so famous! (She was so nice! And tall! And pretty!!!!.... saves you asking see!) When I wrote and researched the questions I was going to ask her I designed them such that I would find out exactly how different people in the industry, in Erin’s opinion felt about the size zero debate and I was not disappointed!

But I came away with one important point, one that has stuck with me five very long, busy and tedious days later. Up until now the main focus of my campaign, and still is, to educate magazine editors, modeling agencies and designers as to how their placing or helping to place images of super skinny models in their shows, photo spreads and ad. campaigns is affecting women and girls across the country. But Erin made me think while she talked to me about her work with the Model Sanctuary, which she set up.

The Model Sanctuary is a place at London Fashion Week where models can take a time out, eat healthy food and drink, obtain health advice if they need it, and as Erin put it in our interview ‘turn up their iPods way too loud!’ Erin reminded me that models are people too, not just mannequins that take pretty pictures. I have been neglecting them far too much in my plans. I’m not just doing this for the people on the street anymore. I’m now also doing this for the models. Do they want to have to obtain size zero to find themselves paid work?

BBC Slink Mention

2008-09-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

The page has changed (apparently it does every day!) but whoop for the campaign for getting a mention in last weeks what BBC Slink Loves section! One of the guys over on the Inside Out Magazine Network (Steph) told me about it and thats how she found the page! Thanks for letting me know Steph!

How the casting went... and some ideas please!

2008-09-27T05:38:00.000-07:00

Right, this is like my second blog entry and this time round I wanna ask you guys all something. What would you like to see in this documentary I'm planning on making? (see previous blog posts) I'd like all your input (leave me a comment, send me a message etc.) as I'm gonna get a chance to start filming soon! Stuff's been really hectic with the new term at school and stuff but its soon Sunday! And Sunday's my main campaign day!

I did the model casting before I went back to school too! I found some great girls but one really stuck out for me. This means that a) I may have found my first Inside Out girl! *Jumps up and down in excitement* and b) I'll be doing more casting days to ind the second so I'll keep you guys posted on what is happening with that too!

Anti Size Zero on Mooky Chic.com!

2008-09-27T05:35:00.000-07:00

Check out the article for this campaign on Mooky Chic.com!

http://www.mookychick.co.uk/opinion/riotgrrl/anti_size_zero.php

Join The Cause!

2008-09-27T05:32:00.000-07:00

You are my favorite person today. You've found my first blog post for my Anti Size 0 campaign I'm doing with Channel 4's Battlefront project! (http://battlefront.co.uk/campaigns/a...

This blog post is basically a little something to say hi to you guys, tell you a little bit about what I'm going to be getting up to to promote the cause and a little bit to tell you about how you can show your support too!

On Tuesday my best friend Kathryn and I are gonna be hanging round the little city of Canterbury (High street and Whitefriars for those of you who know the place) and we're gonna be hunting for models. We're looking for two girls, aged 15-19 to join our campaign. To be the 'faces' of it if you like! What better way to show the fashion industry we don't need size 0 models that showing that real girls can do the same job just as well, if not ten times better!

Also I'm gonna be making a 10 min. mini documentary (which will, once I've made it be viewable on the Anti Size Zero Bebo and Vimeo pages) which I hope to be able to show as many fashion designers, magazine editors, modeling agencies and as many powerful, people in the fashion industry as possible. Hopefully the film will show them what they are doing to woman across the country by casting size 0 models in their shows and in their photo shoots. After all what you see on the pages of the magazine is supposedly what your supposed to aspire to!

The anti size 0 campaign is on almost social network you can think of, so show us your love by joining us on any sites your a member of! We want to spread the word and help the change!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel...

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/anti_size_zero

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/anti_size_zero

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/anti_size_zero

Vimeo: http://www.vimeo.com/antisizezero

Also if you go to my page on the official Battlefront website (http://www.battlefront.co.uk/campaig... you can embed the Battlefront badge onto any page that allows HTML to show your support!

Rachel

xoxo