The whole debate about weight is one that will never go away whether that's within the fashion industry or amongst the general public at large. Natalia Vodianova added fuel to the fire over the weekend for saying that 'it's better to be skinny than to be fat.' Aside from what she said, what has proved most interesting is the fact that she doesn't seem to understand why her comment has proved so controversial.
Today she took to her Facebook page to write a length response on the backlash. 'If I was giving a speech I would have chosen my words more carefully of course but considering the format and that so many people came up to me afterwards and told me how happy they were to have laughed and were glad that I was so "normal" and direct at the conference I doubt I offended someone there and if I did I apologise because I surely only meant to highlight a different point of view,' she said. It's true. The format was informal but why she thinks coming across as 'normal' explains or justifies her comments is hard to grapple with.
Throughout the panel discussion at the Vogue Festival she commented on the county's growing obesity problem and the dangers of being overweight and in doing so, she failed to recognise that eating disorders and the current desire amongst women to aspire to unrealistic underweight sizes is equally as problematic. Rather than using her status and position to dispel such negative ideas, she only perpetuated the problem.
What do you think?
