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MOST SMALL BUSINESSES know they can use social media to grow their customer base and spread their message, but few have a firm plan for how they will do it.
About six years after it went live, Galway-based parenting and event-listing website MyKidsTime was in that familiar position as its Facebook page languished with 11,000 fans.
Fast forward one more year and today its following is bearing down on 500,000 likes with the business swelling from just its two founders to a team of seven.
And all without spending a cent on ads, the brains behind the rapid rise say.
A little background
Co-founders Jill Holtz and Michelle Davitt started the site in 2007 as a simple free-listing page for kids’ activities in Galway, although it has since gone nationwide, added blog-style content and branched out into an online store.
Holtz told TheJournal.ie the idea first took shape when she was finishing her postgraduate business studies at NUI Galway as a result of her own frustration at the mish-mash of information available about local events for children.
“Parents like content that is relevant to them, content that is localised,” she said.
Despite its recent diversification, Holtz said the site remained true to the concept of free event listings – although they have added paid-for advertising and the online-shopping component for revenue streams.
“Our directory is open to anybody in the world to list – we are definitely an Irish company, but there is also an opportunity here to be global,” she said.
About those half-a-million-odd Facebook followers
Holtz admitted there were multiple missteps in her company’s path to its burgeoning Facebook following – the first trap being to try and cover too many social media bases at once.
“I think unless you have a very big social media team you can have too many channels to maintain,” she said.
Holtz said the next mistake was throwing themselves into social media without a clear plan for who they wanted to target and what they wanted to achieve, an oversight she realised was widespread when she hosted a recent web-based seminar on how to build a strong Facebook following.
“You need to ask yourself – ‘what do our customers like and what are their needs?’,” she said.
We changed the mix of what we were posting – we analysed what we were putting out before and what worked. Facebook’s changing all the time anyway, so you have to change as well.”
Getting the mix right
Holtz said once MyKidsTime struck the right balance in what it was posting both its Facebook following and website “really just took off”.
“Building a following is about the mix of content – you have to have the funny stuff, but you have to have useful content for you to target customers with,” she said.
Holtz said she and her team also learned the importance of using social media to have a conversation with clients.
“Listening to them and replying to them is really important,” she said.
So how you can get to 500,000 Facebook likes?
DO
DON’T
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Interesting article & a very real concern. However, not every girl is going to be susceptible to feeling insecure about their body. I think people need to move away from telling little girls they’re pretty/cute and start complimenting them for being funny, intelligent and giving them a sense of pride away from their appearance
I think I’ll carry on telling my young daughters how beautiful they are, because I Iove them and they are my two little angels. I equally tell them they are smart little gits, although not always for their academic skills :)
The best thing you can teach your children is how to eat properly and get them interested in sports and exercise, this “we are all different” line is stupid.
Being fat is unhealthy.
Being anorexic is unhealthy.
If you put on a load of weight over Christmas you should try to get rid of it…. Not except it and carry on eating.
Boys and girls NEED to be told they are handsome, beautiful and pretty.
They also need to be told at times they look ridiculous (fan tan / too much make up / clothes choices)
They also should know beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That mommy and daddy are bias. That personality is very important, not just looks.
As a child I was never told I was pretty by my mother, she never helped with make up either. She had her reasons. It wasn’t because I was ugly it was because she didn’t want me becoming pig headed like her sister in law.
But I needed to be told I was pretty, for much of my life I had low self esteem. Only if a boy paid me any attention did I feel pretty. It shouldn’t be that way.
I think women are hard wired to be consious of their appearance – something to do with attracting the best mate. Just as men are hardwired to look at women. Nature has a way of keeping us on track to recreate etc. I’m not saying its right but it should be taken into account.
I actually think its important to be at least aware of your appearance- go to far in eather direction and your trouble.
Look at the bird kingdom the male birds are prettier than the females. They puff out their chests and do dances.
Human males are no different, they like looking good and feeling good about themselves. They too dress up, shave (or not), put on aftershave, deodorant. They preen themselves, its not just women.
Men are just as sensitive, as women when it comes to finding a mate.
@Lily- valid points lily but men are hardly as obsessed with appearance as women. Maybe when going out dancing or if presentation is important to their line of work.
Most of my clothing decisions come down to -least creased/smelly= I’ll go with that one so.
Also, if looking good equates to feeling good shouldn’t we all be encouraged to make an effort.
This whole debate is a red herring. No one complains about pretty/handsome people being in the media – why? Because we all have the faces we are born with.
Therefore, it can’t really be about society putting us under pressure.
The weight side can be changed by diet and exercise so it’s this part that’s targeted but the agenda is driven by people’s insecurities and this, in turn, generates an industry looking for profits. It’s not the other way round.
If you have an issue with all this then you need to get yourself into whatever shape you desire OR sort out your own insecurities but FFS stop whinging.
In reality, unless you are in the 1% extreme on either side, no-one can be arsed looking at you and commenting – we aren’t that important to society really.
@Lily, I agree that self esteem shouldn’t need to be validated by others but my concern is that do we value physical appearance to much? I think there is an issue when being told you look good is valued higher than personality
Serious rant there. Nobody is saying models are normal. They’re chosen precisely because they’re different. There’s a lot more things in the world you could be worrying about for your daughter.
Anorexia and Bulimia nervosas aren’t worth worrying about?
There are plenty of things wrong with this world that are worth worrying about but will never impact my daughter. I am guaranteed that her appearance and body image will, on an almost daily basis.
Well I’d say it’s a serious issue to worry about for her daughter. If her daughter grows up thinking she should aspire to be as thin as models then it could seriously damage her self esteem and could even lead to an eating disorder, which often lead to death, so it’s pretty serious.
It’s funny how women react to something like this.you didn’t hear to many men complain about Justin Bieber’s Calvin Klein ad being photo shopped.
Maybe I just don’t get it as I’m a man but how is having a thin model (doubt she has anorexia btw) putting pressure on anyone? Usually the ones I hear complaining are the same ones who buy those trash magazines with headlines like “You won’t BELIEVE how much weight Katy has put on” and secretly delight in mocking them.
The Guru, women (and men to an increasing extent) see photos all the time of skinny and beautiful people, and it does subconsciously make them feel like they’re not good enough, not thin enough, etc. Not all women feel that way I’m sure, but I know it made me feel like that when I was younger. Young people are especially impressionable I guess and there is a lot of pressure on women to look a certain way, women are judged more for their appearances. But it happens to men too.
Personally, I don’t believe a word of this story. Just a writer jumping on the back of a click bait story to get her own nonsense published.
I did hear some men complaining about the Jusitin Bieber ad. I think more women complain cos there’s even more pressure on women about their appearance.
Ciara that’s were you’re wrong there’s no pressure put on women to look like that.who’s putting them under pressure only themselves.although I wouldn’t mind having a body like Justin Bieber I don’t feel under pressure to have one.thats what women have realise
I grew up being called Skinny until ‘Twiggy’ came along. Then all of a sudden all my friends wanted to be like me. It doesn’t work that way. I was 5ft 2ins. small build and naturally slim. I would eat for Ireland and not gain an oz. Even after having babies no weight appered. But time has caught up with me at last and I have put up weight. I’m not obese but definitely have weight on me. I most definitely am not worried about it, it’s part of life. I think at my age(64) a bit of weight fills out the wrinkles.
I think there is pressure on women from other sources too Alan. Like from the media making them feel it, from some other women judging them, from some men judging them which does happen, from some employers who are more likely to hire pretty and thin women. And yes from themselves.
Ciara everything you’ve said could be said for men too
Yep it’s true for men too. Maybe not as much as for women, but it’s increasing all the time for men. And as a result, a lot of men are having more problems with self esteem, their bodies, and eating disorders.
What man commented on a Justin Bieber add ??? Maybe mocking or slagging but that’s about it … people are different , people also like different things, focus on being comfortable within yourself will make you far more attractive than focusing on being like someone else!!
You do realise humans are supposed to be skinny ? We live in a age where fat shaming is wrong but skinny shaming is okay it’s ridiculous, telling teenagers that it’s okay to be overweight and you shouldn’t be judged on it, is actually doing them worse. Some who is fat should be told it and advised to change it. Being skinny and healthy should be praised not attacked.
Johnathan, I saw a few of my male friends commenting on the Justin Bieber ad on Facebook complaining that it shouldn’t be so photoshopped, that it puts pressure on men to be more muscly, etc.
Stephen I agree that skinny shaming is wrong. And that it’s healthy to be thin/slim (but not overly skinny and not everyone who’s thin is healthy). I don’t think someone should be made to feel ashamed to be fat, and they often already know it and want to change it. I guess their parents (if they’re children) and doctors should advise them that it’s not healthy to be overweight and that it would benefit them to lose weight. They should also do that for people who are actually underweight.
Ciara I find it hard to believe any man would post on Facebook complaining about Justin Bieber.they’d never live it down they’d be slagged forever
Well it’s true. They were gay guys who are quite open about talking about that kind of thing and quite flamboyant and don’t seem worried about getting slagged in general. The comments from other guys mostly agreed too. Does that sound believable? It’s true anyway.
Some straight men might post about it. And some straight men can be very feminine, or have body dysmorphia or eating disorders.
What age is your daughter.?
Catherine, was that reply to me or someone else?
He didn’t say it wasn’t worth worrying about …. He said there are a lot more things you could be worrying about. Which is true.
Ciara. Sorry that was for claire micks.
This is a rubbish article and I couldn’t get past the first paragraph. If your little girl is brought up insecure then the blame is yours and not Urban Outfitters. If you taught your “little girl” to be comfortable in her skin this will not be an issue. And the thigh gap is not the norm but a different body shape to hers and that’s all.
THANK you! Also, spare a thought for the models who are now being branded as the weird ones because not everyone is blessed with the same gifts. I’m a dwarf and I don’t complain about the lack of dwarf models. Sort your priorities out, people. Teach your child to embrace their uniqueness and not to be afraid of other people’s
Sorry… I have more to add… This kind of attitude that you have to shield your child from this will just pass on your insecurities to them. Urban Outfitters aren’t there to do your parenting for you. Perspective is important to their mental health and a lot easier to influence than the whole world around them. Don’t hide people from your child in case they get jealous/freaked out. It just means YOU are jealous/freaked out. I often have to laugh and reassure parents when they try to stop their kids looking or pointing at me. It’s allowed, folks. They’re kids and growing up is all about discovering the world around you and who inhabits it. It’s full of weird and beautiful people. Enjoy it. Don’t shy away from it
Well said conn, I do think that a ” your not worth shit if your not beautiful ” message is constantly pushed on kids. That’s why we get 12 and 13 year olds walking down the street dressed like hookers. They’re trying to look like their idols.
Absolutely. They’ll grow out of it and cringe when they look back on it. I once wore my jeans backwards because Kriss Kross (remember them?) did. I used to roll up my jeans at the bottom and have the tongues of my runner boots sticking out. I’m not proud of any of that but I’m not ashamed of it either. I was a child and entitled to look like a gobsh!te. Let’s not go the way of American beauty pageants
Conn. If there was a lot more people that spoke the sense you do we would all be much better off..
Haha. Cheers John
Conn are you not happy
I have my ups and downs, Charles. If I was to give a quick summary though, I’d say I’m quite happy thanks. I’m happy because I know my strengths and weaknesses. There are things I don’t like about myself but I don’t blame society for allowing me to see them
Good just don’t be Grumpy.
Haha can’t believe I didn’t see that one coming :) truth be told, I’m a bit Dopey
Haha sorry conn. I really could not resist. Happy new year buddy
No bother at all man. Very well played and Happy New Year back at ya!
Sorry Claire, it sounds remarkably like “thin bashing ” to me. Whatever your problems as a ‘chubby ‘ teenager, they should not be visited on others who have the shape you once aspired to. I have commented on this same matter before and, as a member of a whole family of ‘skinnies’ I can say that we are sick of being the only minority left that it is OK to insult and demean.
Hardly. Stop being so smug and show a little care?
Sheik, I’m not skinny, I’m blocky but I agree with every thing in your comment. It’s all down to genetics.
I agree with you too mate. Some are genetically going to be fatter then others. I know girls and guys for that matter who are on a life long diet and still kinda big. I know others including me that eat everything and anything and stay lite.
We should of course be accepting of all people and shapes but let face it sex sells so they have to find what’s attractive. Personally I like slim petite women. I’d you throw a big girl in the picture even girls won’t buy it.
It is thin bashing. That model has a gap yes but looks perfectly healthy in the other pictures.
Check your “thin privilege” Sheik!
Obesity is more of a worry
I think they are both a serious worry.
But thigh gaps are sexy as hell!
Depends on who you ask. Some people like them, some don’t. :)
Thigh gap > chaffed thunders any day
Makes me wonder how we all survived childhood with out giving ‘thigh gaps’ a second thought. I jumped for joy over anything that had mutant turtles on it… Your daughter will do the same for anything that has frozen characters on it.
Mommy needs to see a shrink before she projects her own issues on to her child.
And by the way hearing ‘NO, you can’t have exactly what you want on this occasion, the store doesn’t have it in your size’ probably won’t hurt her either… Sometimes in life the answer to what we want for one reason or another turns out to be NO…
Managed to read about half of this before I realised that you take personal appearance as a face value appearance of who the person is, you sound like the person who realized in school that you could hang around with the beautiful crowd or the ugly crowd and be the good looking one, now you have a child your putting fashion before fun,,,, I said I only read about half but that is a sad outlook on life, let your child enjoy themselves give them paint to play with, feed them well and if they put on weight but not obese, they know how to play outside, sometimes in the rain and mud. Well done for raising a child if you wont allow your child two odd socks then you yourself are part of dictation to what society claims to be the norm.
To the Author, “thin is the norm, when it clearly isn’t” thin should be the norm if it wasn’t for people that can’t control the urge to stuff their faces. If fat people decided to eat cleanly, with no processed crap, then thin would be very much the norm. Why is it ok for fat people to say “oh, it’s a glandular problem” but skinny people are looked at as if they don’t eat from one end of the day to the next. The problem here is that fat people like to use any excuse not to join a gym or go for a run.
Agreed. And why is it ok to say to a thin person “you need to put on a few pounds” but there is an outcry when a fat person is told “you need to lose a few pounds”. Double standards.
There’s a small difference between slim and what it presented in fashion magazines. The “thigh gap” is not actually a feature on even naturally skinny people, you would actually need to be suffering muscle wastage to obtain it. You should have adductor muscles there, there shouldn’t be a massive gap as though those muscles no longer exist.
The photo in the ad is photoshopped beyond any reasonable expectations. As are many representations in the media. The point is that there’s naturally slim, and then there’s having your body stretched and your muscular architecture reimagined in a computer program.
What is presented in the media is about as anatomically correct as those Bratz dolls with the detachable feet and balloon heads. And when you grow up seeing this presented as the norm, it’s a standard you cannot obtain without putting yourself at risk.
By all means, use naturally thin people – just don’t photoshop them to look even thinner. And maybe use some average sized people too?
@Pat to be fair, I think anyone with any cop on would find either unacceptable
This article just screams bitterness.
What a waste of time.
she’s not to good a writing articles on the whole, most of them she has written have been very bias
Simon
“*too” and “*biased”
“People in glass houses …..”
grammer natzis’. there their they’re barry, did you have a bad start too the day
and barry I was having a go @ her opinion not her grammer, so people in glass houses don’t apply here, try to keep up, I no its a sunday
Opinion pieces are supposed to be biased. That’s why they have the word “opinion” in them.
Chillax about the small things. It’s not worth worrying about.
The most significant role model for a child in their early years is their same sex parent. The authors own attitude will do more harm in the long run to her daughter than that urban outfitters ad campaign ever could.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but what you consider a ‘real’ womans body shape, despite being the more common shape is actually an unhealthy and overwieght body, hence why men find it less attractive.
Are you going to argue years of evolution and genetics based on a fear your daughter will one day aspire to be more attractive than you.
‘hence why men find it less attractive’… wow. wow.wow… mysiogynistic much???? who cares if men (or rather some men) judge women by their appearance….. I for one can think of far more valuable things with my time than strive to be ‘attractive’ in the eyes of some misogynistic freak like you… and yes I am aware you are the majority…. its such a joke that you think the female race’s preoccupation should be looking attractive for YOU…… this is the problem with the world……. we are hardwired by evolution for a lot things (eating craploads of sugar, for example) but that doesnt mean we ‘OUGHT’ to follow blindly every impulse.
I for one am quite shocked at the backlash of negative comments directed towards the author of this piece… as someone with an ED I can relate and found it a very accurate and well written piece… and contrary to all you experts out there fat people are not just lazy and stupid… often self-loathing due to pressure for ideal body is part of their problem too…
the aim in life is not attract a man, and your aim should be to run from any man with an attitude like steve… fortunately enough there are some great role models out there too, like Lena Dunham …. instead of dieting, she writes and directs an award winning television series…. and shock horror she found a man despite not being a size 10, and I can guarantee you he is far better man than some weirdo who thinks your job is to look a certain way for him
Being healthy is definitely important, but body shaming and fat shaming is awful…… and to all you dieters out there trying to lose those 5 lbs so you can have a thigh gap, I am reminded of the phrase ‘what would you do if this year, if dieting wasn’t your main preoccupation?’ its not the 1920′s, f**k finding a ‘husband’ and do something interesting with your life!
There is a problem when male or female body images are manipulated to suit a fashion trend and presented as “normal”. If your knees have greater girth than your thighs you have a problem. If you aspire to have thighs that are thinner than your knees you have a problem. This is not “skinny bashing” . This is recognising that teenage and pre-teenage girls are influenced by what they see in ads and telling them that this starved look is acceptable is no better than early sexualisation. Most of this is driven by close to pederast behaviour by a handful of fashion designers.
Only at the extremes. As a species we tend to be attracted to childish features – men especially. We look for young and fit mates. Blonde hair, smooth skin and tight breasts are all indicators of youth. The high female voice is probably an evolutionary signal to evoke childhood. Look at our faces – we don’t change much into adulthood. An adult human looks more like a baby chimp than either looks like an adult chimp.
It’s pretty lazy to blame fashion designers for pushing the buttons on our hardwiring.
So paedophilia is part of a natural drive Emily?
I like these photos. Ok the model may be thin but I would prefer people aspire to be thin than to not even care and end up as a fat slobbering mess waddling along to Burger King. Teach your daughter to eat properly and healthily and to exercise regularly instead of telling her that it’s ok to be overweight.
The athletic build should be the aspiration. Thin is ugly is my opinion.
Surely by the same token we should be portraying an image in the media that is actually healthy?
Thigh gaps aren’t. There’s a set of muscles running along the inner thigh that give them the shape you see hollowed out in the urban outfitters ad. Aspiring to look as though your adductor muscles have been removed is not a healthy image to portray.
Nor is taking a perfectly slim woman who looks beautiful and healthy as she is – and photoshopping her to make her look slimmer.
By all means – represent health. Modern fashion advertising doesn’t do that.
Shanti you’re saying that a thin woman (who happens to have a thigh gap) can’t be healthy? That’s just ridiculous. We cant all look the same.
No. You may get a small thigh gap on some slim women – but not a massive one like this photoshop job.
These are supposed to exist.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adductor_muscles_of_the_hip
Every body is different who are you to judge?
Your muscle groups aren’t optional.
Given the angle we are supposed to believe this girl is standing at this size of a gap is not anatomically possible.
Sorry.
I wonder if a magic fairy came and offered the author a thigh gap would she refuse it after years of being a chubby teenager? I think not.
Note to writer:
These issues affect young men as well.
Hang about, Julia Roberts’ weight is the only problem with a teenager taking the vile Pretty Woman as a guide to how women should be? Claire makes some good points in this piece, but doesn’t offer a path for girls beyond trying to fit in with the shallowness of fashion media. Perhaps changing the narrow imagery of women in media could be coupled with a broader view of life that doesn’t see clothing and hair as the apogee of existence.
I think it’s a major concern for parents of girls and boys, and she’s right to say that there needs to be changes made, more of a variety of sizes of models, less photoshopping, etc. But I don’t think that skinny models or photoshopping will disappear very soon. And even if they do, kids can still compare themselves to their friends, etc. So I guess parents can do all they can to reassure their kids that these models/actresses etc. don’t represent the majority of people, they’re not the only type of beauty, their kids are beautiful the way they are, and that looks aren’t everything. And to try to instil a healthy relationship with food in their kids. And not forget that kids pick up on a lot from their parents, so avoid talking about dieting, feeling fat, etc. in front of their kids. Most of the women’s magazines are also quite bad and have something about losing weight on the cover. There are loads of things that contribute to a child having low self esteem or developing an eating disorder. And sometimes parents do everything right, and it still happens. Maybe schools could help to deal with the issue. I’m sure some do, but I don’t know if they all do.
Big fuss over nothing
judging by this article the ‘biggest danger’ to her childs thinking is her mother !
its actually disturbing the views of some of my fellow males to this topic, I would hope my daughter grows up to be a comfortable In herself and her abilities and not obsessed with achieving a body image that suits others. Im not naive about society’s influences upon young teenagers growing up , and this generation of young males are more obsessed with body image than any previous one and with everything in life perhaps only now will it be dealt with head on becat it effects the male of our species.
I think its to simplistic to call the author skinny bashing and we should be educating on the nutritional benefits of a healthy lifestyle and also the physical and mental health effects of living with anorexia or bulimia and also obesity.
I like these photos. Ok so the model is a bit thin but I would prefer if people aspire to be thin rather than to end up a fat slobbering mess waddling along to Burger King. Teach your daughter to eat properly and healthily and to exercise regularly instead of telling her that it’s ok to be overweight.
Isn’t it weird the whole world is obsessed with how super models etc are a bad influence on girls because of how skinny some of them are, even in the urban outfitters photo its seen as dangerous to girls self esteem. I’m 6’2, 79kg and I’ve never had a second thought at the fact that I don’t look like action man, something I loved growing up.
I started playing football when I was 5, 17 years later and I’m still playing, I also eat well. There’s two things that came directly from how I was raised and why I’m a healthy size & weight now.
You can’t eat take aways 4 days a week and never get off your fat arse to exercise and then complain when urban outfitters show a photo that’s a completely alien body image to you because you couldn’t be bothered to work for it!
Not everyone complaining is overweight.
The thigh gap thing is being presented like it’s normal.
That’s like presenting Christian Bale in the Machinist as normal to guys.
Thigh gaps are usually the result of muscle wastage brought on by eating disorders – there should be a curve there, caused by the adductor muscles. Men don’t even have a thigh gap that pronounced – because there’s muscle there.
It would be like having the pelvic bone protruding where the glutes should be. Or having biceps that curved in instead of out.
These are not realistic expectations of the body – they’re an unhealthy side effect of eating disorders.
The model for that photo most likely doesn’t even have a thigh gap themselves.
I’m not sure about the thigh gap not being normal. I have a bit of a gap between my thighs if I stand normally with legs together, they don’t touch each other, and I’m a healthy, normal weight.
Give it over shanti there is nothing wrong with gap or no gap. Ever body is different.
There is more weird stuff around than talking about gap.
I’m specifically referring to the chasm on display above. Sure you can even see the poor photoshop on display, there’s a strange overlap there where the shadows are.
It’s one thing if your thighs don’t touch – it’s a whole other thing if you can fit objects between them when your knees are angled together.
There should be adductor muscles there.
Yeah I’m sure it is photoshopped. And I’m not sure how big of a gap is possible, I haven’t studied human anatomy or looked at the legs of every woman, but some women definitely have a bit of a gap. It’s hard to tell in The above photo cos the woman has her legs apart, but if they were together there might be only a small gap?
It is messed up when they photoshop people skinnier.
Take a look at the angle of her legs, if she was actually thin enough to have that gap then the angle of her outer thigh would indicate that her knees are pretty close together.
Yet she has a gap of more than an inch, perhaps even two.
Now – if she was standing with her legs apart – that gap would make anatomical sense. If you would care to look at the shape of the adductor muscles of the hip http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adductor_muscles_of_the_hip
As she definitely isn’t spreading her legs in that picture, it’s very much an unrealistic representation of the relatively small thigh gap some women posses, and again – is a very rare feature. Like holding up, I dunno, people with green eyes as the ideal of beauty – going so far as to photoshop every models eyes to be green.
The would result in a lot of people wearing green contacts, which is perhaps less dangerous than starving themselves to attain a quite unrealistic goal.
Well I think that we agree that not everyone has a thigh gap so the fashion industry shouldn’t make it seem like it’s the only body type and only way to be beautiful. That’s messed up. I’m just saying that some people do have thigh gaps and that’s not necessarily unhealthy. I think there should be more of a variety of models so it represents real people, some with thigh gaps maybe, some without, that’s realistic.
A variety would be good and some places started using that model. The issue does seem to be down to unrealistically slim but with inexplicably large breasts, another thing that rarely is found together naturally.
When it gets to a point where even the people in the photos reckon they’re being photoshopped too much (despite the fact they do want a bit of retouching) then you know things are getting perhaps a little out of hand.
Sorry – that first bit was all over the place – that issue would be the one size is supposed to represent the only ideal of beauty – eg, the barbie doll..
The ‘thigh gap’ isn’t directly related to weight or body fat percentage. Its a non issue in a world with an obesity epidemic.
Big long rant. Didn’t read.
1. Mum, you probably I have the greatest impact on your daughters self esteem, so treasure that position and use it. When shopping, buy shoes first, always a great start, size doesn’t matter!
2. To everyone else, this is a real issue, and it am glad to see that Urban Outfitters had to take that photo down.
As for Pretty Woman as a role model…..that whole film a touch far from reality altogether?
Is it better to have an overweight and unhealthy person as a role model or someone to aspire to. Out of the last 3 ministers for health in this country, 2 were overweight/obese, talk about contradiction. In my view (this will be controversial), an obese person is a symbol of laziness and unhealthiness and not someone I would aspire to be. I don’t want my kids to be looking at these people and say I want to be like that. Plus it is widely publicised about the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle, from a mental and physical point of view. I lost nearly 2 stone over the last 2 years because I was unfit and unhealthy. It wasn’t easy and there were many times when I could hardly catch my breath when running but thankfully those episodes grew less as my fitness progressed. I have had a great sense of achievement, especially when I crossed the line of my first 10k run and I am proud of my achievements. That’s what kids should aspire to.
@ Pat – do you think that the ministers for health are role models to kids? They’re boring politicians, FFS – what sort of lame kid would look up to a politician? They like pop stars & actors, etc.
“WHEN I HAPPENED upon the story earlier this week about Urban Outfitters and their now infamous ‘thigh gap’ photograph, the image in question sparked a visceral, irrational rage inside of me that is hard to describe, which was fortuitous because I was trawling for something to be outraged by so that I could write an article roundly decrying it.”
Claire, I think you need professional help if this is affecting you so much. Also, your insecurity is bound to rub off on your daughter.
Here’s to Claire’s poor daughter who will grow up with her Mums impression despite her Mums intention.
Would you not be confident in your parenting skills, that your daughter would be well informed, a free thinker, and not susceptible to this sort of thing?
I didn’t read the article,not being smug but the headline and photo were enough,the same people who complain about this are the same people who but magazines with a fat celebrity on the front chomping down on a Twinkie,you fund this image industry,not men. Perspective regarding what to get outraged about is a key part of parenting. Do you want your daughter to grow up to be a woman who thinks about other women’s bodies or do you want her to grow up to be a socially conscious person who is aware of the suffering of other humans and takes steps to try and alleviate that suffering,or just look at billboards and magazines?
Exactly – stop sustaining the market for celebrity-culture and fat-shaming magazines/websites, and then you can preach to everyone else.
Very stupid article. There is a lot more problems in this world that should be in the news. Not many people care about someone gap in between the legs. Do they? Looks good though.
You were obviously never a teenage girl. Long time since I’ve been one but there was plenty of pressure back in the 80s on girls to be skinny – even girls who had a healthy BMI. The pressure often came from their peers and their mothers’ parenting skills didn’t have much of an impact. It’s very easy to look back now and realise it was stupid to take notice – very different view in life to a 14 year old. I am talking about myself here and numerous friends who were in the same boat but we only really talked about it years later.
Opinion articles are not always meant to be about hard uniting political themes or moral outrages. Sometimes they’re just opinions..
Try not to take it so personally, you could always skip by it.
While I agree that girls are giving a somewhat unrealistic expectation of body image, so are boys. Boys typically watch super heroes, play with action figures and watch sports. All of these have completely unrealistic bodies to the average person. It goes both ways. I wish we didn’t assign our kids to genders so early in life, but that’s the way it is. And it always annoyed me when I spoke to people who said “Advertising for women’s products is over sexualised”. It’s the same for men’s products! You only need to look at the poster boys for Abercrombie or David Beckham as an underwear model. And let’s not forget the endless perfume ads. The interesting thing is that most of these products are bought by women for men. So these over sexualised ads are actually aimed at women and they work! I won’t deny that men get their fair share of ads that are outrageously sexualised, but again it works both ways.
Why does it seem to affect boys and men so much less? I’ve always wondered.
Maybe it affects boys and men less cos women get even more pressure than men to look a certain way. It does affect men and boys as well, quite a lot nowadays. And also maybe men are less likely to admit it or seek help? I don’t know, just an idea.
Do they get more pressure? I have no idea. I do think women put a lot more stock in apperance than men, but that’s hardly across the board.
I remember reading about a survey of 2,000 women that asserted that women dress up and put effort in on nights out to impress their friends, not attract the opposite sex. If there is pressure, it’s not from men or society as a whole, it’s from their friends. I just find it interesting that this has turned into a feminist issue when it just isn’t.
I’d say women do get more pressure, but not sure, that’s just based on what I can see in society. Men get pressure too of course.
I personally don’t dress up to impress my friends, or judge my friends’ appearances, I just dress the way I want. But I’m sure lots of women do dress to impress other women, and men, from what I can see. I’ve heard some men, just the minority, saying horrible judgemental things about women’s appearances, and men are often more into looks in the opposite sex than women are, right?
I’m not saying it’s men’s fault at all, there are lots of factor aand a big one is the media.
My friends don’t care what I wear either, cos they’re nice. But society as a whole might not like it, or bitchy girls might not, cos I’m not that fashionable or trendy. Especially in a small town where how I dress doesn’t really fit in.
I applaud you then for not fitting in that bitchy little box, but apparentely most women DO fit into that box. I also agree that there are some seriously messed up men who objectify women in a disgusting fashion. It’s acceptable within certain circles, but I think it’s changing for the better.
I don’t think men are more into looks than women, that’s a myth. Women are just as sexual as men, it’s a fantasy to think otherwise. Saying that women don’t care about looks is just as wrong and damaging as saying that men aren’t emotional. We both know that isn’t the case.
Maybe I was just going by myself cos I don’t really mind that much what a guy looks like. Though I do like good looking guys too, I guess everyone is a little attracted to good looks.
Like Frank Underwood said “Everything is about sex. Except sex, sex is about power”.
Everyone is sexually attracted to other people, it’s not a gender issue it’s part of the human condition. I just think it’s become more socially acceptable for a guy to say “What a great pair” than a girl to say “I’d love to have some of that package”.
Women are slut shamed and men are “legends”. That’s wrong.
Oh yeah I think women are obviously sexually attracted to people still. Not necessarily cos of looks, but sometimes. Just that personally I’m not that into looks. I’m attracted to guys’ bodies but not cos of the way they look. Otherwise I’d be into women who look a lot nicer than men (to me). :)
And I have heard that men are more visually attracted to other people, but that might well be a myth for all I know.
Ahh, just put her on a diet and exercise program, then she will have a nice gap for us all to drool at! Then u won’t have to feel bad of having a fat lazy kid with American thys
I really wish magazines and newspapers would stop printing pictures of me. It does get tiresome after a while :-D
@claire. I am guessing your daughter is very young. And reading between the lines it seems that you have a very unhealthy obsession with thinness. My advice to you is let your child enjoy her childhood without your neurological hang up. Remember its your job to ensure she lives in a healthy environment.
Saw a youngish girl with serious “thigh gaps” yesterday. She was wearing a pair of leggins and was sauntering down the town like she ‘working’ the cat walk. Not a thing I want to see again! Trouble is, it’s not right when you can see the butt from the front, between the space where her legs should have been! Seriously, is that beauty?
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