"Eat Less"

I will show you two contrasting images; the first

and second;

The first is a promotional image used on the Urban Outfitters website to promote a shirt they sold. Yes. Urban Outfitters, a brand recognised by thousands of people worldwide sold a shirt with the slogan "Eat Less". 

The second is of a t-shirt modelled by Sophia Bush following a campaign launched on One Tree Hill, the show that she was a star of called "Zero is Not a Size".

I was made aware of the UO shirt after reading a post on Sophia's website. 

First off; I am shocked and disheartened that a store targeted towards younger women would even consider a slogan like "Eat Less", let alone produce millions of t-shirts. What were they thinking? Yes it is just a t-shirt. However speaking from experience I know the kind of damage that a message like that can cause. 

It is not ok for the media to promote any kind of eating disorder. By all means, raise awareness. I am all for storylines that will make young women aware of the harm that anorexia and bulimia can cause. What it is not ok to do is encourage that behaviour and Urban Outfitters should be ashamed of themselves. I, for one, will not step foot into a UO store again.

It angers me that a retail outlet as dominant and prominent as Urban Outfitters felt like the right decisiont to make was to make that t-shirt. It's dissapointing to say the least that such an obvious abuse of power was allowed; needless to say UO soon stopped selling the shirt. 

The Zero is Not a Size is a campaign (however fictional) was shown to support young women, like myself, into believing in themselves; a message I could not believe in more. 

I will continue to fight the battle against media expectations of body size for as long as it takes. I hope you will join me and show young women that there is always another way.

Thank you,

Georgie ♥