healthmedicinet

• TV presenter Steve Miller hit out at the use of larger shop dummies
• Fat Families host said: ‘Every size 16 woman I’ve worked with has been
  fat’
• In March, Debenhams became the first high-street store to introduce the larger dummies on to the shop floor – and plans to roll out to other stores
• Mr Miller says he is ‘very concerned’ at health implications of obesity, such as stroke and cancer – and called for shock tactics to tackle the problem
• Added that society must not shy away from the issue, by being ‘nicey, nicey’
• Said people who are ‘too overweight to sit in an aeroplane seat should pay for two spaces’, blaming political correctness for the obesity epidemic
• But eating disorders charity beat welcomed the use of size 16 mannequins, calling for a more diverse range of shapes and sizes to reflect the population

By
Lizzie Parry For Mailonline

Published:
06:44 EST, 13 August 2014

|
Updated:
09:08 EST, 13 August 2014

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Weight-loss expert Steve Miller, presenter of Fat Families, has blasted retailers’ use of size 16 mannequins, claiming they ‘normalise’ obesity

A weight-loss expert has blasted retailers for using size 16 mannequins, claiming they are ‘normalising’ obesity.

Presenter of the TV show Fat Families, Steve Miller told MailOnline ‘political correctness is encouraging people to stay fat’.

He has urged society to adopt ‘shock tactics’ to tackle the obesity epidemic head on.

In March, Debenhams became the first high-street store to introduce the larger mannequins on to the shop floor at their flagship Oxford Street branch in London.

They appear alongside size 10 dummies
on all women’s fashion floors to reflect the shape of ‘real women’,
with plans to roll them out across the 170 Debenhams branches across the
UK.

Size 10 is the standard size for mannequins on the high street, a far cry from the dimensions of the average British woman.

Mr
Miller, who has worked with overweight women and families for the last
eight years, said using size 16 dummies, is ‘promoting the idea that
being fat is acceptable’.

But the eating disorders charity beat
urged caution, welcoming the size 16 mannequins while calling for a
diverse range of dummies reflecting the diverse shapes and sizes of the
female population.

Mr
Miller told MailOnline: ‘If you start having fat mannequins – and I do
call them fat because every size 16 woman I have worked with has been
fat – you are putting out the message that it is normal.

‘It is very concerning. Using size 16 mannequins is like saying ill health is ok.

‘If
we become swamped with these over-sized mannequins we are motivating
people to stay fat, it is like saying “who cares what you look like”.

‘Women suffering low self-esteem because they are too big, or too fat do not need to see mannequins who are big and fat.

‘It is like telling them staying fat and miserable is fine.’

Mr
Miller said shock tactics are needed to tackle the obesity epidemic,
blaming society’s emphasis on political correctness for encouraging
people to ignore their weight issues.

‘Rather than saying it is ok to be fat, we need stronger interventions,’ he told MailOnline.

Scroll down for video

Earlier this year Debenhams became the first high-street store to introduce size 16 mannequins to the shop floor. Left, the larger dummy is compared to the standard size 10 model, and right Lizzie Singleton from Debenhams dresses the new mannequin

‘We need powerful warnings on restaurant menus that say “if you’re fat think carefully about what you’re ordering”.

‘We need these shock tactics. When I work with clients, and they are all women, I am very direct but in a caring way.

‘I don’t shy away from using the word “fat”. I do care, but if you stroke the fat, the fat gets fed.

‘We are so petrified of upsetting people, but we have to help people take responsibility… Political correctness is keeping people fat’

– Steve Miller

‘If I am being overly nicey nicey, people won’t lose weight. Hearts and flowers often do not get the job done.

‘We
are so petrified of upsetting people.

‘But we have to help people take
responsibility, and stop being nervous about confronting the issue.

‘If somebody through their own doing is too fat to sit in an aeroplane seat they should pay for two seats. Political correctness is keeping people fat.’

He said his comments were driven by concerns over the health complications associated with being overweight or obese.

Countless studies have found diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, stroke and other life-threatening illnesses are linked to being overweight.

Debenhams found that shoppers are three times more likely to buy
an item if it is displayed on a mannequin with their body shape. But Mr Miller has said the larger models are ‘encouraging people to stay fat’

CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER RAISES CONCERN OVER LARGER DUMMIES

In March the Chief Medical Officer condemned the use of larger mannequins in her annual report on the state of the public’s health.

Professor Dame Sally Davies said: ‘I have long been concerned that being underweight is often portrayed as the ideal weight, particularly in the fashion industry.

‘Yet I am increasingly concerned that society may be normalising being overweight.

‘Larger mannequins are being introduced into clothes shops, “size inflation” means that clothes with the same size label have become larger in recent decades, and news stories about weight often feature pictures of severely obese people, which are unrepresentative of the majority of overweight people.’

Dame Sally said she was concerned by studies which showed that many people who are overweight believe they are ‘about the right weight’.

She highlighted one piece of research which found 77 per cent of parents of overweight children did not recognise that their child was overweight.

Latest estimates suggest that almost two thirds of adults and one third of
children under 18 are overweight or obese.

‘Plus size mannequins is saying this
is now the norm in our country – but obesity can cause diabetes, stroke,
high blood pressure and other health problems,’ Mr Miller added.

‘What we have got to do is be kind to people, it is about being straight and not sugar coating it too much.’

The TV presenter said exposing children to larger mannequins could be damaging, ‘normalising’ being overweight to the younger generation.

He added: ‘It is not good for children to see size 16 as normal and so it is not ideal for retailers to be portraying it as such.’

A spokeswoman for beat, a charity working to help people overcome eating disorders, said it is important the fashion industry reflects the range of shapes and sizes of the female population.

She said: ‘Beat
has long campaigned for the fashion industry to reflect the diversity
of shapes and sizes of mankind.

‘What we need is a mixture of different
heights and widths of mannequins in our shops to reflect the reality of
peoples’ different shapes, sizes and build. 

‘We come in a variety of
shapes and sizes – from the very petite to the larger forms and it’s
encouraging that the fashion world is reflecting this in size 16
mannequins which is the average female size in the UK.’

 
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