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First ‘average-size’ girl makes it to Miss England finals

31st March 2008

First ‘average-size’ girl makes it to Miss England finals

posted in Body Image, Fashion, Health/Nutrition |

Chloe MarshallNews organizations and bloggers alike are crowing about Chloe Marshall, the first “plus-size” girl to make it to the finals of the Miss England contest. The national competition isn’t until July, but Chloe’s triumph has already incited comments denigrating her as “overweight” and “unhealthy” and insisting she “shouldn’t be happy with that at such a young age,” and sparked fears of a fat “backlash.”

There’s just one tiny niggling problem: Chloe Marshall isn’t plus-size. She isn’t even fat.

Granted, by fashion industry and beauty pageant standards, Marshall is gargantuan. But at 5′10″ and 12 stones 8 pounds - or 176 pounds - Marshall’s BMI registers scarcely a blip above average at 25.3 - the U.S. government defines normal weight BMIs within the ranges of 18.5 - 24.9. At though Marshall wears a size 16, American audiences must keep in mind that she wears a British size 16. In the U.S., this size would translate into a women’s size 12/14. A size 14 is generally the starting point of plus-sizes, but can also indicate the high-end of misses sizes.

The average American woman stands 5′4″ weighs about 140 (BMI 24) and wears a U.S. size 14. The average British woman is also 5′4″ weighs 147 pounds (BMI 25.2) and wears a British size 16. The “ideal” woman - portrayed by models, actresses and Miss America - is 5′7″, weighs 100 pounds and is classified as scarily underweight by WHO standards. In fact, while the height of Miss America contestants has increased by 2 percent through the years, her weight has fallen by 12 percent so that the BMIs of contestants today generally fall in unhealthy underweight ranges - more here.

Given the above, let’s call a spade a spade. Chloe Marshall is not plus-size; she’s average-size. She is not the first “plus-size” girl to make it to the finals of the Miss England contest, she is the first average-sized girl to make it to the finals of the Miss England contest. What does this say then of the competition’s past and current contestants? And what does this say of the aspirational messages and images the pageant presents to its average-size viewers?

Fatfighter MeMe Roth likes to casually toss out accusations that society “glorifies obesity,” but in the case of Chloe Marshall and not too long ago, Sarah Hartshorne, are we glorifying obesity or normalizing extreme thinness?

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This entry was posted on Monday, March 31st, 2008 at 11:39 am and is filed under Body Image, Fashion, Health/Nutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

There are currently 30 responses to “First ‘average-size’ girl makes it to Miss England finals”

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  1. 1 On March 31st, 2008, kiraNo Gravatar said:

    Good point - it is sad that modeling standards are so extreme that an average-sized person such as Chloe Marshall is considered large. I am curious about this, though:

    The average American woman stands 5′4″ weighs about 140 (BMI 24) and wears a U.S. size 14.

    .
    Is this based on current sizes or pre-”vanity sizing” sizes? I ask because I’m 5′4″ and I currently wear a size 14 at a weight of ~180. When I weighed 140 (about 10 years ago) I wore a size 8/10 - even in clothes that are known to run small, e.g., Gap jeans.

    posted on March 31st, 2008 at 12:13 pm

  2. 2 On March 31st, 2008, Anne Keckler | ACSM Certified Personal TrainerNo Gravatar said:

    I’d like to know how MeMe Roth figures that society glorifies obesity. Can you point to something that explains her views on that?

    I think American society sometimes glorifies the obese lifestyle, while at the same time shaming those who are actually obese — or even a healthy weight! for not being stick-thin. It’s like the media and everyone around us is saying, “Here! Eat all this wonderful (and not so wonderful) food! Do whatever you want, it’s okay.” Then they turn around and call you names and tell you that you should have more willpower if you actually drink the sodas and eat the junk that is being marketed.

    posted on March 31st, 2008 at 12:28 pm

  3. 3 On March 31st, 2008, RachelNo Gravatar said:
    Anne: MeMe Roth feels any attempt to promote self-esteem in girls and women whose BMIs place them as overweight or obese is “glorifying obesity.” She has repeatedly stated that fat cannot be beautiful, that people should ditch their fat friends just as an alcohol should ditch their alcoholic friends, and that parents of fat children are child abusers. She has even equated cupcakes to giving kids antifreeze. A simple Google search will yield many sites discussing her fanaticism and zealous anti-obesity beliefs.

    I do believe commercial food manufacturers overly promote unhealthy foods to the public and especially, to children. However, I don’t believe you can classify this as a strictly “obese” lifestyle - I would use the term “unhealthy” lifestyle instead. I’m fat and I lead a very active and healthy lifestyle, including a vegetarian diet and I vigorously work out 5 times a week and do weight training. Yet I know thin people who are very sedentary and eat very unhealthily.

    Bad nutrition and inactivity do negatively affect health - but in people of all sizes. By focusing myopically on those who are fat and assuming that because they are fat they must eat poorly and are inactive, not only are we disrespectful of all those fat people who do lead healthy lifestyles, we do a grave disservice to those thin people who do not.

    posted on March 31st, 2008 at 12:40 pm

  4. 4 On March 31st, 2008, RachelNo Gravatar said:
    Kira: Sizes have changed so quickly, it just may be outdated. Five years ago there didn’t even exist size double-0; now it’s the aspiration for so many. And it also doesn’t help that there exists no standardized sizing that manufacturers must adhere to. A size 14 for one company may be another designer’s size 18.

    posted on March 31st, 2008 at 12:42 pm

  5. 5 On March 31st, 2008, Anne Keckler | ACSM Certified Personal TrainerNo Gravatar said:

    BMI has to be the most ridiculous measurement of healthy weight, much less health in general, ever devised! A bodybuilder with 5% bodyfat could be classified as obese with that measurement. It’s worse than useless for muscular or very active people.

    When I spoke of “obese lifestyle,” I didn’t intend to only indicate food choices as the contributing factor. Activity level definitely plays a part. But people who consume more calories than they expend are likely to end up with an unhealthy amount of bodyfat, whether that is due to overeating or underexercising.

    So the only assumptions I make about someone with a large amount of bodyfat is that at some point they consumed more calories than they burned (though now they may be simply maintaining that extra weight), they are more likely to suffer from certain diseases in the future (such as my very-overweight cousin who constantly told everyone how healthy she was, but today was diagnosed with diabetes), and they may be uncomfortable carrying around the extra weight. But size is not a good indicator of the types of food a person is eating, nor of how active they may be.

    I like your message to love yourself at any size, and not to obsess over a number on a chart or a scale.

    posted on March 31st, 2008 at 1:08 pm

  6. 6 On March 31st, 2008, LyndaNo Gravatar said:

    It makes me crazy to see how being anorexic-like thin is glorified and being average sized is villified in the media all over the western world.

    While I am considered obese and really do need to make some lifestyle changes in both activity level and in the way I eat I do not think that it makes me a horrible person.

    I was a much more horrible person when I was bulimic and thin (though not a 00 by any stretch of the imagination)…because I was sick and angry and frustrated and fearful!

    Life should be lived healthfully, no matter what your size.

    posted on March 31st, 2008 at 1:27 pm

  7. 7 On March 31st, 2008, RachelNo Gravatar said:
    Agreed, Linda. When I was actively anorexic, I continued to receive praise and compliments from people who just assumed I was healthier since I had lost weight. But the truth is, I was never more dangerously sick in my entire life. Now that I am fat, there are probably people who just assume I am unhealthy even though I have never been more healthy.

    posted on March 31st, 2008 at 1:48 pm

  8. 8 On March 31st, 2008, BreeNo Gravatar said:

    I really get tired of comments from those who say “Being fat is fine—but up to a point.” What about those like myself who are classified as obese but do not consume a huge amount of calories per day, are not really sedentary, and have no major health problems?

    We are lumped into the diseased category, people look at us and immediately think our bodies are riddled with diabetes and heart defects, and we live at McDonald’s. People who weigh 200lbs or more should not be treated like criminals.

    I will never understand the mentality of people like MeMe Roth and her ilk who actually believe the only way to treat overweight and obese people are by shaming and criminalizing their bodies.

    posted on March 31st, 2008 at 2:03 pm

  9. 9 On March 31st, 2008, CharlotteNo Gravatar said:

    It’s so depressing that even average-sized women are being shamed for being fat and unhealthy. If someone like Chole is being shamed for her body, then there’s no hope for someone like me, an actual plus-sized woman.

    posted on March 31st, 2008 at 3:12 pm

  10. 10 On March 31st, 2008, Sherie SandersNo Gravatar said:

    I am not one bit surprised she is being attacked over her size. Just think of all the customers BigDiet/Pharma (BARFMA) would lose. Seriously, as the economy falters, there is less money for the power-elite to suck out of the middle class. Weight obession is one of the few things they have left as a guaranteed income generator. And going back to the theme that a weight obsessed, guilt ridden population is easier to manipulate, now is the worst time for us to start turning outward and getting political. From their point of view at least, because they are vulnerable and some real change might be made. Keep the pockets empty, and their eyes toward the scales. That is the only way to keep them the masses in line!

    posted on March 31st, 2008 at 3:39 pm

  11. 11 On March 31st, 2008, Jon BNo Gravatar said:

    What’s sad is she’s being attacked even though she’s technically average, but she’s already attacking obese people:

    “Not that Chloe uses the F word. In our interview the word “fat” never passes her lips.

    “It’s because I’m not,” she explains. “I’m curvy, big, plus-size, if you must, but I don’t like that either because I’m actually an average size.

    “Fat means someone who is obese, who doesn’t take care of themselves, who never does any exercise and lies around all day, being a slob. I take care of myself.”

    So she isn’t a big win, but eh chi’…

    posted on March 31st, 2008 at 3:46 pm

  12. 12 On March 31st, 2008, SaganNo Gravatar said:

    There IS a difference between being overweight and overfat- one of them implies that you’ve got plenty of muscle, are decently active, and that’s simply the way your body is; the other implies that you are at risk for health problems and have some excess fat. The number on the scale really doesn’t mean anything in terms of health.

    But good for Chloe! I love it when someone who represents the average person can make a statement like getting to the finals of the Miss England contest.

    posted on March 31st, 2008 at 5:00 pm

  13. 13 On March 31st, 2008, devilNo Gravatar said:

    The word “fat” gets people so emotionally charged. So, we can say “plus sized”, “big” and “curvy” but we can’t say “fat”?

    Being a lazy slob means being a lazy slob…it has nothing to do with being fat, thin, tall, short or purple.

    Chloe is lovely. Things will change (and are changing), ever so slowly. Someday, people will look back and look at this time in history and think “What was with all the STARVED people in America?”

    posted on March 31st, 2008 at 5:12 pm

  14. 14 On March 31st, 2008, LillianNo Gravatar said:

    Sizes are crazy. No matter what size you are if you’re a woman you have to try it on. Health and beauty aren’t one size fits all.

    posted on March 31st, 2008 at 5:30 pm

  15. 15 On April 1st, 2008, BrieNo Gravatar said:

    “Fat means someone who is obese, who doesn’t take care of themselves, who never does any exercise and lies around all day, being a slob. I take care of myself.”

    Yeah, she’s darling alright.

    posted on April 1st, 2008 at 12:28 am

  16. 16 On April 1st, 2008, RachelNo Gravatar said:
    Tsk, tsk… Doesn’t poor Chloe know that “curvy” and “plus-sized” are just euphemisms for fat?

    And before we judge her too harshly, keep in mind, she is still very young and we must consider the environment in which she has been raised. Sometimes, judging by the media, I think British culture is more anti-fat than American culture.

    posted on April 1st, 2008 at 9:17 am

  17. 17 On April 1st, 2008, CassandraNo Gravatar said:

    Maybe they are finally realizing that beauty is more than skin deep… progress is progress here - I appauld!

    posted on April 1st, 2008 at 9:18 am

  18. 18 On April 1st, 2008, kxm24No Gravatar said:

    The actual statistics for the average American female are just under 5′4″ and 163 lbs.
    140lbs is a number from over 10 yrs ago.

    posted on April 1st, 2008 at 11:42 am

  19. 19 On April 1st, 2008, RachelNo Gravatar said:
    Aha, you’re right. Confirmation here. All of which makes Chloe Marshall even more average.

    posted on April 1st, 2008 at 12:17 pm

  20. 20 On April 2nd, 2008, SarahNo Gravatar said:

    Anne, just because your “very overweight” cousin was diagnosed with diabetes doesn’t mean it had anything to do with her weight. I’m sure thin and normal sized people get diabetes too, but it’s only the fatties who get beaten over the head when they contract a disease.

    Even precious little Chloe is fighting to disassociate herself with those “bad” fatties - even though she’s not even big in the first place!

    And what the hell is an “obese” lifestyle? Is that like the “homosexual agenda” some people go on about?

    posted on April 2nd, 2008 at 12:22 am

  21. 21 On April 2nd, 2008, CynthiaNo Gravatar said:

    Well, she’s average in dress size, but she’s still tall at 5′10″. If a 5′3″, 100 lb woman enters a competition like this, media would paint her just be another skinny girl, even if she’s shorter than most contestants. She probably won’t get much attention or talk around the blogosphere.

    To Kira: Gap is known to run small? No, no, no. Gap sizes run BIG. Most people take a size smaller than what the size chart outlines.

    posted on April 2nd, 2008 at 11:23 am

  22. 22 On April 2nd, 2008, RachelNo Gravatar said:
    Cynthia: I find that the Gap’s larger sizes do run small, compared to other mainstream clothing designers. But then again, I don’t think the Gap is entirely accurate in its plus-size clothing measurements and proportions. Perhaps it is different for the Gap’s plus-size line and its mainstream sizes.

    Oh, and Miss America 2002 was 5′3″. The preceding Miss America stood at 5′4″. Data isn’t available for much of the 1990s, but three Miss Americas in the 1980s were 5′4″ or shorter. So, I don’t think pageants discriminate against height nearly as much as they do weight. As I noted, the heights of Miss America contestants has increased by only 2 percent through the years, while weights have plummeted by 12 percent.

    posted on April 2nd, 2008 at 12:30 pm

  23. 23 On April 3rd, 2008, EmeraldNo Gravatar said:

    By way of an update, here…
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=554870&in_page_id=1879

    I especially love (not!) this bit:
    As a judge on last year’s Miss England contest, I was hugely impressed, not just by the beauty but by the skills dedication and determination of the contestants.

    For example, most had raised huge sums of money for their favourite charities. They shone out as young women to be admired.

    But can the same really be said of Chloe?

    At 5ft 10in, Chloe should have a body mass index, or BMI, (indicating her levels of fat) of 20. Hers is 26.03.

    Now, Chloe most likely has done a lot of work for charity - I doubt if anyone involved in those kind of contests hasn’t, because it comes with the territory. But notic3e how this woman switches straight from THEIR compassion to HER fatness, as if they’re somehow opposites. Like, no fat person ever does anything good for another human being, right? Sick.

    I’m still not sure why I read the DM, unless there’s some warped part of me that needs the anger.

    posted on April 3rd, 2008 at 2:07 pm

  24. 24 On April 10th, 2008, libbyblueNo Gravatar said:

    as someone who is chloe’s height and ten pounds heavier, her us clothing size would be a solid 12. a 14 falls off of me even at the height of my winter weight. all the more reason to maintain that she is quite average, and not *that* far from the unnatural ideal her critics endorse.

    posted on April 10th, 2008 at 7:28 am

  25. 25 On April 13th, 2008, himawariNo Gravatar said:

    This is nice to see! She is simply GORGEOUS.

    However, I’m a little confused. I’m 5′4″, weigh 154 (BMI 26.4), and generally fit pretty comfortably into a size 8 US. While I’m an athlete and thus probably have quite a bit more compact muscle than the average person my size, I seriously doubt that many 5′4″, 140 pound women wear a 14 — I doubt many women of that size wear anything larger than a 10. I also find it a little strange that Ms. Marshall has a BMI lower than mine and is two sizes larger — perhaps just more evidence that BMI is totally ridiculous.

    posted on April 13th, 2008 at 5:16 am

  26. 26 On April 13th, 2008, KylaNo Gravatar said:

    I agree, himawari. I’m 4′11 and weigh 150lbs and even I don’t wear a 14. 12’s fall off me.

    posted on April 13th, 2008 at 10:54 pm

  27. 27 On April 13th, 2008, RachelNo Gravatar said:
    I think we have to take into consideration vanity sizing. If this number 140 is from at least a decade ago, chances are that a 140 pound woman then wore a size 14. Because of vanity sizing and a continual lowering of sizes through the years, a 140 pound woman today would wear a size 8 or so.

    posted on April 13th, 2008 at 11:30 pm

  28. 28 On April 16th, 2008, himawariNo Gravatar said:

    I think that figure is probably more than a decade old, based on what I remember about clothing size in the late 90s. I’m still pretty surprised that her BMI is only 25.3, though; I wonder if she’s taken her weight down a few pounds in reports to the media. I wouldn’t be surprised; the weight bigots would just have an even stronger “case” with which to attack her. Whatever she weighs, though, it doesn’t take away from the fact that she is a STUNNING woman. I hope she does well.

    posted on April 16th, 2008 at 2:46 am

  29. 29 On July 6th, 2008, CarolNo Gravatar said:

    I afev years ago was fitting into junior jeans and clothes 2 years ago I begab wearing some misses Levi jeans size12 today I am a misses size 14 Im having a hard yime with this I kept on having to try on so many size 14 Levi jeans to fiund that 6 of them actually did fit . in the 515s and the 505s went to walmaRT DIDNT FIT INTO THE ClEVI SIGNATURE SIZE 14 MAYBE BECAUSE i ONLY TRIED ON 1 OF THEM OR DO THEY RUN SMALLERE BECAUSE iM, A SIZE 14 i TENDS TO WEAR BLCK BLOUSES MORE THOUGH ITS TOO HOYT HERE IN SOUTH tEXASWHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MISSES SIE 14 JEANMS OVER A 14 V JEANS THAT IS WHERE THINGS GET CONFUSING

    posted on July 6th, 2008 at 1:32 am

  30. 30 On August 11th, 2008, Fat Attraction, Part 2 « Waistlines said:

    [...] live in a society where Chloe Marshall, at the average size for British women, is considered unacceptably fat. Images of thin people in the media are unattainable for most people, especially when their [...]

    posted on August 11th, 2008 at 8:48 pm

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