The Latest Trend - being a ´Skinny Bitch´.

Now this ´trend´, as we call it, has seemed to be going on for a couple of years now. Also known as Team Size 0, it perhaps started off with celebrities like Victoria Beckham, Nicole Ritchie and Nicky Hilton to name a few, stepping out (all mostly on the streets of L.A. let me add) looking gaunt, thin and incredibly boney. Ok, what they were wearing looked great. Not a fat roll nor even a hint of cellulite in sight. But they started to, worryingly, show literally millions of girls across the globe that being stick thing made you look good in aboslutely anything you wore.

So then came the skinny jeans. denim short shorts, wet look leggings, that you just cannot wear if you don´t have super slim legs, and lots more. Sky high and platform heels were to make you look even more slender, and that is when the high street went mad. Did it only seem to cater for the skinny bitch look?

Being a brit I´m still up-to-date with the nation´s fashion; I´m not a secluded islander in any way! I´m also conscious of the US and most of Europe´s current trends, and clearly know what to wear and what not to.

However, now living on my island and doing most of my shopping in Mallorca, I can´t help but notice that most of the high fashion stores seem to forget about us curvy girls. This big controversy has sadly been going on in Spain long before the size 0 trend set in. Yes, it´s true that when I walk into Zara, Mango, Massimo Dutti etc, most of the sizes 34, 36 and 38 (UK size 6, 8 and 10) have all disappeared from the rails, but this actually has little to do with the UK and US´s skinny bitch appeal. Spanish girls do tend to be tiny, with a small frame, slim legs, a small bust and a pert little culito (bottom as we would call it). We´ve all heard the mediterranean diet being praised, with its abundance of olive oil, tomato salads and fresh bread. It´s true, it does exist, but I´m sorry, never have I seen people eat so unhealthily than in Mallorca!

The typcial breakfast, even for most slim girls, is either café con leche (milky coffee, usually full fat milk) or Cola Cao, which is again full fat milk mixed with powdered chocolate. This is then eaten normally with magdalenas (litte fairy cakes), ensaimadas (basically a spiral of pastry), or nothing at all. Lunch for a Spaniard consists of something deep fried or overcooked; few fresh vegetables; and tomate frito, which the Mallorquins put on everything and is a sweet tomato purée loaded with salt and sugar. Some would even go for a siesta with a full stomach after their huge lunch for anything upto an hour. Cena, or their evening meal, is usually ´light´if you´re eating-in, but, note, this will not be anywhere near before 9pm and could even be stretched out until 11pm. It could be the spanish omelette, made with about 10 eggs and a dozen potatoes, all previously fried; a huge baguette of white bread as wholemeal barras are hard to find; or something easy like a frozen pizza.

Can you see why it completely boggles me how on earth the average Spanish girl is a slim size 38 (UK 10)?

So the good news is that most of the chicas, at least on my island, have not being affected by the size 0 trend. They´re just naturally skinny bitches..... Grrrrr.

However, this doesn´t stop the rest of the female population, as mentioned before, mostly the brits and americans, from practically starving themselves to be able to fit into a tight pair of black skinnies. Whatever happened to eating healthily, doing a bit of exercise and being a slim size 10? This is what used to be acceptable. Now we seem to have to live on adame (soya) beans and sushi to even get recognised in the fashion industry.

I must admit though, after reading the controversial book, ¨Skinny Bitch¨, which when spotted in the hands of Victoria Beckham the sales not so surprisingly soared, I did fall into the whole I-must-be-thin trap. I´m not going to get into a book review now, but if you stick to what the ex-model and nutritionist writers say, (basically live a vegan diet), you will no doubt be a Skinny Bitch, and I truly believe that you will be a healthy one, as that is what the book boasts.

But the truth is, being a size 0 is just no fun. What normal girl doesn´t enjoy going out with her boyfriend/friends/work collegues for a slap up meal washed down with a few glasses of wine or a couple of vodkas? Ok, so we can always watch what we eat, that´s not hard, but when you have to limit everything you eat constantly is just boring, unsociable and most of the time it just leaves you craving for more of the foods you´re depriving yourself of. Trust me, I´ve been there done that many a time. And it´s sad but true, I´ll never be a skinny bitch. I couldn´t possibly begin to dream of wearing a size 0 pair of jeans, and there´s no way I´d give up my love of dark chocolate for anyone! But I know myself, just as much as we all do, there are limits and the most important thing is to feel comfortable with how you are and how the body that was given to you looks. It´s not about looking like all the stick thin celebs. They have a boring life. They may look good on the outside, but do you think they are happy on the inside? Life is too short to worry too much about your dress size. And the sooner you wake up to realise that, the better. I´d rather be a healthy tart than a skinny bitch any day!