The Ministry of Equality and Feminism opens an investigation into a chain that only offers small sizes, the first action of the plan
The Ministry of Feminisms and Equality has begun an investigation into a multinational fashion chain that operates in Catalonia and only provides the smallest sizes (XS/S). It is the first step in the Action Plan to combat aesthetic pressure, a form of violence against women that “aims to discipline them: what and how much they should eat, how they should dress or how they can prevent their face and body from showing their age,” the Ministry denounces.
“We need to move towards feminist normality in which we can be at ease with our bodies. We cannot continue to accept the canons of beauty imposed by the patriarchy as normal, because all bodies are valid,” the Minister for Equality and Feminism Tània Verge defended at a press conference. The main goal of the plan is to provide a political response “to the violence of the aesthetic canons that produce and perpetuate gender, racial and ableist stereotypes and discriminations.”
The development of the Plan is set to include the participation of organizations, experts and representatives of the sectors involved, with an Interdepartmental Commission to be established for its execution and follow-up.
A pioneering law
Action against this multinational has begun deriving from a complaint received through the online form made available to the public by the Ministry, denouncing that the women’s clothing at this store are items that only women with girl-like physiques can wear, even though it is not a girls’ clothing store. It also claims that the clothes offered would not be suitable for girls, as it would encourage their sexualization (corsets, revealing necklines, low-cut tops, mini-shorts).
The complaint was made on discrimination based on physical appearance, provided in Law 19/20 on Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination considered “internationally pioneering,” said Ms Verge, who explained that if the presumed responsibility of the company is determined, “appropriate action will be taken, including possible sanctions.”
The Plan will additionally be aimed at raising social awareness of the impact of aesthetic pressure on physical and emotional welfare, as well as taking measures regarding monitoring sizes, inclusion of educational content in schools, and adoption of sectoral agreements with the world of advertising and fashion so that the representation of bodies is more diverse and better suited to reality.
The effects of aesthetic pressure
According to 2020 data provided by the Catalan Association against Anorexia and Bulimia, 47% of girls of 12 to 16 years of age want to lose weight, and 41% have at some time dieted on their own and without professional advice. According to the Department of Health, these conditions affect around 28,000 children and teenagers in Catalonia, about 5% of girls.
The government denounces that aesthetic pressure occurs in many everyday situations. For example, bodies that appear on television, in films, on social media or in advertising are bodies that are seen as ‘perfect,’ young and skinny, in some cases even below levels considered healthy. These create a social image of non-standard bodies. Clothes’ stores often do not stock sizes above European 40 or 42 (i.e. Medium—UK 14-16—US 10-12), an exclusion that has a daily impact on self-esteem, especially for younger women.