Thursday, December 11, 2008

Hello, Skinny!

There's a big sign in the contemporary jeans section at Bloomingdale's that, in an ode to the skinny jeans trend, reads: "My Skinny Is Skinnier Than Your Skinny."

Um, ok. . .

I googled the phrase to find out more about this particular advertising campaign and serendipitously stumbled on this.

Thoughts?

28 comments:

PTC said...

I saw that sign too. I thought, "what is that supposed to mean?" Anything to catch peoples' attention, I guess.

April D said...

I clicked through their photo section of compare shots between them and other jeans. The photo comments they have there are so offensive I couldn't even laugh.

Anonymous said...

I think I would be a little more comfortable with jeans that were made to enhance and slim if they came in something LARGER THAN A SIZE 12. You know, because those size 8 girls have such a hard time finding flattering attractive clothes. Thank god someone swooped in to solve that problem. I guess if you are a "gasp" size 14 no amount of pocket arrangement or placement of the side seam will ever make your thunder thighs attractive.

Scattered Marbles said...

I do appreciate that they have sizes that go up size 38 and they seem to have come from a good heart... but I agree with April D the comments on the comparison shots where so mean and offensive that it turned me off them. No one needs that kind of stuff said about them... no matter what size they are... and who cares if their jeans don't look the best... that is not the judge of who a person is.

sarah said...

I don't think there's anything wrong with creating a product that is designed to actually fit and flatter the body (the higher rise and longer inseam sounded pretty good to me); however, they make it sound like it is a dire situation if your jeans don't make you look like a model. Personally, I am not a big fan of the "skinny jeans" look anyway, especially since the emphasis seems to be on "skinny bodies" to go with them. Going up to a size 18 makes them seem really plus-size friendly in comparison to those other schmancy brands that only go up to 10 or 12 (in some cases, 8! For the love of Pete! You don't think anyone bigger than a size *8* should wear your pants?!), but 18 is hardly the largest size here in the reality-based world. And finally, $188 smackers for a pair of these? I have a hard time believing any pants are worth that much.

Natasha said...

I'm all for clothes that flatter your body, but I think the comments on the comparison page are a little bewildering. Comments like "fat thighs" applied to someone that is obviously not even slightly overweight is a little disturbing.

Paulina said...

Someone who's dramatically underweight, that's more like it ;(

Unknown said...

Uhh, I looked at the website and about the only thing that came to mind is that skintight denim with megahydraulic hold and lift won't work for a lot of women, including my short, slightly bigger on the bottom self. No thanks, overpriced skinny jean people. I'll stick to my beloved wide legs and competent tailor who makes them look even better.

Emi at Project Swatch said...

haha, that site is ridiculous. they have crazy-unflattering "before" jeans - like jeans with dark lower legs and very light around the hips, or jeans cropped weird, or ill-fitting.

of COURSE people look "thinner" in very dark, well cut, properly fitting jeans. there's no magic about that!

it's like a photo of someone in a too-tight, ill-fittinng white dress & a well-cut, flattering black dress. i promise you they will look thinner in the black dress.

azusmom said...

I despise skinny jeans. Always have. There's nothing wrong with wanting to find clothes that fit well and flatter you (um, hello? Isn't that kind of the purpose of clothes? Other than warmth, of course, lol!). But there's EVERYTHING wrong with dumping on people because they're not skinny. I just want to shake them, and to scream "Come on people! We're in a recession! There's a war! Don't you have anything better to do?!?!?!"
My attitude is that if you're gonna be nasty to me because of how I look, what my bank statement says, or anything that superficial, you are SO not worth my time and attention!

sarah-j said...

yuck yuck yuck, I hate it, I hate the fact that there's a market for jeans that allow perfectly normal shaped legs to look thinner than they are because that just supposedly looks 'better.'

But mostly I Hate the fact that I freakin WANT a pair.

I am not allowing myself to buy them. I would be such a walking contradiction, I think another w

sarah-j said...

oops, I cut the end of my comment off. :(

I was just gonna say that another word for that would be hypocrite!

yuck :(

Unknown said...

I was not aware until now how much people seem to think that thighs are unattractive. why would anyone want to compress their thighs? especially when they are already lean enough that they don't touch.

Anonymous said...

I only got to "third" before I decided, Lord that sounds uncomfortable! :-p

Gimme baggy bootcuts, kthx.

Anonymous said...

they actually look wonderful...

April said...

I find jeans uncomfortable enough as is. These look like a urinary tract infection waiting to happen.

Give me a nice comfy skirt any day.

a

I Hate to Weight said...

we are women. our nether regions weren't meant to be skinny. how do you pop a baby out if you're trying to keep your bottom half narrower than your foot?

Sarah said...

I don't like the intention behind the whole thing-change your appearance. You alone isn't good enough. Instead of promoting products that actually can make us feel worse about ourselves, we need to promote acceptance. We often think it's our fault we can't live up to idealism that is a big lie.

That lady just wants $$$$

Anonymous said...

I'm definitely heaviest in the hips...but I would not buy those jeans. I LIKE flare jeans best. Skinny jeans are definitely in style and if the flares are going out than I had better run down to Penny's and stock up before it's too late! :)

Only I'm not sure that my weight has stabilized post-ED. I'm back to my 2006 - before it started - size (8 or 9 or 10) but I'm not quite willing to believe that it's done.

Karen said...

Every single one of the pictures on the site, including the compare other jeans to ours section, features a woman who has that gap between her legs. I'm hardly huge, but I ain't had that gap since before puberty. So, if those scrawny Amazons look "fat" in their jeans, what hope for the rest of us--$188 jeans or not?

(Love your site. Just found it.)

Danithegreat said...

What worries me about what I've seen of these types of products, is they seem to be designed for smaller women who think they are bigger than they are, it's creation of paranoia. It's also defincit model thinking - all about hiding!

PinkShrink said...

Seriously, is it necessary to use a size 4 person to advertise slimming jeans? Through in a normal woman, with a woman's body (not one who has the legs of a 12 year old boy) and perhaps I'd try these on.

I do like the fact that they make such a variety of inseems and waists! Not every tall girl is a stick; some of us actually eat and will be able to survive childbirth & don't want to be shunned by the Nordstroms jeans department girls for needing jeans in something other than a size 2.

tia said...

I hate to say it, but these jeans are wonderful. Read the testimonials and the press page. They're super comfy, really.
:)
Personally, I *don't* have the best body image of myself, and if I feel good wearing something that helps me to look thinner, why not?

I always feel better when I get a fresh haircut. If I think I look *better* because of that, I'm going to feel better about myself in general. My whole affect will be different — because I'm having a "good hair day."

I agree they didn't have to add those descriptions to the B & A, but the rest of the site outweighed
that for me.

Maya said...

To build on what Ellie said, the very thin model is also using poor posture in the "before" pics.
I would look pregnant standing like that!

Anonymous said...

I'm late to this party. But it looks to me like the comparison photos are two different women with the feet from one photoshopped onto the other.

Jenn said...

I thought the before and after photos would be a good idea, until I actually saw them. A model who is a size 0 does nothing for the rest of us, and why would she need "skinny jeans" anyways?

And the comments on the photos "huge butt, fat thighs" -- are you fking serious?? It was bull crap.

~J (Ex Hot Girl)
http://exhotgirl.blogspot.com/

Laura said...

What probably bothers me the most about this is the fact that after reading so much about thighs being "scooped out" (what does that even mean) and "no gummy material" etc etc, the first thing I could think was "does this much effort ever go into trying to make mens' clothing more fashionable?" And then thinking that the answer is a definite, "NO."

Lindsay said...

I think they're pretty --- the "Barely Bootcut" ones anyway. But then, I happen to like tight, mid-rise, slightly flared, very-dark-wash jeans, and don't give a hoot whether they make me look thinner or not. But, as a tallish, long-legged woman, I very much appreciate the wide range of inseam lengths.

Will I ever own a pair? Not bloody likely! My jeans are more likely to cost $18 than $180.