By Molly Lynch

Last updated at 13:49, Tuesday, 24 November 2009

Molly Lynch

THE size zero debate came under the spotlight again last week thanks to supermodel Kate Moss.

For anyone who has not already heard, Moss sparked controversy after saying: “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”.

My reaction to this was that Kate should stick to what she does best – looking beautiful and keeping her mouth shut.

There are many people who have slammed Kate for being an irresponsible role model, for sending out the wrong message to impressionable young girls.

I initially wondered who would be daft enough to take what she said seriously, but then it hit me that there are thousands of young girls who idolise her.

There are young ladies who queue up outside Topshop every time Kate launches a new collection of clothing and pay over the odds for a vest top because it has her name on the label.

It also struck me that, when I was a teenager, I too might have actually paid attention to the reckless rambling from a celery-eating supermodel.

After hitting puberty, I fell very quickly into the category of ‘curvy girl’. It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that I would never be super-thin. Any girl built like myself will know that it is hard to learn to love your curves. Models like Kate Moss do not help.

When everyone went crazy for skinny jeans, I was the girl leaving the changing room in floods of tears because I looked so ridiculous. Nor can I get away with the current trend ‘jeggings’ trend (jeans that are leggings).

My family helped me overcome this in their own, unique way: “you are what God gave you, so you’re just going to have to get on with it”.

There are some very lucky girls and women who simply have good genes.

They can eat what they like and do very little exercise and still fit their slinky hips into a size 10 dress with ease (infuriating, isn’t it?). My mother is one of those people my brother inherited her tall, slim frame and I did not. Mum tells me that ‘I got my dad’s legs’. Always a sure-fire way to boost my self-esteem, comparing my 20-year-old pins to those of a 45-year-old man.

Unfortunately for me, I am one of a large percentage of women who can’t eat what they want and get away with it, but I would never deprive myself of something I really wanted just because Kate reckons being able to see your rib cage is fashionable. Women don’t need Kate preaching about the joys of living off water and lettuce, nor should we have to listen to a patronising Gok Wan telling us ‘it’s all about the confidence’.

Perhaps Kate would change her opinion if she sampled my Nana Mary’s mash.

l FAREWELL to John and Edward, who left The X Factor on Sunday night.

The ITV show will no longer be essential viewing for me now that the Irish twins have left the show. After watching Kasabian at Manchester on Friday night, followed by Arctic Monkeys on Saturday, it dawned on me that bands like this are the best thing about British music at the moment. The X Factor is nothing more than a glorified karaoke competition.

First published at 12:55, Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk