38-M

On 29 March, Barcelona joined in on the general strike and citizens marched along Passeig de Gràcia. They made public authorities hear loud and clear their outrage at the measures put in place to stop the economic crisis. On that day, 29-M, the iconic avenue in Barcelona seemed more spacious because of all the room made for unionists, socialists, center-right dissidents, communists, nationalists and even anarchists. Such an heterogeneous mass of people offered an equally varied repertoire of speeches covering attacks on measures adopted by Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy, reproaches for the cuts approved by Artur Mas, President of Catalonia, and even shouts asking for the Third Republic in Spain. However, in between all those claims, one managed to catch my attention. I managed to glimpse it through the crowd, clearly written on one of Mango’s front windows. It was a close-range shot with crudely chosen red spray and crude words: “La talla 38 me aprieta el chocho” [Size 38 is too tight on my pussy].

That’s right. Amid so much politics there was time for ordinary women’s demands, those women who have more serious concerns than following the advice of Elle magazine to get some muscular buttocks. It is no wonder that this protest came up in Passeig de Gràcia, where the windows of boutiques and fashion stores make passers-by feel bad about themselves by offering a model of feminine beauty created with Adobe Photoshop’s palette of tools.

Fortunately, more and more critical voices speak out about this impossible beauty standard. Fashion authorities have finally taken up the matter and, if only to keep up appearances, they have demand curvier shapes from their models. That is what Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid does and now Vogue does too: there is no place for straight lines on the bodies they show. It seems curves are back into fashion again. And undoubtedly fashionable is the female cast of Mad Men, the prestigious American series that, in addition to bringing back elegant and manly men, has brought before us the old female standard embodied (and what a body it is!) by the voluptuous redhead Christina Hendricks. Her sinuous figure is related to those of Fellini’s alpha females, Rubenesque women who just need to hold a cigarette between their lips to get a whole crowd of lighters surrounding them.

Speaking of Mad Men, advertising also shows signs of change and some brands are supporting the call for a more realistic beauty: a few years ago, Dove surprised with its campaign Evolution, but now it iss Campofrío who is feeding another female standard. Although they are only a few exceptions, it seems clear that the ghost of anorexia has been banished from the marketing departments. Not surprisingly, the main attraction in advertising and a sex-symbol of the last decade is by consensus Scarlett Johansson. Her curvy figure is used by brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Moët & Chandon and Mango for their ad campaigns. Mango might have even prevented that infuriated graffiti on its Passeig de Gràcia store if it had not replaced the voluptuous blonde by the much less beefy Kate Moss. It seems that both times and sizes are changing.

Photo: Víctor Ortiz Aladro