Sweden's Real Size Mannequins Go Viral

A department store in Sweden is bucking fashion's super skinny model trend by presenting clothing and accessories on…get ready…normal sized mannequins. Last week, this Facebook photo went viral, showing a display at Swedish retailer Åhléns whose model was between a size 12 and 16 (the average woman is a size 14). As of today, the photo has 130,000 "likes" and just as many shares. It's easy to see why the image resonates with so widely: for many, it's a relief to see an example of marketing that celebrates a real woman's body, curves and all.

According to a survey 3/4 teenage girls feel depressed, guilty and shameful after spending three minutes leafing through a fashion magazine; not to mention that 80 percent of 10-year-olds have been on a diet at some point. That's because they are exposed to unrealistic imagery that's next to impossible to compete with, primarily because most of these "perfect" bodies have been photoshopped. Just like the idealized images that are seen in magazines, the effect is the same for women and girls when faced with store display mannequins with barbie-like bodies. So when there's an example like this of a "real" woman, it's a little win for all of us who think that beauty is best defined, not as the super skinny unrealistic version of you, but you, just the way you are.

What do you think, do you want to see more examples like this where you shop in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world?