Internal Appearance Vs. External Appearance

My wife recently watched a program about Louise Redknapp going through the horrors of becoming an American size 0 (UK size 4). She started by having some photos taken pre diet, and then again four weeks later. Without going into to much detail, the poor girl looked absolutely awful by the end of the four weeks (in my opinion at any rate). She was moody, tired, and emotional, couldn't sleep, couldn't concentrate and was constantly hungry (obviously). I think it is a stark reminder to people who are constantly trying to loose weight because "Fashion" says they should, that just because someone in New York, Milan or Paris says it's fashionable, doesn't make it so. This was also recently bought to the light in the film "the Devil Wears Prada", where Anne Hathaway’s character is criticised for being too fat, when she was clearly in good shape. She wasn't even a model, and yet she forced herself to slim down to fit in with the "trend". I personally think this is very sad, as I love a girl who has some meat on her.
Going back to the Louise, being a desirable person, she regularly goes for photo shoots, where the photographs are digitally altered, to make the girls look slim, tall and buxom. When she had her pre-diet photos taken, she was surprised at the result, and admitted she looked like she needed to loose weight, compared to what she looked like in the magazines. This is a sad reality that most people are faced on a daily basis (me included once upon a time). I used to look in the mirror and think I looked awful. I felt I needed to put on weight, because I looked "out of shape". I tried everything I could to pile on the pounds, but unfortunately, nothing worked... I stayed at my usual weight of 9St. This would depress me, thinking I would never get a girl friend till I looked like the rest of my classmates. Fortunately, I did get a girlfriend (who has since become my wife) and I have now come to realise that my figure is what it is. The Buddhist teaching of Impermanence also comforts me, by making me realise, I won't be this shape and size for ever; as I grow older, my weight will rise, and this I look forward to. But also, I've come to realise that my appearance (inner or outer) really isn't the big issue here. I should concentrate on achieving enlightenment to help others, and progress on the path to liberation, whether in this life or the next.

Finally, I put it to you: Although we have the ability to reject the diets fashion, and be the figure we want to be, it is not entirely our fault. The fashion industry has a responsibility too. Take for example the superstores/shops. My wife finds it hard to find nice clothes to wear, because their just isn't much on the market. On looking in our local superstore clothes section yesterday, there were more size 4 (US 0) than any other size, and very little for my wife who is at the larger end of the scale (UK 16, considered fat by most, not by me). This makes it close to impossible for my wife to feel comfortable in clothes that don't fit. The fashion industry should look at the poor example they are setting and start looking at nice clothes for the bigger sizes... Just my two cents.