Kelly McAuliffe writes...
When Carrie Bradshaw uttered those immortal words: "I used to buy a copy of Vogue instead of buying dinner because I felt it fed me more", there were probably more than just a few heads around the world nodding in agreement.
I, for one, can vouch I have, on more than one occasion, lived on a diet of toast or two-minute noodles for days on end, because I purchased that irresistible pair of shoes, maxed out my credit card at that sample sale or simply 'forgot' to budget in my monthly hair appointment!
Well, according to latest research, I'm not the only one. "Fashiorexia" is on the rise, with nearly a third of UK women saying they'd rather starve for their fashion, and worryingly, almost half claim they spend more on clothes and accessories each month than food...
The survey, conducted by MyCelebrityFashion.co.uk, asked 4,315 female members of the general public about their food vs. fashion shopping habits and the findings are quite startling. Thirty-two per cent would go without food if it meant they could make a fashion purchase, and up to 28 per cent of those who admitted this, went on to confess this enabled them to keep their weight "in check". Another finding was the - perhaps less surprising - number who spent more on their appearance on a monthly basis than food (49 per cent).
A quick buzz poll around the office determined that all the Shiny girls present would rather have a mighty good feed than go crazy over fashion rails, with CQ deputy ed Iso even going as far as to say she "would rather have fancy cheese and bread than shoes". (I'll remind you of that next time you come into work with some hot new shoes and a homemade sarnie Iso!)
But one does have to admit: while these numbers sound like a staggering discovery, it's also not altogether shocking. We hear bloggers and fashion editors talking all the time about their clothing splurges taking precedence over their diet - some because they see eating Subway every night as a legitimate sacrifice in order to own the latest Alexander McQueen bag; others, we understand, because they're just plain busy people. And others again, we'll never know. In a time when magazines and sites such as The Budget Fashionista, Broke and Beautiful and of course, here at Catwalk Queen, are doing all they can to help us look as chic as possible without breaking the bank (or our food budget), it seems almost crazy so many people would still go without. And yet, we do.
So tell me - have you ever gone without for a must-have buy? Or would you, like Iso, never give up your fancy bread and cheese? Indulge me!
