BS rife in PR

Don’t worry – I’m not talking about the most common acronym, I’m actually referring to the alarming phenomenon that seems to be sweeping our bedrooms, workplaces and social circles around Australia; Body Slamming.

Examples of BS overheard in the past month include (and worry not, the irony of that ellipsis in this instance has not escaped me):

“That’s a great photo of us, except for the part where I look like a sweaty wildebeest.”

“I have to be careful, because I have fat ankles. Well, not fat, but strong. Yeah, strong ankles. Strankles.”

“Wow, I actually look pregnant there.”

And my personal favourite:

“I think I have elephantitis of the arms.”

These are just a few the pearlers that stood out, but I would be remiss without awarding notable mentions to ‘gigantic walrus’, ‘cellulite city’, ‘gigantasaurus rex’, ‘Bert Newton’ (sorry Bert), ‘fatty boomba’, ‘chunky monkey’, ‘badonk-adonk’ and finally, in a cruel and devastating blow to marine life that will undoubtedly spark widespread activism outrage; ‘Shamu, the killer whale.’

While it’s all said in good fun (and often accompanied by hysterical laughter), it highlights the sad fact that even in 2011, we remain our own harshest critics, and unfortunately, I don’t think this is confined to the PR/ media industry. So it is timely that UK style icon Gok Wan is coming to the rescue! Gok is known for his refreshing, empowering take on body image (and hit shows Gok’s Fashion Fix, and How to Look Good Naked) and is about to hit our shores for a national style tour with Westfield.

Gok rose to fame with an inspiring and unique story, separating himself from the twig-like Rachel Zoes and Carson Kressleys with his own media friendly twist: he’s a fashion stylist who used to be fat.

A teenage Gok weighed in at 133 kilograms, which afforded him valuable life lessons on the importance of inner beauty, a sense of humour and loving oneself. In his twenties, he lost half his body weight, and went on to become one of the UK’s most passionate advocates of body image, self esteem, and dressing for one’s shape.

Now with the help of Westfield, Gok is bringing his brand of style empowerment to Australian women.

I hear Gok has a pretty low tolerance for BS, so let’s hope he can talk some body-loving sense into us – and give us some great Autumn/Winter trends advice along the way!

Catch Gok on the Westfield Style Tour:

For further details, please visit www.westfield.com.au