Eighty five per cent of students at the University of South Australia’s Magill Campus think models in the fashion industry are too thin.

The survey concluded young women and men would like to see a more diverse range of body types in magazines.

UniSA student Olivia Daziani says constantly being surrounded by photoshopped, super skinny models in magazines creates a skewed view of beauty and body image for young women.

“The photos are unrealistic and not an accurate representation of the average woman,” Ms Daziani said.

However the fashion industry is beginning to see a new trend –  ‘healthy’ is becoming the new black.

This month marks the one year anniversary of 19 international Vogue editors signing ‘The Health Initiative’, a pact aimed at promoting positive body image within their pages.

“Australian Vogue is moving away from those very young, very thin girls,” Australian Vogue Editor Edwina McCann told The Australian.

The Butterfly Foundation, Australia’s leading eating disorder foundation, applauds the Vogue initiative.

Recent findings from the foundation have found that body image is the top-ranking concern for 15-19 year olds in Australia.

Sarah Spence, the national communications manager for The Butterfly Foundation, says the change will help undo the damage that the fashion industry has done, distorting the perceptions many young Australians have of their bodies.

“The change will help young women see that they do not need to be one body type or one size to be valued,” Ms Spence said.

“There is a swell amount of interest surrounding body image at the moment and more and more people are speaking out.”

Vogue Australia has already refused to publish photos of a number of models for looking worryingly thin.

“If I was aware of a girl being ill on a photo shoot I wouldn’t allow that shoot to go ahead, or if a girl had an eating disorder I would not shoot her,” Ms McCann said.

May 20 saw the launch of Vogue’s June edition, dubbed The Body Issue, which focuses on exercise, nutrition and models of a range of sizes and ages.

The issue features Australian ‘plus-sized’ model Lauren Burnett, from Sydney’s BGM Model Management – only the second plus-sized model to do so.

Although BGM’s plus-sized model has made history, founder of the 16-year-old agency, Darrianne Donnelly would like to steer away from the term ‘plus-size.’

“A model is a model, there should be no categories,” Ms Donnelly said.

“From now on, authentic women will be the term to describe the kind of models we represent.”

“We look forward to the day when all of our models are grouped under the general ‘model’ banner.”

With the Vogue ‘pact’ put in place, the highly influential publication will be promoting authentic women of all shapes and sizes – no plus, no minus, just women.

Image via BGM.

Exposure to sunlight is critical in the development of the eye, according to a recent study by the University of Sydney.

Evidence suggests that small children under six years of age should spend at least 10 hours per week outdoors exposed to sunlight.

The five-year study, which examined more than 2000 primary and secondary students from 55 schools, discovered that direct sunlight at a young age assists in the healthy growth of the eyeball preventing it from growing too fast or over-expanding and becoming oval shaped, which causes short-sightedness.

Children that have a parent or both parents with short-sightedness have a greater likelihood of becoming short-sighted themselves.

Extinguishing the urban myth, the study shows that watching television and computer use have little effect on the development of short-sightedness.

Although the study’s evidence shows that television and computer use has little effect on the development of short-sightedness in children, intensive use of computers or reading can lead to short-sightedness in young adults, according to optometrist Dr K.C Tan at OPSM on North Terrace.

“A lot of reading over a particular time can lead to short-sightedness in people,” Dr Tan said.

“This can occur during studies at university.”

According to the most recent National Health Survey in 2004-05, 4.3 million people are short-sighted with the number rising rapidly.

Trying to prevent the numbers from rising, the researchers of the study recommend schools in possibly creating outdoor classrooms in order to expose the children to more sunlight.

Dr Tan has a recommendation for young adults too.

“Take a break, go for a walk and let your eyes focus on something else in the distance.”

Adelaide is in the middle of an organic food boom with a surge in the demand for fresh produce from local outlets.

More people are making the switch from supermarkets to local produce and shopping at suburban organic outlets and farmers’ markets.

Owner of fruit and vegetable store Organically Grown in Rostrevor, Clinton Carty, has seen the entire image of organics change since he first opened his shop.

“When I first started 20 years ago people didn’t really understand the term organic, I had to explain to them what it meant,” said Clinton.

“Before there might have been an image of a weirdo in a garden…now I would say 8/10 people are looking for organic produce.”

Clinton pointed to the local aspects of the organics market as playing a part in the recent success, with relationships that benefit not only the customer, but the shops owners and producers as well.

Graham Bookman, who has operated The Food Forest Farm in Gawler for over 25 years, agrees with this, and has also witnessed the growth in popularity for organics first hand.

“In Australia, the organic market grows at about 10% per year, with the focus recently moving to local as well as organic,” said Mr Bookman.

Established in 1987, The Food Forest is an Adelaide institution, specialising in organic pistachio nuts but also producing over 160 different organic fruits, vegetables and food products.

Mr Bookman was the founding chairman and integral to establishing the Adelaide Showgrounds Farmers’ Market at Wayville in 2006, where The Food Forest was the first full organic stall.

And according to Mr Bookman, there are countless positives to running a farmers’ market.

“[The farmers’ market] is our main source of income…we don’t produce large quantities of anything so it’s an excellent way for a small and sustainable farm to market its produce.

“It gives us the opportunity to get direct feedback from our customers, they can let us know openly if something was great or not as good as last week,” said Mr Bookman.

The rise in popularity for fresh produce is being seen at the farmers’ market as well.

Attracting over 5000 people to Wayville each Sunday, the announcement was recently made that the market will be expanding with another location to be set up in Prospect.

Spokeswoman Rani Yorkston says that the success is due to the high quality available and the loyal consumer base who continue to return to the market.

“We have a very high number of members and repeat customers, the demand for organic produce is always growing.”

Dianne Francis, 66 of Hampstead Gardens has been attending the market for a few years and has not regretted making the switch from supermarket produce.

“There’s no comparison in the quality, when you buy organic you know it’s going to be better for you and your family,” said Diane.

It is truly a trend that is worldwide, in the US the industry was worth over $31 billion in 2011 and expected to grow another 12 per cent by 2014.

However, no matter how big the organics market gets, Clinton Carty believes it will still always be about the simple things; farmers, fresh produce and community.

“For me it’s all about better tasting, higher quality food,” he said.

As Venezuelans face the most severe shortages of consumer goods in four years, some are rethinking their consumption habits, while others are finding themselves in a messy situation.

Resident of Venezuela’s western city of Merida, Yana Lopez is concerned about reports of toilet paper shortages.

“Yes I have toilet paper, but the situation is very serious and there is scarcity,” Ms Yana stated.

Along with toilet paper, there have been scarcities of other consumer products ranging from cooking oil to pre-cooked cornflour; the latter being a staple in Venezuela.

In April, the Central Bank of Venezuela (CBV)  reported a 21.3 per cent rise in scarcity, along with a 4.3 per cent spike in consumer prices.

The CBV scarcity index measures the availability of basic products in supermarkets across the country; its April report found scarcity levels that exceeded all previous records since the index was established in 2009.

However, not everyone is concerned about the latest absentee from supermarket shelves.

Caracas resident Zafra Miriam said that while her area has seen a shortage of soap, “we haven’t had any problems with toilet paper.”

Back in Merida, community journalist Fabricio Martorella isn’t worried about the toilet paper shortages either.

“I don’t have any, I just wash myself,” he said, laughing.

For the government, though, these shortages are no laughing matter. Its handling of the issue has been criticised by opposition groups, including the head of the largest opposition party, the MUD’s Henrique Capriles.

Mr Capriles says the Maduro administration is “irresponsible and lying”, and attributes the shortages to economic mismanagement.

However, head of the Federation of Small and Medium Industries (Fedeindustria), Migues Pérez Abad believes that the shortages have been caused by rising demand.

“Poverty has been reduced by 50 per cent, meaning we have a greater amount of consumers,” Mr Abad stated, according to Venezuelanalysis.

The minister for trade, Alejandro Fleming agrees.

He told state news agency (AVN)  that government estimates put normal monthly consumption of toilet paper at 125 million rolls, but said that has risen in recent years due to increased purchasing power.

“It’s not a deficiency in production, but rather excessive demand that is a product of a media campaign that causes nervous buying,” Mr Fleming said to AVN.

Mr Martorella also blames Venezuelan private media for exacerbating the shortages.

“They [the media] need to clean themselves up,” said Mr Martorella.

The government is also blaming suppliers working with opposition parties, with President Nicolas Maduro describing the shortages as “economic warfare” earlier this month.

“We have many indicators that [Empresas] Polar has been reducing their production and hoarding products in order to create scarcity,” Maduro said.

Polar is Venezuela’s largest food company. As well as being the largest producer of cornflour, its line of beers are the most widely distributed in the country.

In recent months there have been nationwide shortages of cornflour, but Polar beer remains widely available.

On May 13, owner Lorenzo Mendoza denied any responsibility for the shortages, and hit back at President Maduro, saying that he isn’t “well informed”.

“We do not hoard,” Mr Mendoza told Venezuelan media.

The following day, Mr Mendoza and President Maduro held a meeting, after which Vice President Jorge Arreaza told state broadcaster (VTV) that “the problem has been overcome”.

“It was very cordial, direct, sincere meeting,” Mr Mendoza stated.

According to Ms Miriam, since the meeting between Polar and the government, local supermarkets have been restocked.

“The [supermarket] was sort of under-supplied until the day after the meeting with Polarand then miracle of miracles it was full of everything, even dish soap,” she stated.

However, in other parts of Venezuela another toiletry is still in short supply- toothpaste.

“I haven’t seen any since December,” Venezuelanalysis reporter Tamara Pearson stated.

Colgate-Palmolive currently dominates the toothpaste market in Venezuela, where according to the Wall Street Journal five per cent of the company’s sales are generated. Last month, the company posted a 22 per cent fall in earnings.

Since then, in Merida Colgate packs containing a single tube of toothpaste and a “free” toothbrush have been sold in some major supermarkets, but generally retail at around BsF50 (US2.50), while at the time of writing individual tubes remained scarce.

When the shortages started, single tubes of Colgate toothpaste were are subject to a government regulated price of BsF17.09, though the packs including toothbrushes are unregulated.

On May 14, Mr Fleming stated that the shortages will be addressed by the government, and announced the importing of the “equivalent of 50 million rolls of toilet paper”.

“We are going to saturate the market so that our people calm down,” Mr Fleming told AVN.

To Ms Pearson, however, the rolling shortages aren’t just a “question of supply”.

“The thing is a lot of people insist on using the fancy stuff, and that’s what’s harder to get. People can also be quite wasteful – here, and in many countries,” Ms Pearson stated.

“It’s also a question of looking at our consumption habits, and consuming only according to need,” she said.

Over half of young South Australian women are not having regular pap smears, putting them at a greater risk of leaving cervical cancer undetected.

According to SA Health only 45.4 per cent of 20 to 24-year-olds have undergone the screening test, which detects up to 90 per cent of cervical cancers.

The second most common cancer in women worldwide, cervical cancer, is caused by infection of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is spread through contact during sexual activity. There are no symptoms and four out of five people will contract HPV at some stage during their life.

According to the Cancer Council Victoria, around 200 Australian women die from cervical cancer every year. Many of these women don’t have regular pap smears.

SA Health’s clinical practice consultant, Jodi Knoop said many young women wrongly assume the Gardasil vaccine introduced in Australia in 2007 protects them from cervical cancer.

“Many people think that if they’ve had the vaccine they don’t need to have a pap smear, but while the vaccine protects against the two main types of HPVs that cause cervical cancer, there are still 10 other HPVs associated with cervical cancer,” she said.

Often labelled as the most uncomfortable but most important few minutes in a women’s life, pap smears can distinguish abnormal cells on the cervix, which may lead to cervical cancer.

Louise Berry has a family history of cervical cancer and knows all too well the importance of regular check-ups after having her own cervical cancer scare at the age of 22.

“I had CIN3 (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3) detected in a routine pap smear, which is the stage just before they diagnose it as cancer,” she says.

Louise says she wasn’t aware of the seriousness of cervical cancer  until she found out her grandmother had a full hysterectomy at the age of 30 due to cervical cancer.

“I didn’t have any concept of how serious it was until I later found out about Grandma. I also didn’t know it (cervical cancer) was related in some way to sexual activity,” she says.

“I will be super, super careful now because I’ve had an experience and I had it happen really young. I think people can’t underestimate how important it is to get checked.”

All women aged 18-70 who have ever been sexually active are advised to have regular pap smears every two years, even if they have no abnormal symptoms or have received the cervical cancer vaccine.

To find out more about cervical cancer and pap smears book an appointment with your local GP or contact SA Cervix Screening on 13 15 56.

A new online time capsule means residents of Marion and surrounding suburbs will be able to show future generations what life was like in 2013.

The Marion Council’s M Files project, predicted to launch in July, will allow people to create a contemporary ‘cultural snapshot’ of the suburb today, made up of pictures and videos sent in by residents that will be preserved online.

Marion Council’s Arts and Cultural Development Officer Vassi Coutsoumbes said in a media release that the M Files enable residents to be part of their community’s history.

“The M Files will be a social history picture book, created by the Marion community for the entire world and future generations,” Ms Coutsoumbes said.

“We welcome submissions from amateur and professional photographers, and people who simply take snaps on their smartphone, of anything ranging from family life, social settings, significant objects or favourite places.”

Marion Council’s Manager of the Arts and Cultural Development Unit Marg Edgecombe said council discussion surrounding social media and the area’s cultural heritage lead to the creation of the M Files.

“We were thinking about ways to collect and discover what the contemporary issues are for people living in the community, what people are doing, what people are thinking and what sorts of issues they are facing,” Mrs Edgecombe said.

“We wanted to find out what the cultural heritage of day-to-day suburban life is right at this point in time, because it could be the history of the future.”

Creative Director of Inspire Every1 Productions, Susan Rooney-Harding, ran ‘iPhoneography’ workshops at the Marion Cultural and Civic Centre earlier this month as part of the M Files project to help people develop photography skills on their phone.

She said mobile phones are ideal devices to use to capture moments in our day-to-day lives.

“We’ve always got our phones on us and there is no better camera than the one we always have with us because we can get instant snapshots and capture the ‘now’,” Mrs Rooney-Harding said.

“The quality you can get from a phone is incredibly high if you know what you’re doing.”

Mrs Rooney-Harding said the M Files is an effective and efficient way of showing the identity, diversity of ordinary suburban life in the area.

“A picture tells a thousand words doesn’t it, so it’s an amazing tool to tell a story with,” she said.

“With photography it’s a snapshot, so it’s not very time consuming to look at, and in our time-poor world, whether it’s time-lapsing, photography or a short video, that’s all we really have time to consume before we move on to the next thing.”

Mrs Edgecombe said the project will act as a microcosm of daily experiences within the Marion community, yet the council haven’t decided if the project will run past this year.

“We aren’t sure whether we will make this just a 2013 project or have one every few years,” she said.

“It’s really a pilot project, so we will see how this one goes and then make a decision whether or not to carry on with it in the future.”

Ashlea Sealey, 20, of Plympton Park said she is looking forward to seeing the final product.

“The M Files is a great idea where people of the Marion area can take snap shots of their community,” Miss Sealey said.

“I would definitely consider taking photos of my life to show future generations what interested me and what life was like in Plympton Park in 2013.”

The winning submission that best represents life in the Marion community will be announced on Marion Council’s Facebook page on 20 June.

Residents have until 31 May to send in content.

If you live in the Marion area and wish to submit your own content, head to, http://www.marion.sa.gov.au/mfiles

For tips on taking pictures with your phone, head to http://inspireevery1productions.com/the-m-files-iphoneograhpy-and-time-lapse/

Image via City of Marion.

Workers at Spring Gully Foods are celebrating as some return for the first time since the business went into voluntary administration in early April.

Spring Gully marketing and export manager Tegan Webb said 43 staff are currently  employed by the food processor, the same number as before the company struck financial woes.

“We’ve started a second shift, which is the first time in the company’s history that we’ve done that, so that’ll give us a lot more capacity to make products, due to the increase in demand for the products,” she said.

“We lost some peak staff, so we’ve replaced one-for-one [the people we laid-off].”

Ms Webb said spirits were high as workers arrived for the company’s inaugural second shift.

However, it’s still not clear how the local business will survive when the wave of sales sparked by media interest inevitably drops off.

The company’s future hinges on the decision of a creditors’ meeting planned for next month.

“We still aren’t 100 per-cent clear on our future path, the 17^th of June is our next creditors’ meeting, but up to that point we’ll continue [working],” Ms Webb said.

“We’ve got significant orders in place going forward over that time, so leading into the 17^th of June will definitely be very busy.

“We’ve been in negotiations with Coles and Woolworths and IGA about expanding our range and things like that which will help keep it sustainable.”

South Australian independent senator Nick Xenophon has been helping the company negotiate with supermarkets, after one chain cancelled their contract with Spring Gully partly leading to their current predicament.

At a creditors’ meeting last month administrator Austin Taylor said public support for the struggling business was unprecedented.

“I haven’t seen turnaround quite as dramatic as this, and I’ve been doing this for 30 years; it’s quite extraordinary,” he said.

Spring Gully staff hope running two shifts a day will improve their efficiency and profitability.

Image via Spring Gully Foods.

4 / 5

Some would say there’s no point in seeing a film when you know what happens at the end; however this most recent screen adaptation of the ill-fated Marie Antoinette is most certainly worth your attention.

Filmed mostly in Versailles itself, the interiors are astonishing and the costumes overwhelmingly delectable, and impressive performances round out this glorious film.

Witnessed through the wide eyes of Sidonie (Léa Seydoux), the Queen’s reader (and a little bit beside), Farewell, My Queen is a tense and emotional portrayal of the French aristocracy’s downfall. The film begins just days before the storming of the Bastille, which was the catalyst for the slew of regal beheadings and the start of the French Revolution.

Sidone is late (as always) for her session with the Queen (Diane Kruger) and on arrival at Le Petit Trianon is warned of the Queen’s poor sleep and resulting bad temper. But, when we see her in her bedclothes, hair loose and still relaxed in bed, she is in excellent spirits and enthused at Sidone’s arrival.

From the outset we see deception surrounds the Queen. Each story has passed through so many ears and mouths in a game of Chinese whispers, it’s nearly impossible to know what’s true anymore.

And that is how Versailles exists; on whispers and gossip. The court live in a void so removed from reality that what goes on beyond the walls is both unknown and unthought-of – at least until the people of France demand power and their caged world crumbles.

We are shown relatively little of the Queen herself and when we see her next she has morphed into the quintessential image of the Queen of France. She now stands composed before the court as the people of France want power (fancy that). Things escalate, as we knew they would, and the aristocracy’s ruin becomes a reality. Many flee and for some the escape is unsuccessful. The Queen’s favourites become apparent when she instructs Sidone to undertake a task only a devotee would agree to.

Sidone is granted a place above the others through her association with the Queen and clings frantically to this. Though we find out nearly nothing about the girl, she is captivating and as intriguing to us as the Queen is to her.

It’s interesting to see such historic events play out from Sidone’s perspective and the film brings to life the time with stark vividness. At times it’s a tad overbearing as the music portrays the tenseness as the minutes pass and each await their destiny. Farewell, My Queen is an utterly magnificent, yet haunting, portrayal of one woman’s downfall.

Farewell, My Queen is showing at Palace Nova Cinemas from June 6.

LeBron James’ triple double effort and game-winning lay-up proved just enough for Miami Heat to prevail with a one-point overtime victory against the Indiana Pacers in Game One of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals yesterday.

James, the 2012/13 Most Valuable Player, contributed 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and with 2.2 seconds remaining in the contest drove to the basket to add the go-ahead points.

Speaking after the game, the team captain said he knew before the inbound pass, he was not going to settle for a jump shot.

“I knew I had time, Coach (Eric Spoelstra) drew up a good play and I told myself I was going to attack,” James explained.

The Heat appeared to be troubled by the size and length of the Pacers throughout much the game, and again struggled against Indiana forward David West, who finished with an efficient 26 points.

West averaged 17.1 points per game in the regular season but elevated his play during the three match-ups against the Heat, averaging 22.6 points per game. 

Young forward Paul George led the Pacers with 27 points, including a miraculous three-point shot to force overtime, and then hit three clutch free throws as time wound down in the extra period.

The Pacers looked the better team for most of the contest, but it came down to who got the opportunity to take the final shot, and James made it count.

“The two teams fought hard, and we (were) able to make one more play than they made,” he said.

James saved most of his praise for unheralded backup centre Chris ‘Birdman’ Anderson, who was a spark off the bench with 16 points on 7/7 shooting, in just under 19 minutes of playing time.

“Bird was amazing; his motor, his aggressiveness, his spirit of basketball gives us a dimension that we haven’t had,” said James.

“We need his activity around the rim offensively and defensively, he gave us a great boost off the bench.”

The Heat will host the Pacers for Game Two on May 25.

Most of us are dependent on the internet for keeping up to date with daily gossip and news – and of course online shopping – but few could have predicted it had the potential to combat one of Australia’s oldest  equality problems.

Women’s’ sport advocates say the rise of social media and online communications could be the breakthrough needed to see more equal opportunities in one of the nation’s most important industries.

Danielle Warby, principal of Sporting Sheilas, a group supporting females in sport, says women need more recognition in the sporting industry.

And social media could be the perfect platform to do so.

“Social media is allowing for more recognition in women’s sport and allows the players to showcase themselves,” Danielle says.

“It helps tell the stories of the players and lets the public know who they are and where they have come from.”

Danielle says that all too often women face discrimination and disadvantages in sport.

“Women face barriers at all levels and at times they simply don’t have the facilities,” she says.

“They receive little recognition and attention from the media – there definitely needs to be more media attention.”

However, Danielle feels confident that the level of communication now available  will ultimately see a turning point  female sporting figures are hoping for, as social media platforms raise awareness and increase interaction with the public.

11-year-old Dahlia Glennie is a keen New South Wales cricket player and has already come face-to-face with disadvantages on the playing field.

Dahlia loves the sport and hopes to one day play at a national level, but is afraid she will not be able to do so.

“I’d still have to work a full-time job just to survive and it would be so hard to keep up with all the training,” she says.

Danielle stresses that originally, money was not the driving force of sport.

“Women’s sport has the potential to be truly amazing and get back to the roots of what sport really is, being community, fitness, fun and health.”

Danielle also believes women are often forgotten and miss out on exterior funding.

“All it has to be is a small incentive from the government, sports organisations, businesses and so on, but no one’s willing to take that risk,” she says.

“It’s all about creating a sustainable future.”

Dahlia’s mother, Renee Brown, says she worries as her daughter grows older she will begin to experience discrimination in her stereotypically “male-dominated” chosen sport.

“I do worry that as she gets older she will begin to get offended by different types of discrimination, causing her to avoid the sport altogether,” Renee says.

“People always doubt the girls’ team, especially boys and their parents at the local cricket club.”

As Dahlia’s school team have become successful and received media attention from the local newspaper, the boys have started to pay more attention.

Despite cricket being a commonly male-dominated sport, Danielle says it is in fact the closest mixed gender sport which is on par with the men.

“The women recently won the Ashes and the players were granted $20,000 bonuses, which is huge.”

21-year-old Adelaide soccer player Jess Dalton believes women’s sport has come a long way over the past decade, but inequalities are still apparent and social media is an effective way of reaching audiences.

“These days, due to increased participation and interest in sport, people are beginning to stop categorising sport by gender,” she says.

“Most sport organisations now have web sites and Facebook pages, which make it easy to communicate with each other and the wider community.

“The more opportunity there is in the sport industry for mixed gender sport, the less society will dictate based on gender.”

To find out more about women’s sport, visit www.thewomensgame.com or sportforwomen.com.au

For more information on the Sporting Sheilas organisation, visit their web site at:  sportingsheilas.com.au