Artemis Rampant

The season of fashion shows is here. Haute Couture is strutting its stuff. And bizarre stuff it often is: do some of these apparitions appear anywhere but on the catwalk?

I gaze in disbelief at the pictures in the weekend supplements. Is it because I'm male, or because I'm 70+, or maybe both?

Being male may be a factor. These beanstalk models and their fantasy outfits are not meant to be attractive to men; they are, if anything, anti-sexy, male-repellent.

The models project challenging female self-sufficiency: feminist, not feminine. Their gait and manner is arrogant, unsmiling, unappealing. The clothes neither flatter nor enhance a female figure; on the contrary, they flatten and conceal any curves the model may have. A fashion designer said recently on television that his clothes did not hang well on a woman more than size 12.

The whole appearance is designed to impress and dominate, especially other women.

These are the votaries of Artemis: Aphrodite has no place here.

Catwalk models may be admired role models for anorexics, but I suspect these two groups of underweight woman differ in psychology.

Those models do not show the classic features of anorexia nervosa. Self confidence is the opposite of the 'daddy's little girl' posturing of the truly anorexic; charming, manipulative, devious, untruthful, so badly treated by others. Watch the famous interview by Lady Diana - the adult anorexic personality on display.

Severely affected anorexics starve themselves into extreme body wasting, but the breasts are often surprisingly preserved. No doubt catwalk models starve themselves too, and smoke cigarettes rather than eat, but I suspect they are often naturally tall, skinny women, with poorly developed female body contours.

Anorexia nervosa is a flight from sex and motherhood, a wish to remain juvenile, a phobia of fat, perceived as a symbol of sexual maturity. It is aberrant development of the maternal instinct; turning inward to love of the immature self.

Catwalk models suppress and disguise their normal sexuality.

So who designs these fantasy outfits for for these anti-feminine women? Well, are high proportion are homosexual men.

Draw your own conclusions.

What strange lives these people must lead.

But I suggest there is material for a doctorate thesis in psychology in just one season of these fashion shows.