There’s no way to sugarcoat it anymore: The ultra-skinny beauty ideal from the late ’90s and early 2000s is back—and, thanks in part to Ozempic and similar drugs as well as social media, is causing even more harm than it did back then. Can luxury fashion combat this trend? Meret Olympia Salome Bär is giving it a try with her label Courveia. Handbags shaped like kettlebells, dumbbells, and weight plates serve as a tongue-in-cheek reminder that women should prioritize strength and health instead of starving themselves to dangerous levels.
For a brief moment, it seemed as though diverse body types were becoming the norm, even in the fashion industry with its strict standards. But before we could get used to seeing more than just the one ultra-slim body type on the runway, we’re rapidly sliding back into the ’90s. Heroin chic is back, and thanks to social media and Ozempic, the 21st-century version is even worse: Suddenly, everyone is stick-thin again.
The fact that the pursuit of an unnaturally slim figure has devastating consequences for mental health is only one side of the coin. What is often overlooked is that, for women in particular, the physical consequences are highly complex. Osteoporosis affects a significant portion of the female population worldwide. At the same time, it has been scientifically proven that muscle building and strength training are key factors for bone density, hormonal balance, and mental stability. And yet many women are afraid to train with weights. Anyone who still fears becoming too muscular from strength training should take this fact to heart: Starting at age 30, women lose muscle mass every year—unless they actively counteract this with strength training. That’s because strength training increases bone density and thus helps prevent osteoporosis.
Fashion & Women’s Health
Swiss designer Meret Olympia Salome Bär is trying to make weightlifting suitable for everyday use through luxury fashion. Instead of delicate little leather pouches, her label Courveia offers bags shaped like the very objects we should make our daily companions at the gym: kettlebells, dumbbells, and weight plates. Of course, as bags, they don’t exactly weigh 25 kg. The Kettlebell Handbag, for example, is made from recycled carbon fiber material by CompPair and is manufactured in Switzerland by Swiss Fiber Tec. Thanks to these lightweight materials, you can carry kettlebells and the like around as if they were nothing at all.
Of course, the shapes of these pieces of exercise equipment aren’t exactly practical, but the essentials you need in everyday life can also be found in a dumbbell or weight plate. Because, as is often the case with the beautiful and luxurious things in life: sometimes form trumps function. At Courveia, the focus is on something else entirely: the message about women’s health. So: Don’t just reach for the handbag dumbbell—go for real gym equipment, too.
Stop by the shop and get your own kettlebell for on the go.
Photos: © Courveia
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