Thursday, July 22, 2010 by Dea.

Plus sized model Crystal Renn is livid - and I don’t blame her.  She’s a gorgeous woman, and she’s overcome anorexia and exercise bulimia to become one of the world’s premier plus sized models.  That’s her at the left, a NORMAL, curvy shaped woman.  She’s a size 10, actually, but we’ll discuss how in the world size 10 is plus size in a minute.

A recent photo taken of her shocked the world, however, with how emaciated she looked.  My husband and I were stunned when we saw the photo.  We thought she’d starved herself again.  I, for one, was horribly disappointed.  She’s beautiful with her curves, with a full, healthy face.

Now we come to find out that that isn’t even her in the picture.  Well, it’s her.  But once again, the beauty industry decided to improve upon (and I use that phrase sarcastically) nature.  They somehow were disgusted by her natural, healthy shaped.  They decided not just to smooth a wrinkle - they changed her from a size 10 to a size 2.  Once again, the fashion and beauty industry shows their utter contempt for women.  They reveal their disgusting ideal that skeletal and emaciated is somehow sexy.  I can’t figure out how we women allowed them to change the ideal on us.  Words like zaftiq,  reubanesque, and even plump were descriptions of the ultimate in beauty.  So we’ve gone from epitomizing health and plenty to desiring starvation??

Here’s the two versions of Ms. Renn’s photo.  I still can’t figure out what was so very, very “fat” about the original.

Of course, I can’t figure out how in the hell a size 10 is a plus size anyway.  They sure as hell don’t sell a size 10 in any plus size section or store I frequent!  Of course, I was just thumbing through the Avenue catalog today, and I thought to myself that the models were so skinny, they must have had to tailor every single outfit for the photo shoot, since the clothes start out at a size 12W.

Yes, I want to lose weight.  Yes I’d like to be smaller.  I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t at all for reasons of vanity. But my goal weight, and goal size, aren’t unrealistic, and they are, in fact, above the “desirable” weight on the chart.  So three cheers for Crystal Renn.  She’s beat eating disorders, and she’s had a more successful career because of it.  And three cheers to all the photographers who’ve left her pictures alone, in all their curvacious and beautiful glory.

Posted in Shame on Them, Body Image | Print | 3 Comments »

Thursday, October 8, 2009 by Dea.

I cannot believe that we women allow these sorts of things.  I wrote about the Self cover a while back, and it seems that Self isn’t the only outlet that thinks that covers shouldn’t reflect reality, but “inspire women to want to be their best.”  Are they serious??

It seems Ralph Lauren is now on the surrealistic advertising bandwagon.  Who do they think they are fooling with this picture??

How in the world do they expect us to believe that this woman’s waist is this small?  Smaller than her head, which is also bigger than her pelvis??  Why even bother having a model in the first place?  Why not just start from computer aided animation and go with it?

We have airbrushed Twiggy,  lightened Beyonce, tried to fix perfection, and removed a pregnancy bulge!  What is so warped about these companies that they shun the true female form?  What is so wrong with women in our society that we allow this?  The shapely, beautiful female form should be revered, not distorted.  It’s disgusting that we’ve allowed ourselves to cow to these expectations that are not only unrealistic, but complete lunacy!

So, thanks but no thanks, Self - I am not striving for what you feel is an ideal.  I’m not going to look at these fake photos and feel anything but disgust.  I used to like Ralph Lauren products, but I don’t think I’ll buy even a towel now.

Posted in Shame on Them, Body Image | Print | 1 Comment »

Monday, August 10, 2009 by Dea.

Can you sense my sarcasm?  In case you didn’t hear about it, Kelly Clarkson’s picture was photoshopped on the new September 2009 cover of Self Magazine.  There has been controversy and argument over the fact.

And yet, the only thing that surprises me is that people are surprised by it!  Is it that women across our country don’t realize that cover pictures on magazines are fake?  That there are entire departments at magazine offices devoted to photoshopping and airbrushing?  They do everything from smudging out blemishes to shaving off an entire butt!  Those figures you see and think are impossible to achieve?  THEY ARE.  No one, not a single woman in this country, actually looks like those pictures.

And yet, people buy these magazines, and take the advice, and starve, suck, shave, and staple their way toward an unachievable dream.  For what??  To give more money to an entire industry devoted to image?  Seems ridiculous.

Kelly Clarkson is lovely.  Yes, she has a butt.  Oh, the horror.  Why is it that magazine art directors assume we’re not able to see her butt in its normal size and think, wow, she’s beautiful?

The only way to fight back against this practice is to refuse to buy these magazines.  I think, for the sake of our own sanity, and the health and sanity of our daughters, we should all just stop buying into the hype.  Refuse to try to be some ridiculous, unattainable ideal.  I haven’t bought a magazine in five years.  I refuse.  I, for one, will not try to be something unhealthy and sickly looking.  I want to celebrate my body.

This doesn’t mean I don’t want to reach a healthy weight.  I just don’t agree that a healthy weight for a woman who is six feet tall is 155 pounds.  None of us should exchange health for a societal standard that is this warped.  Remember the hot, beautiful, sexy women of the 1950’s?  Marilyn Monroe was a normal sized woman.  She was not anorexic, nor was she a size 0.  And yet, she was perfect.

And so I say, let’s hear it for the normal, healthy female form.  Kudos to Kelly for staying herself - and shame on Self for airbrushing and photoshopping the cover woman for an issue that was supposed to be devoted to total body confidence.

Posted in Shame on Them, Body Image, Stress | Print | 1 Comment »