A few weeks back I posted a piece on gorgeous Lizzie Miller, beauty standards, and the way Glamour magazine should be applauded for featuring a photo that captures the spirit of a woman who looks healthy and happy in her own skin. Now the fashion mag–which has included many ‘plus-sized’ models over the years–features seven women (including Lizzie) in an article about beauty in all shapes and sizes. They take the dialog one step further asking:
OK, let’s envision a world where women of more body types do get glamorous work in magazines and ad campaigns. Would female readers, viewers and buyers want it?
Glamour goes into detail about what it would take and of course, the answer is ultimately, us. But the reason this matters so much is bigger than determining which fashion models get work. It’s a topic taken on in recent years by Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty and others, but a message that needs to be repeated. Women and girls across the country–and beyond–face tremendous pressure to conform to an unrealistic, frequently unhealthy vision of what’s ‘socially acceptable’, how we should look, and what we should weigh. Put simply, it’s pure nonsense. And yet, we perpetuate the myth by celebrating these ideals in media and popular culture. So solving the problem begins with changing ourselves.
I have observed firsthand too many college-aged women and high school girls suffering from bulimia and anorexia in a losing battle to achieve what only airbrush can. My close relationships with women seem to inevitably drift into discussions of weight, calories, and body image, while with men, these subjects come up in the broader context of health and fitness. I have listened to my friends–beautiful new mothers–tell me how much they hate their new bodies for the very shape they took to bring forth life.
In short, we’ve become intolerant of reality. That’s simply unacceptable.
Glamour’s article brought me encouragement. There is reason for hope, at least if we can stop obsessing over nonsense. In the end, overcoming the crisis is up to us.
October 8th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Sheril, thanks for reminding me. Everyone needs to see this.
October 8th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
I’ve always been a fan of plus-size models! There’s a great site with many images of Crystal and other plus-size models here:
http://www.judgmentofparis.com/
They’re all gorgeous.
The site’s forum also has thought-provoking discussions about body image and the media.
October 8th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
At least judging by my boyishly happy reaction to the Miller photo a few weeks back, I think the whole plus-size issue is a non-issue for me (within limits — dysfunctional obesity is a no-go).
The thing is, I think part of the reason why I loved Miller’s photos was that she looked so happy. The whole sultry vixen expression that you usually see in Glamour, like in the above photo, only works for mannequins and livejournal posts. Maybe that’s just me.
October 8th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I would buy it! I’d like to see more magazines do this. Glamour has my support.
October 8th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Also need more short people in the NBA… as a short person it puts unacceptable social pressures on me. Tall men get all the breaks in this society but most normal, real people ARE NOT THAT TALL.
COME ON!
October 8th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
[...] 8, 2009 I don’t see why not, especially since no one can fit that [...]
October 8th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
This is beautiful. Reality at its beast because this is how real woman look. They have rolls and little lines and maybe some stretch marks and are still so beautiful. I dont see big women here at all. I see healthy secure women.
October 8th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I’m sorry, what was the question? I was distracted.
Seriously, the women in that image appear much more real than most super models. This makes them more accessible to both women and men, and it’s important that men have realistic expectations as much as women. That’s not to say that men (or women) should “settle” for a particular image. Personally, I would never consider a date with any of those women “settling”.
October 8th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
While it may get me . . . ribbed . . . by Red, every one o fthose woman, to me, would be physically attractive in the “Man, dod you see her” kind of way. Seriously tthey’re REAL WOMEN, and they are all gorgeous.
Kudos to Glamour for doing this, and kudos to you for bringing it to us!
October 8th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
I’m happy to hear about Glamour’s photo, but I think that the problem goes far beyond fashion magazines. If women were happy with body shapes of all types but were still interested in makeup and fashion, magazines like Glamour would still sell. (Whether they’d sell as well without the anxiety, I’m not sure.) However trillions of dollars depend on women’s dissatisfaction with their appearance: the diet industry, the food industry, the books, the talk shows, plastic surgery, the list goes on and on. And it all depends on women wanting to look different. There are laws to prevent the tobacco industry marketing to kids (though they try to circumvent them). But there is nothing to protect our kids from the huge conglomerates that make money off their unhappiness with themselves. I live in a sheltered neighbourhood: diverse, progressive and we are very careful about tv. Up till now I’ve heard nothing about diets or appearance from my kids or their friends. But my older daughter is now 11 and I’m hearing the first rumblings of it from her friends. It concerns me greatly. There is no excuse for the businesses that make their money off this supposedly because people want it. People are not insulated and cannot insulate themselves from the anxiety and fear created by businesses that depend on it for their success. These businesses operate under the twisted guise of helping people achieve the very dreams those businesses have concocted, but will never achieve because to do so would bankrupt them.
October 8th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
If Glamour thinks Lizzie Miller and these seven models are “plus size” then they continue to have a very skewed sense of reality. I welcome the acceptance of different body shapes, but until that really happens beauty magazines such as this are continuing to perpetuate the myth that a woman’s value comes through her appearance alone.
October 8th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
@10 Lilian Nattel
Absolutely. It’s perpetuated by cultural norms, social mores, even evolution.
@11 EMJ
..but this is, at least, a step in the right direction and therefore, worth acknowledging.
October 8th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Sorry, but I agree with EMJ; even this is not a random and real sample of your average women. These women are still pretty attractive from the fashion model standpoint. Also notice that all of them are black or white. As I mentioned in the earlier post, what the magazine should do is pick 50 women of all shapes, sizes, ages, nationalities, skin colors and socioeconomic status from 50 different countries. That would truly be beautiful.
October 8th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
CF this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/08/fashion/thursdaystyles/08FASHION.html
Isn’t it credible that perhaps the designing industry would emphasis slender, boyish figures, a lack of bust, etc., basically the Twiggy look?
Also, looking at art, we see some eras where paleness was the ideal, others where “Rubinesque” figures were the ideal.
Any notions that can’t account for these changes are flawed.
October 8th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Hoo boy, this is a really tough issue. The elephant in the room here is the effect of MALE perceptions of women’s bodies. In this culture, males place great value on the shape of a thin woman with large breasts. That perception in turn fuels all sorts of consequences: shapely women have more marriage options, and once they are in a marriage they are more secure in that marriage. Perhaps it’s better to phrase this the other way around: fat women have fewer marriage options, and are more likely to suffer the cheating of their husbands. I have absolutely no, none, zero, nada, zip data to support my claim, but I’ll call it common knowledge; should anybody like to defend male probity by insisting that female shapeliness does not affect male behavior, I have nothing to defend my claim.
This factor thus puts intense pressure on women to conform to that ideal. And it echoes through all sort of other behaviors. Women internalize it and judge themselves by their attractiveness to men.
This problem will not be solved by telling men to change their sexual tastes for the good of society. How many people here would give up chocolate for the good of society? The real solution is to continue the slow, steady progress towards true income equality for women, so that women start to see husbands not as sources of revenue but as partners. If you don’t really need a man, you don’t need to be sexually attractive — you can make your own choice.
October 8th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Probably going to get shot down for this but on a recent trip to Germany my boyfriend and I couldn’t get over how few “obese” people we saw – on the subways, in the rural areas, everywhere. I definately agree that these women are lovely and that healthy bodies should be applauded, but let’s not forget that we are the most overweight country… while being thin shouldn’t be an obsession, the value of regular exercise and a healthy diet can’t be ignored.
October 8th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
I agree that fashion magazines feature images of women that are too thin. I prefer the thicker, Playboy look. Let’s not get too carried away, though, and assume that beauty is entirely a social construct. Sheril and others here have acknowledged that evolution shaped our conception of beauty too. Even if, in the future, thicker-female images become the norm, there would likely be societal pressure to smooth out one’s skin (as now), make one’s face more symmetrical (if possible), brighten one’s eyes, etc. I think there will always be an obsession with physical attractiveness.
October 8th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
@16 sunnygrrlSB:
I agree. Although it’s important to make the distinction that slender is not always synonymous with healthy. They can certainly be complimentary, but genetics, illness, and so much more can play a large role.
October 8th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Madison Avenue and other venues certainly have played great mind games on how women feel about themselves. I think a woman needs to develop the healthiest self-image and inner confidence of herself, and let that shine through. That is what makes a person truly beautiful.
October 8th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Two thoughts: I don’t know men who are attracted to spindly thin. And there’s a third option, not mentioned in Glamour, this blog entry, or the comments — a fit, athletic body. The curves and grace of a form born of healthy functionality, such as you might see in a woman who was a soldier, police officer, martial artist, etc.
October 8th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
I agree, I don’t think men see much difference between “thin” and “normal healthy body fat”.
Here’s an observation that I’d like to ask everybody about: it seems that most American women fall into two groups:
1. “I’m going to keep my weight to a level that is reasonably attractive to men.”
2. “Screw it. I’ll be as fat as I want.”
That is, I don’t see many women who are just overweight to be noticeable. Yes, there are some, but it seems that the majority of women fall into the above two groups. Here’s another way to state it:
Suppose we built a histogram of the number of women in each class of body mass index. Doesn’t it seem as if that histogram would turn out to be double-peaked?
October 9th, 2009 at 12:37 am
Ever seen a pic of Sheril? Looks like she works at keeping herself roll-free.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/files/2009/10/IMG_1928.JPG
(especially in comparison to pics from a while ago)
October 9th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Bioephmera has an interesting link to a Ralph Lauren advertisement in which they seem to be taking body image off into a very negative direction. This is especially true if the ad in question influences anyone who already has issues with anorexia or their own body shape.
As said by #19 above, Madison Avenue does play mind games on how women feel about themselves.
The resulting controversy is another example of photoshopping potentially impacting the integrity of the creator, as discussed in the Euginie Samuel Reich posting.
October 9th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Right on, Sheril! What an amazing photo!
I agree that much of this IS nonsense. I wish people would focus on cardiovascular health instead of body image. THAT would be worthwhile.
October 9th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
I find it very hard to stomach the “Dove Campaign For Real Beauty.” As anyone who lives in Asia knows, their most heavily marketed and advertised products in the region are their “skin whiteners.” The hypocrisy is stunning.
October 9th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Any thoughts on the photo appearing in the NYT yesterday of 4 American Marines in Afghanistan? They are all women! Article title “Afghan War Debate Now Leans to Focus on Al Qaeda”
October 12th, 2009 at 3:26 am
Uh yeah, until these magazines are getting money from advertisers who do not want their customers to be on a diet there is no change in sight. Currently though, women’s magazines are full of ads for various diet and exercise programs, and for cosmetics and clothes (which also thrive off of the beauty myth). People who feel like crap about their appearance will buy a lot more stuff to try and fix it. We can’t make anything happen by buying more of these magazines. I am pretty enraged that instead of not buying any of this crap at all I am supposed to be so inspired by a magazine daring to have a tiny space devoted to realistic body images when the rest of the magazine is devoted to undoing the work of the tiny piece they so generously gave to american women. The way that they frame the issue is dishonest anyway; every half hearted article I read about ‘feeling good about your body’ in those magazines always says something about how I don’t need to beat myself up for not being a perfect size __, which just supports the idea that the beauty ideals pushed on us are somehow eternal or natural, that whatever size they name is by definition more perfect or beautiful than a different size. They just aren’t, and a look at the history of beauty in our culture or a cross cultural study it becomes obvious that nothing that is unique to the magazine image is necessarily perfect or desirable everywhere, and that those variable qualities make up the vast majority of what we consider conventional beauty in this country. You can see this bs idea being repeated in the comments here as well as the silly idea that beauty=health (HA!).
One of these stories comes out every few months anyway, where they show some ‘real’ woman, like the dove campaign or this or jamie lee curtis forever ago without any airbrushing. Its a friggin gimmick, the magazines can’t realistically ditch their advertisers and still make any money. If you need a comparison, check out the price of an adbusters magazine sometime, it was about ten dollars an issue for an ad free magazine when I bought them… I think that was almost a decade ago, so who knows how much it costs now.
Figuring out what we all like about ourselves without a magazine or some other cultural narrative to dictate perfection to us is the best answer. Demanding that advertisers make you feel better about yourself when they have no incentive to do so and would most likely lose profit as a result is a losing battle.
mko- I don’t know if it is hypocritical when a lot of those ‘real beauty’ ads were selling cellulite cream. You know, that thing over 90% of women have, and was used as a brand new source of insecurity around the 1970′s. You can see the invention of new conditions to avoid all the time in beauty advertising, I mean, I have seen magazines talking about ‘ugly hand veins’ like anyone can work out all the time/get as thin as the ads dictate without their veins showing. veins are airbrushed off of the hands of models most of the time now, because, i guess that women should be concerned about anyone knowing that they contain blood. ? It has always been pretty crazy, but its getting weirder and weirder as time goes on.
October 12th, 2009 at 3:36 am
@22. Gross. Don’t talk about women that way, no one cares what grade or status you assign to her body and its abnormal that you think its an appropriate thing to say.