Finally, a nationally published and well known magazine is starting to turn in the right direction concerning the sizes of their models. According to CNN.com In Glamour’s September issue, an article was run about being comfortable in the skin you’re in, kind of a “what is normal, really” article. Lizzi Miller was photographed in only her underwear, in a very tasteful pose as an “average” woman.
The response has been overwhelming. Lizzi is a size 12/14 and considered a “plus-sized” model by the industry standards, which is ironic since the average American woman is a size 14. The down side to this is the fact that even though the magazine put in a photo of a beautiful woman, representing women everywhere, there was still a blurb on the front of the magazine touting 3 ways to have a flatter tummy.
Response:
The author of this article seems to be just like all of the rest of us women in the world that are not super models. Those of us that do not have perfect bodies, stylists, hair and makeup teams, or professional air brush artists at our beck and call are not being represented well in the media. Why, if the average woman is a size 14, are the majority of models sized 0 or 2? Why are most of the covers of magazines geared towards women subscribers “graced” with thin, perfect looking models as well as article titles touting the latest diet or exercise craze? Why are we letting them do this?
The article’s author recalls the point in her childhood when she started to realize the pressure that is put upon today’s young women. The constant barrage from TV, magazines, movies and advertisements has our girls already thinking that they need to be thin in order to be happy or have a boyfriend or be popular. It is refreshing to see that Glamour magazine showed a more “natural” woman in their article. I went to the magazine’s website and read about just how popular this three inch by three inch photo has been. The very day that the magazine hit the newsstands the corporate office started receiving phone calls and emails from fans that were expressing their delight in this step in a positive direction.
I agree with the article’s author as well in that it is a shame though, that a sized 12/14 woman would be labeled as a “plus size” model, but I am encouraged to see that at least we are now talking about being happy with our bodies. We need more “real” women feeling beautiful just how they are, and the only way we can start that is by changing how we see beauty. This might just be the first step in that direction.
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I will say it amazes me not to see any posts on this article above. And to also state that I being a true plus size woman find it hard to swallow thinking that a 12/14 is plus size. If you look at your majority of the population of women you will see that they are not Size 2. Good article, well put, and way to go on your response. People need to grow up and quit worrying about what is on the outside of us and start looking on the inside you might see the bigger picture and a better person yourself.
ReplyDeleteI actually saw this article online myself and am sooo happy that maybe the idea of a beautiful woman is changing. I absolutely love the way you stated how we need to change HOW we see beauty. And don't you think, honestly, the very skinny models don't look very happy? Personally, I think body health is really important and there has to be a happy medium, as far as health wise. It can't be healthy to be a size 2. But as far as looks, the woman in the article looks healthy and happy. A great representation of average women who are very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI will have to agree and say that the media does put a lot of emphasis on women being a certain size and look a certain way. There is too much pressure to look just like the girl on the front cover of Cosmo. However I do feel that it is important to keep your body healthy, and that your appearance should be tasteful. If you let yourself go then I feel that your self esteem is going to go also. You don't have to be a size 2, but keep yourself happy.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I heard about this photo was on an early morning news program. I thought it was fabulous. Not only do girls not have to be a certain size to be beautiful, they also do not to be consumed by trends and fads. I wish that all magazines would start doing things like this so girls of all ages can feel beautiful in their own skin without feeling the need to wear tons of makeup and have all the fancy clothes; none of these things make you who you are. It seems there is a ton more emphasis on what you look like than how you behave and carry yourself as a person.
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