Did you miss these controversial images from last week? Many readers contacted us after we published them in the Week In Pics post asking for some added context. So here it is:
In its January issue, when many mags are publishing crash diets and bikini body stories, PLUS Model Magazine in the US published the following images of plus-size model Katya Zharkova to illustrate the absurdity of ‘plus’ models being considered a very small sub-genre of the model industry.
Click through to get the full message – it’s a strong and startling one:
Alongside the naked images (which, it must be said, have clearly been photoshopped to even skin tones etc), PLUS Model Magazine published the following commentary under the headline: “Plus-sized bodies, what is wrong with them anyway?’
- Twenty years ago the average fashion model weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today, she weighs 23% less.
- Ten years ago plus-size models averaged between size 12 and 18. Today the need for size diversity within the plus-size modeling industry continues to be questioned. The majority of plus-size models on agency boards are between a size 6 and 14, while the customers continue to express their dissatisfaction.
- Most runway models meet the Body Mass Index physical criteria for Anorexia.
- 50% of women wear a size 14 or larger, but most standard clothing outlets cater to sizes 14 or smaller.
If we continue to ignore and rely on others to decide what we want to see, change will never happen. We have to be vocal and proactive, patient and realistic.
Tips on how we can help create change:
- Support the companies who market to you.
- Use social networking sites and email to let brands and designers know how you feel about clothing, options and the use of straight sized models (thin models) to market to you.
- Your dollars count! If you stop buying at “Store A” and let them know you will not be purchasing clothing until they market to you, this will raise concern.
- Use every avenue and opportunity you have available to you for your voice to be heard.
- Indie designers need our support.
The answer to the question is this, there is nothing wrong with our bodies. We are bombarded with weight-loss ads every single day, multiple times a day because it’s a multi-billion dollar industry that preys on the fear of being fat. Not everyone is meant to be skinny, our bodies are beautiful and we are not talking about health here because not every skinny person is healthy.
What we desire is equality to shop and have fashion options just like smaller women. Small women cannot be marketed to with pictures of plus-size women, why are we expected to respond to pictures of small size 6 and 8 women? We don’t! When the plus size modeling industry began, the models ranged in size from 14 to 18/20, and as customers we long for those days when we identify with the models and feel happy about shopping.Are we moving towards that goal? Are you being marketed effectively by the brands who want your dollars?
What do you think when you see those images?
Comments
98 Comments so far
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It’s become fashionable to attack the overweight with accusations of “poor lifestyle, lack of judgement, slovenly habits, laziness,” and so on – but what many of these “skinny experts” (the Tut Tut brigade) don’t understand is that many people with weight issues have become that way through illness, pain, medication and the ability to move effectively enough to burn off the modest amounts of food they’re consuming……cheered on by cruel shows like “The Biggest Loser”, it’s become okay to give yourself permission to criticise people who are already doing it tough……..so tell me, – what do people who are imprisoned in their own skin supposed to do when hearing these devastating comments ?…Where do they go to shop and how do they find out where to go?……..I’m so sick of sanctimonious morons complaining about “healthy images” in their precious mags & TV shows….Good health is more than a fashionable body-shape – it’s having a pain-free, guilt-free and positive life,…..one day at a time.
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Loving the concept – but why is the standard shaped woman depicted as “Plus” size? Why can’t they be just called “models” and the others “thin” size? And then the magazines can be “Thin Cleo”, “Thin Cosmo”? Makes sense doesn’t it?
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Beauty is always entirely subjective. To me, what’s wrong with them is that I just do not find excess rolls of flesh and dimpled skin beautiful.
It may or may not be that these women are quite healthy, but they do not look it.
It may or may not be that they are completely happy with their appearance, but I think that given the choice they’d rather be slimmer.
My concern is that the push to celebrate and normalise ” plus sizes” is indicative of a disturbing and insidious trend towards acceptance of overweight/obesity.
I have noticed that a lot of advertising now includes images of overweight people presented as cute and fun and as representative of the average. Poor food choices and inactivity are touted as luxuries to be aspired to, bigger portions are better value if you can get them for less money, disregarding that cost is not always monetary.
All this may actually be true – but it doesn’t make it good. If the average Aussie woman is now a size 14-16, I don’t think that’s something that should be accepted, approved of or encouraged.
My views may well be wrong, and I certainly do not mean my personal views to be hurtful, but I’m raising my children with the sweet old fashioned ideas of the body as the temple of the soul and anima sani in corpore sanis. Eat well, exercise to feel good, treat yourself with respect and “maintain your machine”
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Anorexia is not something that can be diagnosed with a BMI – Anorexia is a mental condition, not a physical one. It’s irresponsible to call someone anorexic purely because they are skinnier than the norm as this can cause just as much damage as calling a healthy girl ‘fat’.
I personally don’t feel truly overweight people (i.e. people who are overweight to a point where it has proven to be detrimental to their health) should in any way be applauded or held up as role models for ‘flaunting’ their size. The idea that society should do this purely because the ‘majority’ of people fit into this category as opposed to the ‘skinny’ category is absurd. If we as a society tell people this is OK then surely this is just as ridiculous as telling every woman they should be a size 8.
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Totally agree
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A low BMI is simply one of the symptoms associated with anorexia. So is drastic weight loss. The BMI is guide. If you have always had a low body weight and you don’t resort to extremes to maintain it that just means you are of an unusually slight built. However, trying to maintain a body weight which is below your body’s natural ‘set point’ is emotionally and physically dangerous.
It has been argued that eating disorders are a physical response to starvation/dieting. In other words the theory can go like this:
there is an emotional imbalance> it leads to severe overeating/ undereating
vs
starvation/ dieting > leads to distorted appetite/ fear of food/ excessive fixation on food> severe overeating/ undereating> warped perception of body> person becomes emotionally unstable.
The first possibility is much easier to accept because it shifts blame to the effected individual who is seen as somehow ‘faulty’ and away from the culture that encourages starvation/ dieting as normal in order to reach an ideal and very narrow body shape.
Regardless it is just as irresponsible to judge anybody, ever, based on the way they look. It is absurd to use the term ‘anorexic’ in a derogatory way. It is a disease.
Being overweight or underweight can have any number of causes, be they lifestyle, emotional or illness based it really isn’t important. No reason necessitates judgement from others.
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It’s actually the key criteria. Without a specific BMI you do not recieve a diagnosis of Anorexia but Generalised Eated Disorder.
Either way you will be treated based on your presenting symptoms whether these are related to control, a distored body image, stress or a number of other things. GAD is not less than Anoreixa, it is just different
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Picture #4: I WISH I looked like that! She’s insanely hot!
}:)
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Why do all the ‘plus-sized’ models have to be nude? I think this article from xojane puts it nicely:
http://www.xojane.com/issues/can-plus-size-models-put-some-clothes-yet
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These images begin to make me feel comfortable.
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Or you could just lose some weight and be comfortable all the time. You can also run more than 20 meters without falling in a heap.
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This article was really interesting! I suffer from bulimia, I’m not underweight, I’m a size 10 and I feel really fat and I hate my body. But when I look at other women’s bodies, I find myself thinking “How can this woman be considered plus-sized? She’s gorgeous and healthy looking!” When I see a typical fashion model, I find myself thinking that she looks terrible. There’s nothing really attractive about being able to see a woman’s ribs.
I hope that in time I will become to at least stop hating my body, or maybe even come to like it. Seeing articles like this are important in instilling a more balanced view of what a body should look like.
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I love skinny people who smoke and then complain that being ‘fat’ is unhealthy. Yeah, so is smoking, you rocket scientist.
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Don’t know if this has anything to do with it, but I think its interesting that shops like City Chic have “size 14 to 26″ on the window, and Supre (just an example), doesn’t have size “size 6 to 12″ on it. Just a thought.
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I can’t believe how many people are cracking saying “enough already we are sick of this topic, bah, blah, blah, moan, moan,moan. Heres’s a crazy idea, if u don’t want to read about body image, weight etc, then DON’T READ IT!!! I am quite happy to read about it, and there are other topics I don’t care for, so i don’t read them. Imagine that, choosing not to read something I have no intrest in, or that annoys me .
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Everyone is entitled to give feedback, I clicked the link to see what “angle” we were going to get on this topic this time and yawned. Here’s a crazy idea, if other peoples opinions and feedback annoy you, don’t read the comments! It goes both ways.
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It’s true we are and I don’t think anyone is intending to suggest that there is a question over your entitlement to provide that feedback.
You may yawn at this topic, but I yawn when I read comments complaining about a topic because, frankly, I find them quite pointless. Not having a go, that’s just how I feel.
I would think the best way to get your point across (that you’ve had enough of the topic) would be to say nothing and ignore it. The number of comments almost suggest there is a bit of life in it still – and yet half of the comments on here are from people complaining about the topic…
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Agree.
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I actually quite like the images containing 2 different body shapes in the same photo. Wouldn’t it be nice if all fashion photo shoots contained not just two but maybe even 4 or 5 different body shapes and ethnic backgrounds. Variety really is the spice of life. I get so bored looking at the same old fashion shoot images time and time again. I have a short attention span so mixing things up a little would actually get my attention and encourage me to buy more magazines just to see what they’ve done differently this time. All magazines do the same old, same old images, time and time again and frankly it’s getting old
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I wasn’t going to comment on these posts anymore, but my goodness is it hard to resist. I’m giving in. I have a couple of thoughts I’d like to mention. Some in response to the above article, some brought on by various comments on the article. As noted by PMM, they weren’t taking a health position, but health was brought up in comments.
I really loved the solo photos of the larger models, and the idea behind the magazine generally. Some of their editorial pics – wow! Fantastic.
I hate the photos with the ‘average’ model. I’m not going to go into a detailed critique, but suffice to say that my opinion has been pretty well summed up by the Sage Stylista on her blog. Those photos are meant to make us favour the larger model over the smaller and as a very small woman myself, that makes me very uncomfortable.
If the roles had been reversed – e.g. Candice Swanepoel or Kate Moss ‘embracing’ a faceless larger model in these same poses, with captions noting that women of that size (i.e. larger than the typical plus-sized model, as this model is) frequently fit the BMI physical criteria for overweight bordering on obesity I would still feel very uncomfortable with the message, but I think most other people would, too. It wouldn’t be seen as a positive ad.
Secondly, if we’re going to shun using the BMI to speculate about the health of strangers (i.e. “You don’t know if they’re naturally larger or have bad eating and exercise habits”) then we should be shunning using it to speculate the health of model (because we don’t know if they’re suffering an eating disorder or naturally thin). While the naturally very thin are rare, they do exist and it’s hurtful for them to be accused of being unhealthy when they’re not.
So either we keep BMI assumptions at both ends of the scale or drop them at both, but you can’t say “BMI is unreliable, I have a high BMI and I’m healthy. Oh, but she can’t be healthy because her BMI is low!” It goes the other way, too – don’t argue that you’re naturally really thin and in the next breath make the assumption that larger women are unhealthy by virtue of their size.
Thirdly and finally, I think the purpose of the article could have been served without reference to ‘average’ models. The fact that 50% of women wear larger sizes but are not catered for in fashion is a great point – if so many women are wanting the clothes, it would be a great market to crack. Those same women also need models who they can relate to – again, great. Talking about the need for diversity it great, too.
You can push the body-love without comparisons. Comparisons only serve to divide women, when we should be uniting.
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I agree, photos like these only make women feel competitive, they don’t encourage women to love themselves, regardlesss of their shape and size. It’s diversity we want isn’t it, not a push towards one or the other. Skinny bashing is not the answer, surely this is just a form of bullying…
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Thank you for the shout-out, Shannon!
May I just say, you have a knack for saying everything so succinctly… I have to work so hard not to ramble >_< haha. So much self-editing!
Sidenote to further the point about shape and size:
Candice Swanpoel’s SILHOUETTE (not gonna comment on her weight, clothing size or health) is actually curvy- bust, tiny nipped in waist and hips… But she is unlikely to get any recognition for this silhouette since she is lumped into the ‘model’ category and therefore is only regarded for her SIZE- like Kate Moss, who would be close or same in size, as a fellow model- but whose SHAPE is different, though she is short, is sort of willowy . I’m not trying to separate these two ladies on comparison to say one is better than the other, but that shape and size, irrespective of health, are definitely different things… But there is *breathes* definitely room for us all
God, I never realised how passionate I am about women accepting themselves until this image drew it all out of me! It’s been years in the making!
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Despite being on opposite ends of the weight spectrum (I am a plus size), I completely agree with you, Shannon.
I am tired of hearing other plus sizes called “real” women, or bitching about how slim women should “eat a carb for a change”. As far as I’m concerned, if you’re a woman, you’re a real one.
There has been such a backlash in recent years against judgement of overweight women that some people now border on slim-o-phobia. How is it okay to tell a slim woman that she should eat more, but inappropriate to tell a large woman that she should eat less?
The media should focus its’ attention on promoting positive role models – those who eat well, exercise and look after themselves, not those who simply fit the size du-jour at that time.
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Wish they didn’t call their mag “Plus.” This important message would be far stronger coming from a normally named mag (eg Cosmo LOL)
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I like the images. But I think that the key is variety. In an ideal world, we would see images of women of all different shapes and sizes side by side and it wouldn’t seem unusual.
I don’t think we are likely to see much variety on catwalks anytime soon. I sew clothes, and I know that it is much more difficult to fit curvy bodies (meant in the true sense of curvy) than bodies than are more straight up and down. So designers hiring very thin, non curvy models is the easiest thing for them to do.
However, it would be nice if we could see more diversity off the catwalk, and in the magazines. If I see someone with a body type more like mine look amazing in something, I am more likely to want to buy it than when I see it on someone who has a body nothing like mine (but then I guess if they all looked like me, then the problem would then be that they wouldn’t look like a lot of other people!). It’s all a bit hard, isn’t it!
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Hi Rick – remember last week we were talking about what has changed on here? Yeah. Well here you go. The body image posts are becoming tokenistic – especially when, like last week, they run with ads for cellulite cream… I totally get body image is an issue, but after the Deborah Hutton cover post, the body love with cellulite cream ad last week and a rehash of these pics today, I’m not sure MM is the champion it used to be.
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I quite like the image of the model who is bent in half. That’s impressive anyway, but also interesting!
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As a newcomer to Mamma Mia I am somewhat bemused by all the comments pleading for this topic to not be rehashed “again”.
Correct me if I am wrong, but this discussion forum is like any other – there are a range of topics, none of which any of us are obliged to read or comment on.
If it doesn’t interest you or your sick of it or there are “more important things” (my pet peeve reason) then, please do us all a favour and visit those topics that interest you more and leave this one to those who may be new enough to have not encountered it before or who might just, strangely enough, be interested…
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Your comment is totally illogical – if this *is* a discussion forum full of comments which you are not obliged to read, why are you telling people to leave… and who are you to enforce it?
This topic has been done to death by this website, and usually in a very offensive, myopic and ham-fisted way. I am so, so, so sick of it – it’s actually nauseating. I don’t have to read or comment, but I choose to – because the sooner the editors (especially Mia) wrap their heads around the idea that there are more effective, less hypocritical ways of pushing their agenda, the better.
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what is a more effective, less hypocritical way of pushing their agenda, as you’ve put it?
Not having a go at you but i see alot of complaints about this website yet no one actually comes up with suggestions on how to improve it or how to discuss the same topic in a different way.
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I agree with Anon, the previous posts on this same topic are still open for comment. Anyone who wishes to read/comment on them are welcome to do so. Therefore there’s no reason to keep rehashing them. I realise you are a newcomer to Mamamia mkb27 (welcome!), but for many older readers, the topic is becoming, well, old.
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Thanks for your reply, Nicki, particularly for demonstrating you can disagree with someone and still be decent about it.
I appreciate your point of view. I spend more time than I should on the Whirlpool forums and have a couple of topics that are close to my heart for one reason or another. I have a low tolerance for people who want to argue about the value of a particular topic coming up again and of the same points being made, etc, rather than just ignoring it or perhaps even trying to steer it in another direction (also a point made by MissV).
Everyone is entitled to their view and I am not for a moment suggesting that you don’t have a right to jump on here and express your particular view about the re-hash of the topic, but it just seems like a bit of a waste of your time when there are many other topics on here to sink your teeth into
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Everyone wants the figure and look they struggle to achieve. Curls, straight hair, blue eyes, fat, thin. Enough already. Lets just try to love and nurture the bodies we are in and be the best version of ourselves we can be.
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You can start with a gym session.
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Seriously mamamia – read the comments and realise that we have HAD ENOUGH. Please stop. Get some new content. You guys keep reposting old stories and this one especially. I am all for positive body image and I know your argument will be that if we shut up about it nothing will change. But, we are just restating the same argument and I don’t want it to clog up my news feed. ENOUGH! Or else you will lose a dedicated reader.
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I know reposting is annoying of you’ve read the article- but obviously not everyone is on fb 24/7 and it’s actually quite helpful that the articles are re-posted. It’s not like they’re re-publishing them as new material. Re-posting is just like seeing a KFC add in every commercial break. It’s adverising and the hits make sure mamamia sry afloat.
Who do you think knows more about online businesses, you or the sales people at mamamia?
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I have nothing against skinny, slim or teeny tiny; BUT IT IS NOT THE ONLY WAY TO BE! I just hate the push that skinny mini is the on,y way to be sexy and that unless you are this way you shouldn’t be confident.
I hope all forms of media stop showing stars who looks ill and then writing articles about getting the perfect summer bod. I equally hate seeing pics stars put on 5 pounds and articles about their out of control weight. With the pressure they are under to be the perfect body image is unreal, so I’m not surprised they’re weight yo-yos.
It’s all about health! Im over weight so am losing weight for health and could not give a crap about what size the media says I should be. I have now come to the realization that the image portrayed by the media is impossible for me and a lot of people to achieve. So I’m me and happy with that. It’s having normal size models nit just skinny ones that has helped me with this.
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I am sick to death of this topic. Isn’t it enough that we have a topic that’s along these lines at least once a week but now you have to recycle the same story and get people commenting on it for the second time. Seriously guys, give it a rest.
How many times can we hear the same comments being repeated again and again, I don’t think anyone has anything new to add at this stage. It has all been said already, can we move on please.
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How many times can we rehash this topic? Who cares what anyone thinks of plus size bodies? Who cares what anyone thinks of skinny bodies? It’s getting boring really fast…
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The girl bent over looks positively pornographic.
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Exactly. You don’t need to starve yourself to be sexy!
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Nope, just get naked and bend over.
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When I saw these photos last week, I loved them. For once I could see someone who looked more like me than the usual cover girls. To me this shows us reality and lets us know that wobbly bits are ok and you can still look damn sexy.
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I loved the pictures of the ‘larger’ model – she is sooo beautiful and I can aspire to look like that! But when I saw her with the smaller model I was wondering if that was going into the realm of skinny bashing, but is it? Did they actually say anything negative about the smaller girl? Or is it just that I find the larger woman so much more attractive?
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I still don’t understand why we can’t just have ‘normal’ healthy models?by that i mean girls who are slim and gorgeous but not so emaciated their protruding skeletons mimic coat hangers .why do we have this polarization of images?they are either anorexically thin or curvey.we need a greater diversity of images…and I don’t think plus size counterbalances emaciated.just show healthy,gorgeous women of all sizes.
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from what i understand, designers and those in the fashion industry make all their clothing in sample sizes, which for them makes it easier if the girl is tiny and perfectly proportioned because then they don’t have to adjust their clothing as much. I don’t think it’s right but i guess from the business side of things, it makes perfect sense.
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I understand the business side of things but from what I understand most designers sample in an 8….I understand the sample size can’t be changed but the model wearing it can.they can cast healthy girls who fit the sample size…not girls who are probably healthy size 10 to 12′s and starve themselves down to sample size.
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ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t care any more, there are more important things which matter than how I *apparently* compare to whichever woman whose life I probably don’t want to have anyway. It’s a First World Problem Of The Worst Kind.
I’ve had enough of this topic Mamamia! PLEASE STOP WITH THIS TOPIC!!!!!
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I would like you to go visit my friend who is currently in an eating disorder clinic because she weighs 40kg and refuses to eat. I would like you to listen to her tell you that she would like to eat but she can’t because the “voices” in her head won’t let her. I’d like you to meet the other girls that are all in there with her, who all think they need to look this way because this is what the media and fashion industry deems desirable. And then I’d like to find out if you still think it’s a First World Problem Of The Worst Kind.
Thank you for continuing to cover this topic, MM. I appreciate it.
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Sorry but that is a copout. Eating disorders are psychological and blaming the media for them is pointless. And even if the media is to blame, your friend has voices in her head because sites like this continue to draw attention to body image every effin day and carefully place their stories next to ads for slimfast and cellulite cream. Your comment is entirely misplaced.
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agreed.
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As someone who went to hell and back battling anorexia and has now ‘recovered’ I have to say that you are entirely wrong to say the media does not have a major role in effecting the body image of those with eating disorders (and women in general).
I 100% agree that anorexia is a psychological problem and not caused by the images seen in the media but society’s idealization of unrealistic body image has a massive impact.
I liken it to putting a bottle of vodka in front of an alcoholic…noone is blaming the vodka for the initial underlying problem but it is feeding the demon.
Think of unrealistically thin models as an anorexic’s vodka…no they don’t cause the problem but they sure as hell don’t help it and can catastophise the issue 100 fold.And I can speak from experience when I say that vulnerable young girls with body image issues can easily take their diets too far and end up in dangerous territory when fueled by the illusion that beauty is contained within a Size 6 body.
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“What do you think when you see those images?”
I think we’re not talking about the whole story and oversimplifying things. Perhaps I’ll get flamed for this but it’s just my opinion.
Models are getting smaller- yes. Non-model are getting bigger- yes.
Part of the reason the gap between what we see and what we are isn’t just about the modelling/fashion/beauty industry, it’s also about us and the food we and eat and the activity we do. We seem to be going in two different extreme directions. Models are expected to be ridiculously tiny, but I think a lot of non-models are also letting themselves get to an unhealthy size (for lack of a better word). What are the stats on how many adults and children are overweight or obese? We need to focus on healthy- not size- in both cases. But we’re assuming that plus size models are the healthy counterpart? We can’t lump them all into the same category.
I also don’t think that we should be focusing on size- but on the individual. Everyone will have a different healthy size. For me a size 14 is too larger, I’ve been this size and felt and looked overweight. But for other women a size 14 is a prefect size.
The plus size shots above don’t represent an average person anymore than the smaller models. They are airbrushed, they have no scars, stretch marks or freckles. What about those ‘imperfections’? There’s no reality in those photos.
We’re kidding ourselves if we think we can tackle this issue without acknowledging that every women is different.
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Agreed with all points!
Thank you for noting that each individual has their own healthy size… It feels nice to get off my mental treadmill for a minute and hear somebody else say this as well
I voice some eerily similar stuff on my blog- http://thesagestylista.wordpress.com/
Your comment, was wonderfully concise though, I am working actively on achieving more of that
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Agree re sizes. If the larger chick in the photo is a 14, she’s obviously not obese. I’ve been a 14-16 since puberty. I have naturally big boobs and hips.
I think the photo of the two models embracing shows the smaller extreme, but not the bigger one.
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Nothing wrong with either of them, but it’s wonderful seeing a variety and seeing someone who looks like me! I’d love to see more models my size – pear shaped, size 12 because the bigger plus size models aren’t my shape either (they always seem incredibly busty).
Seriously – don’t magazines and retailers understand – if you inspire me and show me how to wear clothes for someone like me – I would spent a whole lot more money!
I was in Katie’s recently and found their awesome no-zip jeans (like jeans spanx or maternity jeans for non-pregnant people) and I bought 4 pairs.
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*waits for the… “but it’s not healthy” parade and the “promoting obesity” parade*
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so true! We keep having the same conversation….
I think we could all agree – more variety would be good….? No???
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Alas, both those parades are exhausting.
It’s better if we find the “My OWN health is in MY hands” parade and “I accept myself AND others” parade
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I’d march with you in those parades!
…sorry for the comment-stalking, you just always seem to say great stuff!
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No apologies needed for the comment-stalking, Shannon
Positive support is much appreciated, and a sign that we are jointly progressing step by step!
Consider it a part of those parades
, parades I will continue marching on my blog, alongside art, fashion, culture and the wacky/wonderful world of women!
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50% of women wear a size 14 or larger? Really?
I’m a size 10 and towards the bigger end of my friends. I have maybe 3 friends who are bigger than me… most are my size or smaller.
Are those American stats? How accurate are they for Australia?
Is that most other peoples experience? That half the people are 14+?
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Yes that’s definitely my experience. I’m not sure I know anyone who is a size 10, and definitely not anyone any smaller.
Perhaps it’s an age thing. How old are you? I’m 43 and most of my friends (but not me) have kids, which puts on weight.
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I’m 24, but I still know people in my community from about 15 up to about 65 and none of them are that big.
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Yes.
Forget your circle of friends – look around the people in your community, in your workplace, at the shops. I would be staggered if you were still surprised by the stats.
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Okay, at my church – where people are a variety of ages – still only a handful (out of hundreds) would be size 14 or bigger. Same at my workplace. Perhaps every now and then I will see a bigger person walking around the shops… but its not every second person I see!
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Perhaps you need new glasses…that or you are living in a parallel universe!
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Maybe you’re not really sure how “big” a size 14 is. It’s not exactly enormous.
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Most of my friends would be 14 and above. Several are much larger than that. A couple are size 10. But yes, most are 14+
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I tend to agree…I’m 5’11″ and a size 14, I’m BY FAR the biggest of all my friends both height and width even though I fall into the healthy weight range for my height. My group of close friends seem very small compared to me. When we recently went on a group shopping trip, I struggled to find anything to fit me while they could find things on sale left, right and centre in their size. Even though some of these friends would be a size 10, they still may be beyond the healthy weight range for their height…hmmmmm
Oh and BTW…they’ve ALL had kids, one of them has three, their ages range from 30 to 38.
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I don’t know if it has anything to do with age and kids like some commentators are suggesting. I am thinking of everyone I work with (and it’s a huge workplace) and can’t think of many people who look like they would be over size 12. It’s worth noting that I work in the medical field and perhaps this has something to do with it?
I work with a lot of doctors and was actually discussing this with my partner the other day. I noticed that there are hardly any overweight doctors (across the hospitals I work at least) and his theory is that it’s because they work such long hours and don’t have time to eat a proper meal.
Anyway, I am not sure what the answer is but these statistics certainly don’t represent my circle, professional or personal.
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Judging off the replies to my comment, you either know no one size 14 or bigger or everyone you know is size 14 or bigger.
Perhaps we all just attract those who are similar to ourselves.
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I cannot relate to those pictures, to be honest.
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I can’t relate to the regular-sized models.
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This is my analogy for accepting ourselves and understanding models.
BE WARNED… I’m afraid, it’s slightly childish… :
We women, are like ice cream. All of us.
Models are vanilla. Whatever flavour of mix-ins or sauces you put on them, it pretty much works, not much thinking involved, less time and effort.
The rest of us, are like flavours… Someone is chocolate, someone is cookies’n'cream etc…
We need to determine, us flavoured ladies, which toppings will suit us the most and go from there i.e. Cookies and cream mixed with oreos or cookie dough? UHMAAAZING. Chocolate with fudge brownies or white choc chips? DIVINE.
Accept you are a flavour and can find toppings (clothes, that is
) that work for you, but don’t hate on the vanilla for showing you the toppings! They are their own flavour, and we can all exist in the ice cream store!
Ok, I admit, it’s a terribly childish analogy… But it works for me
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Love it!
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Thank you, Isa
After a mish-mash of different angles, it definitely helps me simplify this mind-spinning issue!
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Sage Stylista, I just read your blog post and I love it.
I agree whole heartedly, we need to stop comparing ourselves with eachother and with the unattainable ideal of perfection that is fed to us daily. Sometimes very obviously through catwalk modelling or sometimes more sublimenally through the clever advertising around us.
These images are beautiful and thought provoking but I agree, they are most certainly positioning the larger model as the more powerful of the two. Not equal. And it is that very equality that we long for.
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Hi Jess!
Firstly, let me thank you profusely- thankyouthankyouthankyou
– for being so kind as to click on my blog and take the time out of your day to read my work. It means so much this aspiring writer. Thank you also for being thoughtful enough to respond so respectfully, that also means a LOT.
Secondly, amen sista! Thank you for seeing my point perfectly- the second that we we women decide- for ourselves… Not our friends, not our families, men or society- that we are beautiful and can appreciate that others are TOO- the media stops being an instruction manual to your physical life and more of an art gallery!
Equality… To be continued!
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This made me smile! I love the analogy
Although I am, strangely, craving cookies ‘n’ cream ice cream…
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Oh god im craving Ice cream really bad now..
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Thanks, all! Perhaps I should have included ‘CRAVINGS’ in the warning
How ironic that I should make this analogy with food…
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Fantastic – well said and a great way to look at it! And yes, I am now also craving some ice cream…
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I think that both women are beautiful
And I think that this obsession with skinny has got to stop. It’s horrible. It’s reverse evolution: it used to be survival of the fittest and strongest, but now we compete to be the smallest and in a way, the most helpless. And barely anyone is immune to it – regardless of how smart or rational you usually are. It’s been driving me insane the last few months. The way I look – no, how flat my stomach is – has been taking up 80% of my thoughts the lately. I’m a 19 year old Uni student. This isn’t how I’m supposed to be living. And you know where it all started? When this site re ran that amazing picture of the 20 year old ‘plus size’ model, flawless and still imperfect with the tiniest stomach roll. I read the comments, and one person wrote something like ‘I don’t know what you’re on about, that’s not how a girl that age should look, you shouldn’t have any body fat when you’re young etc’. well thank you to that person from me – firstly, sarcasticly, for making me so obsessed by my body weight that when I spent 12 hours watching my grandma die in intensive care last month I was mentally commending myself for not eating the whole time – but secondly, thank you, because I’ve now made up my mind to finish my law degree and use it and all my willpower to fight the fashion industry and make what they’re doing to young people like me against the law. And I don’t have an Eating disorder, just an unhealthy attitude. Some are a lot worse off. Everyone, fight with me. Because this is all so, so wrong.
Disclaimer: this is not about ‘skinny bashing’, this about everyone having a healthy attitude and allowing themselves to be the best they can be! Which has nothing to do with how they look! Love my naturally slim friends, but we need diversity!
And to all those cynics out there, those bitchy commenters who sent me into my most recent spiral of self loathing – I am a healthy size 10. My BMI is 21. I feel the need to disclose this so you don’t tell me to shut up and lose some weight. You shut up and get a hobby.
P.S. sorry but if you can’t tell, I’m having an emotional day
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Sorry about bad punctuation etc on my phone! I can write properly I promise
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The contrast between the typical model and the ‘plus sized’ model – one looks healthy and beautiful. The other looks frankly unwell. As a mum of one and a size 14, I love to see a body that looks like mine photographed in such an artistic way. This type of body was once revered by artists because it was interesting, generous, had character and was also the most fertile. Can we please return to those times of accepting a more womanly shape also? I know that any daughter I have will be blessed with my curves – boobs, a bum and (I am grateful for this) a waist. I didn’t see curvy role models growing up outside of my family so I felt isolated in my natural shape. Only now, as a mother, have I truly accepted my body for its strength and beauty, it’s ability to bear a child and also been able to accept that my husband thinks that it’s sexy and doesnt see the flaws that I have been trained to see. It is about seeing a healthy shape in all of its incarnations in the media and seeing these beautiful women accepting their bodies and putting them out there for everyone to see just makes my day.
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You’re not being very accepting of the model by saying she looks “unwell”.
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Since when has being a particular body shape meant being more fertile? I am a size 8-10 but conceived both my children first try.. Generalizations are not helpful to this debate…
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Those pics are hot…. And I hate to say it, but they made me feel good about my size 14/16 body
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At the end of the day models are employed to look beautiful and be slim. Aesthetically models wear clothing well. . These women are genetically blessed with tall, slim amazing bodies and stunning faces. We need to stop comparing ourselves to these women. That is why they are models are others are not. You are only hurting yourself by comparing. . Be grateful with what you have and nurture it. We come in all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately only the genetically blessed get to walk the catwalk.
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Ironic that models make the clothes look good. How are they supposed to look on normal bodies?
Solution: Make wacky clothes that look good on 1% of the population and nice clothes that look good on the rest of us.
You’re welcome.
winking face.
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I agree with everything you said, except one thing: I think we’re all genetically blessed… I just choose to see them as having certain physical requirements for a job
Models may make it in on their looks, but then are only retained in the industry if they can ACTUALLY ‘model’, if they suit the designer’s aesthetic and deliver good catwalk and can create strong images… In the focus on bodies, I think we forget that some people just understand how to work a camera/catwalk better and that’s why they are in front of/on it?
Random side point: In fashion’s favour, it also picks girls that SOCIETY sometimes considers weird and visually different i.e. Gemma Ward during her time, and does encourage ‘strange’ beauty that is otherwise ostracised from convention… Just a lil food-for-thought-footnote.
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I can’t say my views any better than I have on my blog:
http://thesagestylista.wordpress.com/
I completely welcome respectfully shown perspectives, and would love to know more about what others think and feel about this issue as well.
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Stop flogging your blog already! I’ve just read down the comments – twice in one post’s comments section is a bit much, sheesh.
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If you don’t want to read her blog, don’t click on it. Simple as that.
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I don’t click on it. But the point is, I don’t think the comments section is the place to repeatedly advertise your blog. It’s certainly not what other people come to read. And if there was just one link in this comments section? I wouldn’t have complained. But the same link in multiple places? – no thanks. Some people have no shame.
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I didn’t really see it as ‘flogging’… Her post/views are relevant to the topic, and one was aimed directly in response to a particular person’s comment.
No interest, don’t read- fair enough, but save the negativity towards her? If the site deems it wrongful, they’ll let her know.
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You say you went through the comments- did you really read hers? She has only voiced positive, encouraging and supportive things the whole time… But you chose to focus on the fact she has two links to her blog?