Photo: Australian Women's Weekly (Photoshopped image)
BY MIA FREEDMAN
Well, how about this. I don’t buy magazines very often anymore but I proudly handed over my $6.95 at the convenience store today so I could support the Australia Women’s Weekly’s decision to put the divine Chrissie Swan on the cover.
I love the image. Love her newest little man Kit and love the images and feature inside, written by Jordan Baker. I called Helen McCabe this morning to find out the story behind the cover and this is what she told me:
“I was sitting on The Today Show set just after the Logies about to do my regular segment with Karl and he asked me how things were going and I told him I needed a cover for the next issue. I’m always looking for a cover. He said “You have to shoot Chrissie Swan” and I thought ‘Of course I do! Why haven’t I shot her already?’ and I went straight into the office and made it happen.”
Getting clothes for the shoot proved to be difficult, according to Helen. Chrissie is a size 22 and nobody wanted to lend clothes. This comes as no surprise to me. The hardest part about shooting women larger than the ‘standard’ size 8 when I worked in magazines was securing clothes. Even the designers who make larger sizes don’t want their brands associated with anyone bigger than a size 8. Size 10 max. So even when you shoot women or models who are size 12, it’s a struggle. How insulting is that.
In the end, Helen told me, they went with a small online company for the dresses Chrissie is wearing. It came from a small online business based in Sydney called Style & Substance (you can buy Chrissie’s dresses and a bunch of other things here)
A spread from the magazine. (Photoshopped images)
As for the inevitable re-touching question, Helen says it’s ‘minimal’ and in no way has Chrissie’s body or body shape been changed. “What would be the point of that?” she asked. “She’s a size 22 and she looks amazing. More than that though, she is amazing. As Gretel Killeen says in the profile, Chrissie is the kind of girl we all want as a friend.”
If you like the cover and you want to support a more diverse portrayal of women in the media, think about buying this issue. So that next time some fashion person says “women only want to look at skinny women” you can say bollocks and the circulation figures will speak for themselves.
*No, this is not a sponsored post. I am frequently critical of magazines and the way they portray women in particular. So when an editor does something positive in regards to diversity and the positive portrayal of women, I think it’s just as important to applaud it. And pre-emptively, for those who are going to bang on about weight and health, I want to point out that Chrissie is on the cover of AWW because of who she is and what she does and how she resonates with women. Not BECAUSE of the way she looks. Physical appearance and the very narrow (literally) margins within which the mainstream media insist women exist is not a good thing for women. Diversity is.
There’s plenty more gorgeous shots in the hard copy of the Weekly, too. Go Chrissie.
And, just because we love her to bits, here’s more of the delightful Chrissie Swan:
Chrissie first shot to fame in the 2003 series of Big Brother Australia.
Comments
219 Comments so far
I looked and the cover and didn’t blink. Just looked like a normal issue of ww with a gorgeous woman on it. Only when I read this article did I know it was a big deal.
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Go Chrissie. Lova ya babe and in my eyes you are a terrific yummy mummy with 2 gorgeous boys. Keep up the good work as a mother and celebrity. Keep smiling, stay true and just be yourself. Those little boys are so lucky to have you as their mummy and I know for a fact that those 2 little angels of yours are your WHOLE LIFE and much more. Lots of kisses and hugs to you. Love you love you love you.
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I have nothing against Chrissie Swan, she seems like a nice enough person, but I find it ridiculous that we’re being called upon to embrace her size as an example of a “real woman”. She is obese. Just because she has a pretty face & is in the media doesn’t make her not obese. It’s just as dangerous to portray obese women as the norm as it is to portray size zero women as such. Maybe even more considering the obesity problem in this country is far more widespread than the anorexia problem. I also resent being made to feel that I’m not real because I eat healthily & exercise.
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Megan. I think you missed the point, which is that diversity of women is called for, not one size fits all. You shouldn’t have to be made to feel “not real” because you’re not obese, but frankly, there are thousands of images already out there to validate you as a healthy human being. People who are overweight have very few: and the evidence is in. Feeling bad about your size and weight only drives you to eat more.
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I find it so funny that there is so much controversy over the fact that Chrissie Swan vocalised one of the many and varied issues that every mother (and father) faces in raising a child. Of course she cares about her children – most parents put the wellbeing of their children at the forefront and do their very best at it. It’s one of the many issues that families will face, along with socialisation, education, anxiety, amongst others. These are things that as parents we are constantly endeavouring to support our children through so I think she should be congratulated for sharing her story. Parenting is hard enough without this kind of criticism.
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To be completely honest I found Chrissie Swan’s piece in the Sunday Age to be one of the most horrifying pieces I have read in a long time. It is absolutely beyond me why a large woman would write about her young child being overweight, setting him up for a life of ridicule as she herself suffered. It is baffling why she would feel compelled to write such a piece when she mentioned how she was on a diet for most of her adolescent years. Does she not realise that she is inadvertendly setting her son up for the same sort of future?
Maybe this is what our state’s most respected broadsheet deserves when it puts a former reality star as a features writer, a grossly ill researched and biased piece of journalism. If you could even call it journalism to begin with.
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I think that maybe you need to reread the article. Chrissie fed her son good food.Too much of it, but good food. She simply did not realise that this could lead to obesity. As soon as she did, she changed her behaviour and is helping her son! She is definitely setting her son up for his future – a future where he has a healthy relationship with food and a love of himself and his body!
As for the criticism of Chrissy’s writing style – that’s very subjective. She doesn’t need to research what is essentially a personal recount, and biased? Oh my. She’s not pretending to have the answers to anything. She is being honest and vulnerable in sharing a personal experience. Leave her alone.
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Oh my goodness Emer, I don’t know what you normally read, but please go back to reading it! I find Chrissie’s column a breath of fresh air. Always honest and REAL, at times it makes us laugh and at times pause for thought. I think “the most respected broadsheet” as you put it, is privileged to have her do the column, her many followers are a testament to that. Yes, it is journalism, and I along with many others love it. If you don’t – just DONT READ IT! …..simple!
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I think Chrissie is hilarious, and I’m sure that she loves her children, as we all do! However, part of loving them should be wanting them to be healthy. Of course all kids are built differently but a certain amount is within your control as a parent. You’re setting them up for life when they’re little, and we should be setting a healthy example for them. It’s just a fact that being overweight can lead to a bunch of illnesses and disease, personally I’d like to avoid that for myself and for my kids.
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Horrified to read in today’s paper that haters are criticising Chrissie’s little boys and saying they are overweight. Beggars belief.
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pls past on to Chrisse Swan that her boys are little champions. They look like a lovely happy healthy family. To all the haters eat a cookie or at least a charb. PS if the boys want to play league im happy to be there agent
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Growing up, my mum always had a Women’s Weekly in the house – I think it was part of her wanting me to be “gently educated” about “girl stuff”. So as my kids were growing up I did the same since I felt we could pretty much trust the integrity of the magazine and it’s presenting of personal stuff………it’s called “WOMEN’S Weekly” so a diverse selection of women is always appreciated and Chrissie is just perfect to represent a much maligned group.(which includes me)……weight gain in these times is a much more complicated issue. Medications can contribute negatively and be part of the vicious circle of pain /fatigue/ physical immobility/medication/depression/ and anyone with weight issues can fill in the rest…………women living their lives quietly away from the media are more likely to cope with their health issues and are less likely to feel “unworthy” due to their body-shape……..Chrissie’s a legend and is helping far more than she’ll ever know………..not everyone believes that skinny is beautiful; just strive to be healthy and happy.
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I just don’t get the designers not wanting to lend clothes.
There are plenty of us fat chicks who want to look stylish and who struggle to find such clothes -I would have thought the free advertising would be worth bucketloads to them.
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Exactly, dont come crying to me when you all go broke. Good riddance to rubbish designers.
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I bought WW tonight hahahah
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I LOVE Chrissie.
And Mia – I must say, once you stopped writing for Life magazine on a Sunday I stopped reading the mag.
But now I have been seduced back by Chrissie. Her articles are awesome!
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I wish i was friends with Chrissie, she is hilarious!
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i love Chrissie and it’s got nothing to do with her weight or how she looks. She’s down to earth, funny and yes I’d love to be friends with her lol
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Chrissie must get so sick of talking about her weight. It must be very frustrating to know that that is how people define her.
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if there was an article about her talking about her family, her career, her aspirations….without mentioning about her weight.
I think even I would buy a copy of WW to read that article!
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I suspect if we had more diversity the largeness or ethnicity etc of a woman or man would not get the attention that it currently does. I have three daughters and I want them to grow up in a world where the media is TRULY representative.
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When I started reading this article I didn’t understand what the fuss was about putting Chrissie Swan on the cover of Woman’s Weekly. She’s won Logies, is on TV and is a big personality. Aren’t these the kind of people (apart from Royalty) that WW usually put on their covers??
As far as finding clothes for the shoot, why didn’t they just ask the wardrobe people at The Circle?? Chrissie Always seems to look great on TV.
I agree with Anonymous below, maybe Helen should step aside as editor if it’s all getting too hard.
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The decision to run a larger woman on the cover of one of the biggest selling magazines came from Karl Stephanovic and not Helen McCabe. So maybe he should be the editor! Maybe the real reason she ran with Chrissy is she knew a larger sized woman, like Magda (who has been on several covers) would create controversy and sell magazines.
Go Karl! Shame on Helen, why did it take a man to make this decision? Call me cynical but does the Editor of Woman’s Weekly really support larger sized women?
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Sorry, wrong. Karl Stefanovic may have made the suggestion but he is not the editor of the Women’s Weekly so he doesn’t actually make decisions about its covers. The decision was made by Helen McCabe and she is just being gracious by acknowledging who made the original suggestion.
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I have never bought an issue of WW but I will buy this one, purely for Chrissie.
She is one of my favourite women in the Australian media – if not my absolute favourite. So warm, generous, down-to-earth, open, loving, funny and honest. A true gem.
LOVE HER.
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I didn’t even know who Chrissie Swan was until today!
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Me neither. But that’s OK. I still like the cover and people’s enthusiasm for Swan has made me curious to find out more.
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Chrissy is gold. Besides, we should all buy that issue, make it one of WW’s biggest selling and make a point about women’s bodies in the media!
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Love the cover, and wanted to add my concurrence that Style & Substance is the place to go if you want to buy plus sized clothes that are actually nice. I have been buying from them for about 18 months and have never had a bad experience.
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I don’t even live in Australia and I love Chrissie! From what I’ve seen and heard, she is a delight — smart, funny, decent and straight-up. She’s a good egg and I’d like to see more people like her celebrated for doing their best and being open about who they are.
And as for clothing designers and labels not wanting a ‘plus size’ woman wearing their clothes on the cover of a major magazine: help me Jeebus. I hope Style & Substance is run off its feet with orders.
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Most labels don’t make clothes to fit women over size 16!
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It takes a lot of stern self-talk for me not to send Chrissie Swan one half of a BF necklace each time I watch her on TV/hear her on the radio/read her work in magazines. She is, quite simply, magnificent.
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Heh heh. That made me spray laughter-snot onto my computer screen.
Agree, Chrissie is gold.
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I love that photo! Her little boy is so gorgeous and she looks beautiful!
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I’ll be a happy woman when we aren’t making such a fuss about someone like Chrissie Swan being on the cover of The Australian Women’s Weekly!
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Same.
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so why are you?
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I don’t get the fuss.
It’s not like WW is a fashion magazine. The (WW) story is personality driven.
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I think what Mia is trying to say, is that though wider body acceptance is a good thing, which we must celebrate in our current society, that it should be the norm for magazines, media etc.
It may seem minor, but it is a good thing to be encouraged so that one day it can be a ‘normal’ thing and no celebration is required.
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????? Then why make a fuss?
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We need to make a ‘fuss’ now so that hopefully in the very near future there will be true diversity on the covers of womens mags and then we can stop making a fuss and just be normal.. try and be patinet Confused…
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I don’t consider her averagely sized. She is definitely over-weight. And what is so great about giving up work to raise kids? What is this? The 1950s? I would rather take my hat off to a woman who manages to raise her children while juggling a full-time job. That’s what my mother did. That’s something worth taking note of.
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Why is she not to be applauded for making the decision to put her career on hold to look after her children? I am sure it was probably a very hard decision to make, monetary and career wise.
Why is everything a competition these days? Why not just be happy that she is happy with the decision that she has made!!
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her kids will thank her later for her selfless decision to actually stay home and look after her kids .
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Oh please, your attitude is exactly why there are the so called mummy wars. She felt leaving her TV job was the best choice for her children. How refreshing is that? I’m sick of hearing ‘happy mum, happy child’ when many women cant/wont see how unhappy their poor little kids really are having mum work crazy hours. She still works, just not as much. Good on her! Putting her kids over her career/ego is a huge call that many women have to consider and one that few are as honest about as she is. Chrissie should be applauded for making this choice as it is going against the trend today. Having a fabulous career doesnt mean a thing when family life is falling apart at the seams. I dont see anything admirable about that at all.
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She’s still writing a weekly newspaper column (I read it every Sunday), amongst other things, no doubt.
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Oh heaven forbid a woman should put her children ahead of her own career, it has to be all abut her and who cares how the kids feel about being put in daycare 5 days a week, eh??
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Well good on your mum – too bad she didn’t teach you to spell
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Didn’t teach Frankie to spell what?
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Inane comment of the year goes to….
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yup, my mum raised four kids alone AND worked full-time, not out of choice, but, because she had to. However, I love the fact that Chrissie chose to give up her career to be at home with her kids.
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She still works- breakfast radio I believe just not tv
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Um…. isn’t the point of our modern, liberated Western democracy that women should have choices?? I have to work (full-time) whilst raising our children, to keep us afloat… and whilst I (thankfully) love my paid employment, it would be wonderful to have the choice… I’m cheering for Chrissie for making the best choice for her family… we all make it work as well as we can within the life we have
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Hear, hear!! Our worst enemies are wome! Why do we judge other for making decisions that are different to our own? I love this, taken from a quote about the 21 Habits of happy people
(http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1wJWS9/:HZhqIyL3:EsJa!@1B/www.globalone.tv/group/gratitude/forum/topics/21-habits-of-happy-people/)
Concentrate on creating your life the way you want it. Take care of you and your family. Don’t get overly concerned with what other people are doing or saying. Don’t get caught up with gossip or name calling. Don’t judge. Everyone has a right to live their own life the way they want to – including you
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Hey Michelle. The thing that baffles me most is why one woman expects another woman to make the same choice as her or her mother. It’s vexed. I’m a feminist who truly believes that women need more options than staying home to raise their child. I’m also a therapist who understands that intense loving bonding in the first few years is an incredible emotional vitamin pill against all sorts of future problems. It doesn’t have to be the mother: it could be the father or a mixture of both. But the mother should not have to feel like a villian for making the choice to stay home with her children, any more than she should for going to work. It’s a brave decision libel to invite criticism and praise whichever choice you make. Let’s support mothers and women in these issues rather than tearing them down for not choosing the way we would.
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I don’t usually watch The Circle but I tuned in one day ages ago and Chrissie was telling a story about going to the markets and falling over with her skirt going up and over her head or something like that and I swear to God I nearly peed my pants she is absolutely HILARIOUS. And yes, you can just tell that you would want her to be your friend. I also think she is beautiful. Was extremely happy to receive my WW subscription in the mail yesterday and even happier to see Chrissie on the cover xx
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I bought my copy this morning the instant i saw the cover. NOT because as a large woman i was thrilled to see a normal size woman on the cover (although i do love it) but because this woman is incredibly CLEVER, PRETTY, FUNNY, WITTYand A PROUD MOTHER and its such a lovely loving cover image.
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Normal size woman? Look, Chrissie is awesome, but she’s far larger than the average woman. Her body shape is no more the norm than a 6ft size 4 woman’s body shape.
I like seeing different body shapes in the media, but I hate that people feel the need to compare these things. Everyone’s ‘normal’ is different.
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I think that’s what we’re all saying – normal as in not a cookie cut size 0. When I think of 20 women I know – not one of them is the same size. They range from a size 8 to probably a size 20. Having a range of sizes is normal
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I dont want to start an argument but i think you may have misinterpreted my statement. My point was that i was looking at her cover image positively NOT because of her size ( i dont give a rats arse about size or shape to be honest) but i just think Chrissie and her Man and her babies are just divine human beings. But by the by size 16-22 is normal for me, that is who i am and its nice to see someone like me celebrated.
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You brought up her size. “Normal size woman”. My point was that her size is no more normal than a fashion models shape, both are at the extreme ends of the spectrum.
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I am a size 18 and I also wish people would stop calling any particular size ‘normal’ or ‘real’ or whatever. Everyone is different, why can’t we just leave it at that?
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She did. And maybe it wasn’t the best expression she could use. But she did explain she meant “normal for her” and that she wants a variety. You’re right, it will be nice when we don’t compare at all. But we need to make a fuss when something different happens, otherwise we fall back into just letting the status quo continue.
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Absolutely agree that Chrissie is the kind of person we all want as a friend. Last year when I was at home in the mornings for the first time ever with my newborn baby it was Chrissie who gave me some normality/routine every morning with the Circle. I was a tiny bit upset (yes, one or two tears) when she announced she was leaving – although the equally delightful Meshel Laurie has made an awesome replacement.
Chrissie looks stunning in that cover. Any designers who didn’t want to offer up clothes for the shoot should be ashamed of themselves.
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Love Chrissie for all sorts of reasons.. she makes me laugh …we have / are travelling simillar paths with small children and work and so on. So pleased she is on the cover of one of my fav mags .. thanks Mia … I have been a long time fan of your website and love the way you present womanhood to us.
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I love Chrissie Swan and miss her on the Circle. Go Chrissie!
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About 2 years ago, when I was in Melbourne, 2 days in a row I was in the audience of “The Circle”. I found Chrissie to be a warm, friendly, genuine person. Chrissie would chat with the audience and she was certainly down to earth. I recall a conversation “on the couch” with the other Circle girls about her son Leo loving babycinos, I took a little gift with me. A preloved red t-shirt my son had outgrown with “baby cino per favore” printed on it. I gave it to Chrissie and told her that I hope little Leo loves it as much as my son Joel did. The way she responded was as if I had given her a rare diamond. So grateful. A few nights ago I was on twitter and noticed that Chrissie had “tweeted”. I asked her if the above mentioned t-shirt still fits Leo. Of course she replied, and yes she had remembered. I look at Chrissie and see a confident and intelligent woman with a gorgeous and warm smile and wonderful sense of humour. Chrissie is also my age and so many comments I would hear on The Circle I could very much relate too.
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thats a cool story
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Just want to add, the clothing issue often isn’t about size, but shape. Clothing labels are just as reluctant to send clothes for a size 8 women with lot’s of lumps and bumps, whereas they’ll often jump at the chance to dress a beautifully proportioned plus size model. We may not like it, but it makes sense from the clothing labels perspective. A perfectly proportioned model can be made to look good in just about anything, but a regular woman with saddlebags and a tummy might look all wrong in what they send, and they don’t want pictures of their clothes looking bad in a magazine.
I bought the mag today, but only for the free Trilogy moisturiser.
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I don’t normally buy any mags but I will definitely be buying this one! I absolutely adore Chrissie and still miss not seeing her every morning
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We were contacted by The Weekly to provide some shoes for Chrissie to wear for her shoot. We sell fashionable large shoes from size 10 to 14, and we sent a heap of shoes that the Weekly had chosen for her. Unfortunately none of the shoes appear on the published images, but we are always happy to help out with any of the models with larger feet. http://www.fashionablylargeshoes.com
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Thank you! It can be tough being a tall, wide-footed female – what am I, BigFoot??
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thanks for the laugh, big foot, haha, love your humour!
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Hi, most women want “fantasy” when it comes to their mags and covers..I listen to Chrissie on her radio programme 3pm school pick up , – without seeing her but listening, she is an intelligent, very humourous and kind woman, with a great outlook on most things, and provides a confident opinion without being arrogant – Chrissy exemplifies all the best things about Australian women and this is what is important. I think if you close your eyes and listen to most “beauties, models” you would quickly tune out as they are so banal and boring and never seem to grow as people. AWW great cover!
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Oh I love the 3pm pick up with Chrissie and Yumi. I quite often find myself belly laughing in the car while in the school pick up queue, but they always brighten my day. They just have such a good rapport, and Chrissie has a wicked sense of humour!
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I would say it’s more pathetic to call something pathetic or ridiculous without explaination. It refers to something very specific. Do you have a better catchy phrase for the meaning?
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Awkward that the comment I was commenting on got deleted for some reason…
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I;m sorry but I am disappointed in Chrissie Swan. She writes a column in a sunday magazine each week. One of her first articles was about her decision to give up tv and spend more time with her young kids. She was given alot of positive press re this decision. And in her article she clearly said that her and her partner only care for their kids.
then several weeks later, she admits, that yes in fact she does have a nanny.
I have no problem with anyone employing a nanny but a object strongly to media personalities making out that they do it without any help.
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While Chrissie is great, it upsets me greatly when I see people get famous, or ahead in the media because they went on reality TV shows. I have worked my butt off at uni and at a newsroom and am getting nowhere!
They put their heads on TV in a reality show, living in a house scratching their backsides for 5 minutes and suddenly they have permanent TV/radio gigs.
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I am pretty sure that Chrissie was working in radio when she got the gig on Big Brother. Sure, it put her in the limelight, but she was in the industry before then as well – and no doubt working hard also!
I understand your frustration, but most people who try out for reality TV have a background in something…as most people who put themselves out there want to further their career…and those that don’t have the added substance, don’t seem to make it very far!
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I also can understand your frustration but Chrissie has that x factor which can’t be learnt. The term ‘unearthed’ comes to mind. She ran with an opportunity and I doubt she would have got very far without hard work and her awesome personality.
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This is quite a good article & explains her career history.
http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/flight-path-20120419-1×916.html
I was really impressed by what she had done before BB.
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Yes, do have a look at her career path.
Sure, she did did Big Brother… But then she spent five years working on breakfast radio (away from her home in Melbourne) on the Sunshine Coast. A grueling five years of 4am starts, then a further two years on a Melbourne station. The Circle was another two years of early starts with long, hard days. My point is, Chrissie has worked hard. Clearly she has good management, and that combined with her work ethic and intelligence has got her where she is today, not appearing on Big Brother.
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Chrissie Swan is my girl crush!
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I think it’s great Mia is highlighting the diversity, and a more “real” person than we usually see on a mag cover. For years I used to find magazine covers a little bit inspirational… as though if I just tried a little bit harder, spent a little more time on grooming, a little more time in the gym etc. Well. Hasn’t that ship sailed after kids. I have finally gotten to that awful stage where they make me feel pretty sh*t about myself, like I used to hear people banging on about for years and couldn’t understand. Between understanding more about photoshopping (thanks MM) and seeing more “real” covers like this and that awesome photo of the nudie lady with the little saggy tummy (v cool), that might actually turn around.
Keep at it Mia.
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I wish people would stop using the word ‘real’ to describe a body type. I am 33 and a size 18, in my teens and early 20′s I was a size 6-8. Am I more ‘real’ now then I was then? Why? I find it really offensive, we are all ‘real’ regardless of our body shape/size.
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Absolutely. I have always been a natural size 8 and very flat chested.. the potrayal that “real” women have curves/ bellies/ breasts makes me feel offended and boyish.
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LOL. I once had a street fashion blogger take a photo of me in a new outfit (an Ellie Tahari blouse and Missoni skirt) for her blog. In the blurb she said something about how it was proof that “real women” could wear designer clothes. I still don’t know what she meant. Did she literally just mean a random person, not someone who wears clothes for a living? Or was it code for saying that I had curves? I’m 5’4″ and size 12. It didn’t make me feel good. We are all real.
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Yay Chrissie! You’re open, warm, engaging, genuine, funny and beautiful. I can’t wait to pick up my copy and see your lovely family.
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Plus-sized models do not promote obesity
Images of plus sized models do not promote unhealthiness or obesity. Some research actually shows that when people feel good about their bodies, regardless of their appearance, they make healthier choices including choices about what they eat.
On the other hand, some people who feel bad about themselves (especially in comparison to idealized images which appear in the media) are shown to make poor health choices like overeating and inactive lifestyles.
To me magazines which feature a more diverse range of female bodies including plus sized models remind me that women are more valuable than what they look like. I hope that this magazine cover contributes to more positive feelings, and in turn, more positive health choices.
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Loved your comment!!!!!
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I have loved Chrissie since BB days! She is just so warm and loving and damn it….nice!! Certainly someone I consider a GREAT role model for women and girls everywhere. Love you Chrissie!
Oh and BTW you can buy the awesome Kiyonna label in Australia directly from Style and Substance http://www.styleandsubstance.com.au – I’m not associated with them at all – just a VERY grateful larger girl who doesn’t really like going to a cocktail party wearing a kaftan!!
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What a shit post! All you did was bang on about her weight and the clothes that could fit her size. Nothing about her life, work, family, personal views, thoughts….he’ll anything else.
Great to see that either way it all comes back to the same – how you look
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Sally – you have completely missed the point. Get off your high horse.
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you’ll have to buy a copy of AWW to find out the story.
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Why bother the rest of it is full of lame stories from hard nosed dull journos?
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Don’t hold back Sallly (if that is how you really spell your name!), what do you really think? Might be time to leave the dinner party. Oh and by the way ‘he’ll’ is short for ‘he will’.
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Pretty sure it was autocorrect
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Your comment was WAY ruder than hers!!
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ha ha ha. Love your humour…
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Settle down Simone! I don’t agree with Sally either but she is entitled to an opinion.
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You have missed the point of the post. If you want to read about Chrissie Swan’s life and thoughts, then go buy the Women’s Weekly and read their article. What would be the point of Mia replicating that? This post is about the backstory behind the cover. Some us find that interesting.
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While I love Chrissie and agree it’s great she’s on the cover, I find the tone of the comment “for people who are going to bang on about weight and health” irresponsible. I understand body image is a crusade of Mia’s but the health impacts of the obesity is a much more significant issue for our society. Yes body image matters, but what about the risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, decreasing life expectancy for our children. I don’t believe individuals should be discussed in the fight against obesity but I find this attitude expressed in this comment quite counterproductive to the huge societal change that will be needed to turn the tide of this health crisis.
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I think the best way of countering the obesity epidemic is to encourage people to feel good about themselves at any size and to stop this obsession with physical appearance. The pressure to be thin, particulary when it is not your actual body type, can lead to a cycle of yo- yo dieting, weight gain and in some cases obesity. Chrissie is such an inspiration because she is embracing the idea of living life to the full and feeling good about yourself no matter what your size. This attitude is more likely to encourage a healthy lifestyle than the barrage of constant preaching and humiliation in the media – which often just makes obese people feel even worse about themselves and resort to the cycle of diet / binging etc.
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Everytime there’s an article about feeling great at any weight a whole bunch of women and particulary younger women come out with the ‘She’s obese, she needs to just put down the burgers and exercise.”
When you are 20, that does actually work quite well for most women. For some women, it never worked, they’ve had the burden of being unable to lose weight since childhood. Some are unable to put weight on. These are all norms.
Between the ages of 35 and 40 it’s even harder to lose weight – hormone changes and loss of up to 30% of muscle mass change the metabolism and things that have worked in the past do not work any longer, and if you have children, it’s even harder than that.
Encouraging people to have better body image at any size is actually better for weight loss, not worse. Not all BMI defined obese people are unhealthy, and the BMI is a flawed indicator of weight and health. And to all those judgemental 20 yeaar olds out there – you will change, unless you are one of the very few who are gifted with a cast iron fast metabolism. The majority of you will go through the changes that your mother and grandmother went through. What works for you at 20 will not work for every woman. And not every partner is turned on by thin. And most of all don’t dress it up as concern for people’s health – if you think fat people are ‘gross’, just come out and say it.
A little less preachy hate and a bit more empathy please – women need the support of their sisters, always. I don’t really want to single out young women completely, there are women of all ages that fat shame, but never, never assume that your experience is universal and that it will work for everybody, because that’s naive at the best and ignorant at the worst.
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As someone in there early 20′s I had hit 110kg size 20. My blood sugar levels were high, cholesterol through the roof and given family history I needed to make a change. It was the beginning of spring and I wanted to buy shorts. I went to target and tried on a pair and they didn’t fit. Too afraid to grab the next size up, I stormed out determined to lose the weight. Through exercise and watching what I ate I lost 35kg. Trust me when I say I am glad that it was so hard to find shorts that I wanted in my size. It gave me the motivation to move it.
While I believe we should be showing a more realistic portrayal of women, I don’t think it is calls for celebration of body image through the potrayl of someone who is clearly in the obese category.
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I agree! This isn’t just a little extra weight!
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That’s great that you are now healthier – however – I don’t think showing Chrissie on the cover of a magazine is in anyway encouraging obesity, actually the reverse. Many obese people have terrible self esteem and don’t think they deserve to be happy – this is actually contributing to the obesity cycle. Studies are now showing that one of the best ways of supporting people to be healthier is to focus on building self esteem whatever the weight. The other myth is that just because someone looks “obese” they are unhealthy – studies actually show that your level of physical activity is more important than your weight. People of even very large weights can be extremely fit and more healthy than a thin couch potato. Incidentally more people die as a result of having below normal BMIs than high ones.
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SpoT on! Hit the nail on the head. Also good on you for being so motivated 35kg is unreal!
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I think those who are critical of the depiction of an obviously overweight woman for it’s potential impact on health outcomes are overreacting. If the mag came with a free packet of tim tams and her appearance was in an advertorial sponsored by Arnotts, maybe i’d be more concerned…
The issue isn’t about always putting ‘Ms average’ on the cover so that everyone is happy- i.e. not too skinny, not too fat, it’s about the need to represent a broad cross section of Australians. Real life is made up of all shapes and sizes and what we normally get is nothing like that.
Bigger people exist. Fact. Why shouldn’t they be represented? Some of my best friends are overweight and I haven’t stopped being their friends because I might catch it from them…And just beucase I look at someone who’s overweight on a magazine cover doesn’t mean I’m going to tear up my gym membership!
It does mean though, that I won’t have to roll my eyes in disgust at the lack of imagination displayed by magazine publishers for once.
Hooray for diversity. Next step, cultural diversity?
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Thats right- Fat people should only leave the house in a burka for fear of encouraging obesity and should be banned form T.V and magazines and generally kept out of site because the look unhealthy.
What bollocks. bein on a magazine shows a media personality everyone likes and we want to read about. where is the harm in that?
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I wasn’t raising any concerns about Chrissie being on the cover. I agree with you on that. It was Mia’s dismissive comment about ‘banging on about health and weight’ like obesity isn’t a highly significant issue with a huge health impact that NEEDS to be taken seriously to have any chance of addressing I found irresponsible.
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I LOVE this post!!!!! Well done Mia!!!
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I think Chrissie is my new girl crush!!
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I am a subscriber of AWW and received my issue today with Chrissie on the cover. I nearly did a big ” Oh what a feeling” Toyota jump I was so stoked. However in Coles yesterday I’m sure I saw the latest issue with the Queen on the cover?? Are they running two covers? This would really annoy me as I think it is such a special cover (for the same reasons as Mia) and yet many people won’t see it. Am I correct or just confused???
BTW, came in rom the letterbox and intended to sit down with a coffee and read the article but I was so interested I had read it before the kettle bolied….
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The magazine with the Queen on it is a special or ‘one off’ title, completely covering her majesty and the jubilee.
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Oh cool, thanks for clearing that up!
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I don’t usually buy the mag, but I will this month because my friend Kath is in it! The clothes for her photo shoot were lent to her by Autograph. She’s in good company with Chrissie in it as well.
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