In this edition of the week in pics there’s the annual No Pants Subway Ride in New York, Princess Mary’s twins turn one, and the Facebook campaign trying to get Mattel to produce a bald version of Barbie.
There’s also pictures from the US magazine called Plus Model Magazine, which show the incredible contrast between plus-size models and ‘average’ models.
Check it out.
The annual No Pants Subway Ride was held in New York and cities around the world
Comments
170 Comments so far
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gaga looks like boris becker in the NSFW photo… Love barbie
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Im not sure the percentage thing works. There’s an overweight / obesity problem at present, so the fact that models weigh 25% less than average women doesn’t in itself mean they are unhealthy.
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The skinny woman, as a whole, of course doesn’t look ugly or anything, but in the fourth pic with her arm – looks like a bloody four year old’s. You cannot tell me that is normal or healthy.
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You know, I lost 150 pounds in the past year and a half. Prior to the loss, I always heard nasty comments about how I needed to put down my fork and that I was a fat b***h…today, I am told to go eat a sandwich, and am constantly asked by my co-workers when I plan on knocking the whole thing off. I went from a size 28 to a size 10-12…and I am pretty much done. Strangely, I still see myself as overweight, but that isn’t the point. The point I am trying to make is no one seems to like the way I am…fat or “normal” so, all I can do is please myself.
I think both women in this shot are lovely in their own way, and I tell you what, the plus sized model might be “plus-sized” but looks about a million times better than most overweight folks do without clothing. I guess what I am trying to say is be happy where you are comfortable- if you aren’t comfortable in your own skin, then do something about it…but only for yourself- the heck with what the world says!
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Wow, I have so much respect for you. It’s always awesome to hear from someone who has been on BOTH ends of the scale (pun not intended! Haha, just read it!) and after everyone giving you BS, has settled on the truth: Being true to YOU.
I take my red felt beret off to you
Especially because you said you have to do it ‘only for yourself’. Definitely keep working this attitude 
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I thank you for the compliment! This all started when I began to have chest pains and found I had stroke level blood pressure at the age of 40. My husband had just underwent a cardiac cath at the same age and was nearly 400 pounds. We both had lost a lot of family members and ate our grief. It remains a constant battle over what we want to eat vs what we should eat. My husband is an accomplished chef, and I am no slouch when it comes to baking…we both love food, and generally turn to it when things are bad. I do not enjoy food nearly as much as I used to, and now suffer guilt every time I eat something I perceive as unhealthy, or just ate too much of something. I hope that one day, the happy medium of balance will occur and I can once again enjoy what I eat and stop feeling guilty for eating it. Our weight loss was the result of health issues, as well as being tired of nasty comments from others due to our size. I find it astonishing that those comments continue on the other end of the spectrum. I have gained the insight to realize we do not chose how we look, all you can do is live in the skin you were given. None of us has the right to make lousy comments due to someone elses appearance- no one knows what someone else is dealing with, and how they choose to deal with it.
I am asked, daily, by my well meaning co-workers, how much do I weigh now? How much weight have you lost? I often feel like snapping “none of your business” , but refrain from it, as most of the folks asking are folks with weight issues and health issues of their own. In some weird way, I am an inspiration to them and they need to know being healthier can be done- without surgery, without weird fad diets…just by taking responsibility for what you ram down your throat. Read labels, move more, think about how many calories are in what you are drinking, too. I have found reasonable ways around every food issue I have, and all the cravings that come with it, books and recipes can and will help. I don’t know if I am able to maintain where I am at-it is a daily fight for me, and I don’t know how long I can do it. I do know that I weigh less now than when I was a teenager and feel so much better physically. At the end of this diatribe, my point is this, and it’s an oldie but a goodie- live and let live. Don’t we have enough problems of our own to deal with without making someone else miserable?
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I think you should label this “the difference between normal and minus-sized models”. Because that bigger girl looks beautiful and normal and the thin one looks horrible. How can she be labeled “normal”????
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I think this comment is horribly insulting to naturally skinny women, and also women who arent the same size as Katya.
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I disagree with anybody’s body being put up for commentary by others.
I also disagree with discussions about weather a slimmer or a thicker female body is more aesthetically pleasing.
This is not the point at all. As long as a body is in good health that is ultimately all that counts.
However… being clinically underweight carries with it significant medical risks…. dangers of being overweight are plenty discussed. People do not understand that there are also many dangers for those who are overweight. Fat= stores of energy… just in case… guess what happens when a person with no extra energy stores gets sick? And I’m not just talking flu…
the notion of ‘naturally slim’ is pretty dubious… no matter how well your body/ you are able to regulate your energy intake there are still dangers to being underweight…. there are really very many… there is no reason for anybody to be under 18.5 BMI.
If you are underweight and you have tried to gain weight by counting calories and doing weight training and find that you are not gaining weight you really need to see a doctor. This is not normal. The inability to gain weight can be a symptom of numerous serious conditions…. these include diseases, infections, parasites, hormonal imbalances…
For more information: http://www.livestrong.com/article/102512-dangers-being-underweight/
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“If you are underweight and you have tried to gain weight by counting calories and doing weight training and find that you are not gaining weight you really need to see a doctor.”
I’ve seen a doctor, six in fact, and all told me I was perfectly fine when I asked them to help me gain weight? No indications that it is caused by anything bad, my mum was my size if not smaller at my age, until she had kids, and they told me to stop stressing about it because all indicators pointed to me just being a naturally slight build.
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well clearly if you are the same size as your mother/ other relatives… that would indicate a naturally slight build.
also… clearly if you have been tested and the doctor says its fine then it stands to reason you are. obviously there are always exceptions… however you are rare. there are many problems with the body mass index and it is only a guide. there have been cases of women dying of anorexia before even being officially classed as underweight by BMI standards. I am merely suggesting that it is a guide and people who are having problems gaining weight should seek medical advice. surely you would agree this is a reasonable suggestion considering you did the same? yes?
there is a really interesting documentary about this topic called ‘why are skinny people not fat?’ It was a controversial experiment but ultimately it is very informative.
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You’re right, I would agree that it is a reasonable suggestion
Much better to be told there’s nothing wrong than to not seek help and let a problem get worse and worse (sometimes irreversibly so). My problem tends to be when people use BMI to pigeonhole strangers without knowing their history.
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Agree. As much I get the hots for the larger type of lady, it’s ignorant to call them “real women”. So women who happen to be slender are not real? What condescending bilge.
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WHEN are you going to start crediting where you get your images?????
Pretty sure that legally you are required to credit your sources when you use other people images.
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Copyright: The Internet
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This article is misleading because the average weight of adult American females has increased by 15% in the last 20 years, which exactly accounts for the change. Models aren’t getting smaller, Americans are getter fatter, this is a much more serious concern.
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I have been having massive issues with this editorials use of stats, because they were the same stats that Naomi Wolf used in The Beauty Myth – 20 years ago. Jean Kilbourne also cited them in Killing Us Softly 3 (1997), and then for Killing us Softly 4, she omitted the statistics from the lecture as they were no longer current enough. If they are going to use statistics, I would rather they didn’t use the same ones that have been regurgitated for the last 20 years and actually attempted to use some up to date ones.
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I wonder if the photoshopped Andrej Pejic as much as Reece and Drew?
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as the text states most runway models have a BMI ranking them as anorexic
see the thin models arm in photo 4
that said australia and nz are among the fattest countries on the planet
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Based on the second photo alone- sans the subtly dividing choice of text- I actually love the second PMM shot. That, to me, is a beautifully captured shot of a glowingly gorgeous girl.
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Sage Stylista, you have won me as a subscriber to your blog. I love your work!
What I want to see is more acknowlegement of how women use their bodies. Our bodies are not only ornamental, nor are they just baby factories – yet this is how women’s bodies are presented all too often in the media. The exception may be athletes, of course – although female athletes are judged on their “beauty”, and what they wear – the Williams sisters, for example. To me, they’re both Alpha Women – gifted, dedicated, super-fit. And lots of people think they both look hot (me included). But, why are they being judged on their looks and clothes in ways that their male counterparts aren’t? Sure, the Williams’s have sporting apparel endorsements to honour, but don’t the men have the same?
I’m sick of feeling goaded into judging other women’s bodies. But I do judge, and it’s like a Pavlovian response. Urrrgh! This is more than just a “skinny” vs “plus size” issue, in my opinion.
I’m trying to undo all the brainwashing, but it’s so fucking hard!
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Annnd I’d like to know, when are women going to get “real” hobbies, other than worrying about our bodies? What a waste of mental energy! There are so many smart folk who read Mamamia, why is it that the “body” posts cause the most comments?
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I know!
Growing up, I loved fashion design, eventually chose to study it, I but had MANY other hobbies (and still actively pursue all of these, just keeps me happy and striving to be a ‘universal woman’ of sorts). I loved fashion from the cultural/historical/artistic angle, not so much a purely aesthetic angle. Hobbies-wise, I STILL lose myself in books, write stories, learn languages, illustrate, play piano, sing and dance. A bit of a culture vulture, of sorts, lol.
When you have other things things that fulfill you so much, there is no doubt you’ll cultivate more happiness, and spread it to others! Your happiness will stop stemming chiefly from the physical, but a real… Well, ‘happy place’, lol.
I think the body posts still cause the most commentary, because it is like a bizarre galaxy unto itself- people struggle with which sub-issue is orbiting around the other, which argumentative asteroid is coming from where and which planet it’s actually headed for… There is no map for the galaxy either, and many a confusing moon or million!
Sometimes in trying to address every notion involved in the body image issue, usually to back oneself up as effectively as possible, the main argument can seem weakened and people will pick up any slightly loose thread and run with it- no clarity is found. Back to struggle street. Sigh.
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Hi Nicki!
I have so much appreciation for your kind words, for choosing to follow my blog and willingness to share your opinions respectfully, as well as question and admit to the very real difficulties we ladies face, towards ourselves, other women AND the fashion and media industries.
I also love that you are questioning in your response- just because we don’t have all the answers right away, does not mean we can’t recognise and question when we know a certain ‘way’ is not right. I mention this in my blog post (and in a response to a somewhat bitter commenter), and I feel very strongly about it.
I completely concur and co-question all the points you have made.
I also take my hat off to you (ok, I’m not wearing one, but let’s pretend its a red felt beret… Always wanted one of those
), when you say “I’m sick of feeling goaded into judging other women’s bodies.” It’s true- this is everywhere- but you’ve caught it in yourself… Brilliant and powerful mind-shift RIGHT there. It might seem small, but you showed me huge difference in your way of thinking.
I found myself doing it once, and it hadn’t happened to me in awhile, so once I caught myself doing it again, I flipped the switch immediately. I was looking at Miranda Kerr’s post-baby body, rocking the fantasy bra (just note that I am 20 and have not had a baby), and being weirdly envious and just generally feeling negative towards her because she seems to have it all, starting with that body. I WANTED TO SLAP myself afterwards- I LOVE Miranda Kerr’s positive life approach and philosophies- so WHY was I momentarily judging her- when I also love myself and my body, when I work hard to maintain it for my choice to healthy? Why? Because this sort of mentality has seeped into our consciousness, and even the strong ones (I consider myself to be very secure, not to sound arrogant or anything) are not immune. Honestly, I work very, very hard to catch myself. You are so right, it IS hard. And it is WORK.
Health angle aside, trying to tell this to a woman who is struggling with the concept that the choice to feel a certain way (and this goes for more than her body) starts with them, is a road fraught with risk. Their usual response is that it’s ‘easier said than done’- they are right- but is that a legitimate reason not to TRY? To keep trying? Any achievement would only be a testament to their character! Try telling anyone that any opportunity to hate is also an opportunity NOT to… That is also damn difficult.
Inhale… Exhale… Ok, I’m good now. After I caught my moment of negativity, I changed track instantly and chose to genuinely compliment Miranda on her health choices and physique, then I complimented myself on mine. Restoring mental harmony, right there.
I’m slowly, in my little corner of cyber-space, working on pushing this message out there. In the process, the only thing I ask for from others, is respect and a willingness to attempt to see my point of view.
We can’t turn on each other, or we’ve lost the fight already.
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Thank you Ms Stylista
“We can’t turn on each other, or we’ve lost the fight already”.
Never were truer words said!
Oh, and my hobby is fishing and snorkelling……no body shaming there!
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Thank you, Nicki
Fishing and snorkelling- what fabulous hobbies! I especially love a bit of snorkelling, such a peaceful and relaxing activity!
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fat, not fat, down to DNA and excercise and food intake.
How come they’re so friggin HAIRLESS???
I am feeling quite comfortable wandering round in my (apparently plus size ) body in bathers, but ever so aware of the “”"excess”"” hair down there.
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That model looks ill & emaciated next to the so called plus sized model.
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Really? She looks how I used to look when I was 15. All gangly arms and legs. People used to tell me I was anorexic back then, too. Except I wasn’t anorexic. That model may well be 15. But we don’t know, because we can’t even see her face!
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Yeah that’s exactly what they want you to think. We don’t know anything about the other model, we can’t even see her face. Like the other commentators have said, she may very well be a 15 year old girl going through that awkward skinny phase but the way they photographed the two models, they want you to think she is some horrible anorexic skeleton who is ashamed of her body and is hiding her face. It’s so manipulative but I’m glad most people haven’t fallen for it.
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That’s because she is standing next to a woman who is an Australian size 16-18 and about 3 times bigger in frame size.
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So sick of seeing “thin is in” or “curvy is in”. Whatever.
What’s wrong with showing a size 10 or 12, who is NEITHER “too fat” nor “too thin”? I’m sick of seeing each end of the spectrum, I want to see in between.
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So true! It’s either stick thin models or plus size models size 18 and up.
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She’s soooo beautiful!
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They are both Beautiful.
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To me those pictures all look like the larger model is showing her dominance over the smaller one. It’s not the nudity but the pose makes me uncomfortable. I don’t think it looks like a comforting or maternal embrace at all.
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Me too! What’s all that about? The younger skinny one looks like she’s being manhandled – it made me feel uncomfortable too. Not very flattering for either model.
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I was clicking through the photos – magazine shot – model shot – then Princess Mary’s brood.
What a great contrast, the family is the most meaningful beauty for me in these shots.
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Really not a fan of the PMM photos that feature both models (Though I think #2 with the woman on her own is really cute and fun). I think they missed an opportunity to create a really great shoot by just aiming for the press they’d get with the mildly controversial sexual positioning. Hate the way the smaller woman’s face is obscured twice and that she looks like a victim. They could have done some great shots where both women look equally beautiful and supportive of each other.
Funnily enough, the same concept was done really well in Playboy more than 30 years ago (yes, I have an appreciation for vintage Playboy! It really did have some good articles after all!)
I distinctly remember a series of shots they did called something like ‘Big Woman Little Woman’ and from memory, it was a very tall, buxom blonde with a very petite brunette in a series of arty but erotic shots. Both models were spectacular and no doubt the readers appreciated them both.
I’d love to try to find a link for you but can’t risk a Google search right now! If anyone is able to find it, definitely worth looking at.
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totally agree with you. why do the pics have to be sexy and look like the skinny girl is ashamed or a victim in some way?!
they’re just weird pics generally!!
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Agree with your comments. I find the pics of the juxtaposed models extremely inauthentic and condescending. An opportunity wasted. I also wonder what the reaction would have been if the same-styled pics had been of men. Double, triple standards much?
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I have been reading a few posts here and I have no idea how people have drawn a conclusion that the models are underweight or overweight or not (unless I missed their weight somewhere)? What I don’t like is that just because the other girl is smaller that the taller girl, she “skinny”, or needs to put on weight. She certainly looks thinner than the other girl, but then the other girl looks quite large next to her – they might be perfectly healthy/right weight for their height, age etc
Its frustrating that because someone looks different to someone else, they are looked down upon, or told they need to change (keep in mind I am in no way referring to health issue- that’s a completely diff matter). I hate how being thinner is instantly equated to being anorexic, or unhealthy. I’m very tall (183cm), and quite thin (around size 8). People always comment on my weight, they tell me to eat more etc. I eat- constantly. I exercise, and am healthy. I am simply not going to put on weight just because others think my body isn’t satisfactory to the more normalised size 12+. My body shape is my body shape, it doesn’t change too dramatically.To me I think that same mentality (you are not larger, therefore you are wrong) is being pushed on the masses in this picture.
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Laura, I understand where you are coming from with your comments. I know there are girls like you out there, but you are few and far between.
When it comes to very thin models it is possible that some share your genetic predisposition to be naturally thin but it is far more likely that most are going about acheiving such a size by unhealthy, dangerous means.
You’re right, different people have different healthy weights…won’t it be nice when the rest of the world catches on to this fact?
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More fat vs. thin. How does debating this issue, yet again, help anyone?
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Are they SURE they didn’t accidentally put a picture of someone else on the cover of Elle? That looks absolutely nothing like Reece Witherspoon!!
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Can I be honest?
I saw the first picture and all I saw were 2 women.
I didn’t notice sizes.
Only in reading the heading did I notice that one women was slightly larger than the other.
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The pictures have shock value but I don’t think they are helpful. Neither of these body types should necessarily be aspired to. Both models probably have BMIs outside the healthy 20-25 range. Comparison to an average height woman with a healthy BMI would be better.
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oh i love Kate Middleton’s dress!
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Crocs made A BILLION DOLLARS????!!!!!!
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HOWWW?????? They are the ugliest shoes ever!!! They are the one thing I would NEVER be caught in
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I used to say the same thing, but I’m a convert! They are the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn, easy as to clean, they breath, they are surprisingly supportive and they don’t rub. My only complaint is that they are $50 a pair – which is no doubt why they made a billion dollars, however they are also pretty hard to find these days – I recently walked a whole Westfield and eventually found a very small selection of them at Rebel sport, so there you go another complaint, but when you are wearing them it’s worth it!
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I love those oil paintings!
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I should read captions a little more slowly, I thought they were beautiful photos. But as a painting its even more beautiful and clever.
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That second picture is fabulous! I am very jealous of her flexibility!!
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My exact though when I say that pitcure! Beautiful.
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Apologies if this has been posted previously:
“Twenty years ago the average fashion model weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today she weighs 23% less.”
Wouldn’t the main reason for this be the fact that we are getting fatter? It doesn’t necessarily mean that the models are smaller, but WE are bigger.
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My apologies, just read comments thoroughly – it has already been highlighted. Sorry!
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It bears repeating Michelle, you needn’t apologise
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We’d need to look at BMI figures to see if the models are genuinely smaller. I think they probably are – in the 1960s Twiggy was considered an unusually thin model, but she wouldn’t look out of place now.
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I’ve just done a quick Google check. Twiggy’s measurements were Height 5’6, 31AA-22-32 (at age 17), 32-23-32 (during peak of her 60s modeling career), 32B-24-32 (in 1976 at age 27), 36B-20-33 (measured in 1986), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine) weight 110lb (source Wikipedia)
Kate Moss’ measurements are Height 5’6-5’7 (depending on who you ask – I thought she was 5’8) 33-23-35, weight 105lb (source New Faces)
I don’t know how Twiggy’s waist got *smaller* with age?! And note how Kate supposedly weighs less than Kate.
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why would you want to ride the subway with no pants on? (AND when its winter over there?)
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For a laugh?
To join in?
To be a part of something simply to be a part of it?
To do something a bit different?
To break a few boundaries and be a bit cheeky?
etc etc.
If I was in NY I would have.
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Hmm, riding public transport pantsless – doesn’t sound like fun to me. Riding public transport with a whole bunch of pantless people? Sounds even less fun.
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Maybe you should just stay home then.
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You must be the flasher on the Belgrave line, then …
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Come on – are you the fun police?
“doesn’t sound like fun to me” – then don’t do it. The entire world isn’t required to rearrange itself to your particular subjective view of what is fun or not. Lighten up.
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I didn’t get the impression that Lulu expected the entire world to rearrange itself to her view of fun…I thought she was just lightheartedly saying that it wasn’t her idea of fun? It doesn’t sound like my idea of fun, either, but I’m happy for other people to do it if they want to!
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Shannon, yeah – that and the fact that the idea of sharing super-crowded trams with pantsless people just makes me shudder. It’s bad enough as it is with the second-hand iPod music, overloud phone conversations, etc etc.
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I love over-loud phone conversations when I have no reading/listening material.
“Oh my GOD she said WHAT? ahahahaha but she’s only acting like that because Geoff cheated on her with Sandy at Chris’s party. Well, yeah not exactly cheated because they won’t even dating but still”
It’s like listening to a soap opera.
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They probably had a cellulite check at the ticket counter.( I wouldn’t have got in.)
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Ps perhaps you want to label this post ‘not safe for work’.
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I am tired of the concept of needing to compare and bashing down ‘the others’ to make yourself feel better about yourself.
And it’s not just weight, anything which a person perceives as a ‘difference’ has all too often fallen into the trap of being portrayed in these ways now. Race, disability, intelligence, illness, addiction, the list goes on.
You can’t judge someone’s reasons for being something without knowing them. And even then, a lot of people won’t let others in.
Can’t we just see some photos of an ‘average’ sized woman who looks as though she’s loving life? Maybe the thinner model is happy as well, but do we have to show how ‘ugly’ she is to make a point? This does the same to people who are naturally smaller that featuring only thinner models does to larger women.
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Yes, I agree. And women of all people should know about being judged and marginalised..we’ve been banging on to men about it long enough! Tut-tut.
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That image of the ‘embracing’ women lit a wild writer’s fire in me today- which I hopefully distilled into coherent candles of my opinion on women vs. women when it comes to fashion & media ideals.
I wrote about it on my blog, and would welcome any respectful perspectives that are kind enough to read it:
http://thesagestylista.wordpress.com/
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I really enjoyed your piece, Sage Stylista. Your deconstruction of the image was very insightful and while some may say you’re just reading too far into it, I think you’ve hit the nail on the head and made very valid and plausible observations.
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Sage Stylista, I started reading your blog article and I promise I’m about to go back and finish it, but first can you please tell me where I can get that blueberry and almond dark chocolate???
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Hi Kitten!
Thank you for heading over to my blog- I honestly super appreciate that. I look forward to any thoughts you may have to share on the piece
Ahhh, that blueberry and almond dark chocolate… Heaven! It’s a ‘Lindt Excellence’ block, and I just buy it at Woolies
If they don’t have it (sometimes the specialty chocolates appear less than the others), David Jones certainly does.
Happy hunting!
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Thank you so much taking the time to read and comment, Shannon. I appreciate the initiative IMMENSELY
Thank you also, for noting my message and observations, and I agree it is easy to see the ‘reading too far’ aspect, but given that that the fashion & media industries are all about image construction (especially to just grab attention), I did feel it was warranted in this case (and to hook into my women vs.women, point).
I did get an annoyed comment on the blog itself (missing the point of the article, and going so far as to make assumptions about me). I wrote a comment that I hope, was respectable and respectful in its clarifications, in return. They slightly missed the main angle of the article, but I can understand (not love, but understand) that with such a giant issue like this, it’s always possible no matter how succinct you’re trying to be.
My main point (succinctness was exhausted during my article, lol):
Thank YOU for being so respectful with your words
I cannot stress that enough.
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Ah, I just checked back and saw the comment to which you are referring. It’s a common tenet of some parts of the pro-positive-body-image movement…that others’ struggles with their perceptions of themselves are invalid or less severe because they benefit from popular representation – even if that popular representation is now frequently scrutinized.
While I understand and sympathize with a few of the points made by that contributor, I feel they’ve taken the wrong angle to the issue.
I think you handled that very well
You also don’t need to thank me for being respectful…I could tell that’s the tone you were trying to take in your article and you deserve respect back 
I hope everyone else who reads it can see the message you were trying to convey and not get too caught up in a debate about whether or not slim people are popularly represented and so whether they deserve to have their self-esteem protected alongside others’ in the positive body image movement. xo
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Shannon, that was so aptly worded… You have my full respect and appreciation on this subject. Thank you for connecting with my tone of voice. Isn’t it difficult nowadays to try and stay PC yet still express passion in writing?
In my response I aimed to avoid addressing their assumptions about me. It didn’t hurt me, and it won’t, so why fuel the fire? I did not want to respond with any assumptions about them either, rather, address the article alone.
Gotta practice what I ‘preach’
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I look forward to the day when PC is an antiquated concept, because people don’t judge any more…….
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THe most shocking pictures we see of underweight models are the ones on the runway when they are more or less clothed.
I think the article could have done away with the naked thing and still delivered as strong a message.
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Everytime weight, these contrasts, or anything related to modelling is up, the first thing I notice is a tidal wave of people screaming for more weight, expressing the persecution complex that hides their low self-esteem, and condemning everyone who isn’t flabby (cause that’s what this plus size model definitely is) as being disgusting and evil.
The second thing I notice is nobody gives a damn that the slender one’s ego is stomped into the ground.
I think society’s just getting fatter, hence the rising percentage, and people try to justify themselves all the time by playing the victim. As usual the herd is still a herd and its opinion is actually inverse to popular belief, hence the herd trying to “be different” by vouching against that “popular notion” so vehemently.
Start thinking for yourself already and stop giving a damn entirely. And stop destroying the self-esteem of slender and healthy women in order to make chubby ones feel better. I’ve actually more often had to console the first group when this subject came up.
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I couldn’t agree more.
I have PCOS and both of my parents developed diabetes despite being only marginally overweight, so I realized pretty early on (late teens) that I had to control my weight, for the sake of my health. I work incredibly hard to stay fit, healthy and (dare I even say it here?) slim, yet I deal DAILY with passive-aggressive, snarky and downright mean comments, insinuations and attacks about my body.
“So, do you buy your clothes in the kids section?”
“Models are one thing, but real women have curves.”
“Only perverts like skinny women – who else would want to sleep with a woman with the body of a 12 year old boy?”
“Gawd, you’re like a toothpick, I hate you.”
“Eat something, you’re making me feel bad!” – and I think this one sums it up. I get this stuff every single day, and then I come on here and have it thrown at me, article after article, that magazines should show “normal” women (because women like me are abnormal… apparently).
I’m sick of people throwing their insecurities at me, just because I choose to put in the effort to stay at a healthy weight. I wish people would stop approaching the whole body image issue in such destructive ways, especially this website. Dragging a slender women down, calling her names and acting as though she is wrong or abnormal doesn’t make a bigger woman any more beautiful – it just makes her a bitch.
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*cheers and applauds*. Totally with you there! I’m a size 10, and I find many plus-size women can barely look me in the eye. I mean, I understand where they’re coming from and all but, shit, it ain’t my fault.
One acquaintence said to me today “oh god, look at you. Please stop standing next to me”. What, so I should stay home so you feel better about yourself? Err, no.
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I am in complete agreement with all three posts, and wrote some additional notes on them on my blog.:
http://thesagestylista.wordpress.com/
As a fashion design graduate (I feel like an understanding insider), future journalism student (in February!), self-loving female who respects the choices of other and women and completely encourages a healthy, active and BALANCED lifestyle, this whole issue has me at a completely tangled cross-roads- I feel bizarrely close to the way it’s perpetrated rather than the message afterwards.
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Hi Stylista,
Out of curiosity – where are you studying Journalism? I’m moving to Melbourne soon and am wondering where the best place is to study it. Apologies for the random question.
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Hi Kat!
No worries about the random question, it’s totally welcome
I will be studying journalism at the University of Queensland in Brisbane.
I was very much considering RMIT Melbourne but my parents want me to stay put, lol, so that didn’t happen. It has a great national reputation and the course structure shown online looked quite appealing to me.
I hope that helps
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I’m a size 10 also (and a tall size 10, 5’10″) and I am tired of the media telling me that I am unhealthy, and “abnormal”. There is so much bias towards larger ladies – they are more “womanly”, their “curves are more desired” etc. Well, guess what. I have curves too. I just don’t have a size 16 dress size.
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“so much bias towards larger ladies ”
Are you living in some kind of alternate universe the rest of us don’t know about?
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I think within the plus-size movement there is (obviously) a bias towards larger ladies, just as there is a bias toward the very slim ladies in groups that feel victimised by the “real women have curves” movement.
At the end of the day, though, I think there is still a narrow margin of an ideal – where women any smaller or any larger than that ideal are marginalised. In my experience, the ideal tends to be women of sizes 8-12 depending on their height.
But I don’t think people smaller or larger than the ideal get the benefit of a natural bias, just the bias they create for their own self-esteem.
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“But I don’t think people smaller or larger than the ideal get the benefit of a natural bias, just the bias they create for their own self-esteem.”
My point exactly. Amen.
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”- Eleanor Roosevelt.
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That third comment scares me a bit….i’ve never actually heard anyone say it,but it’s a horrible thought…i definitely have the body of a 12 y old boy,and no chesticles to speak of either…oh,and extremely short hair to top it all off…
Does that mean no one should ever find me attractive unless there’s something wrong with them?
I usually like to think the opposite-it takes a special man who doesn’t ‘need’ the usual combo of big breasts and long flowing hair to catch his attention…
But hey,at the end of the day i couldn’t care less if the truckies driving past or the guys at the bar look at me because they think i’m some kind of a freak…
I’m thoroughly happy with the way i am,and i’ve got my special man by my side.
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WELL SAID!!
I’ve said to many people how ironic it is that people won’t comment on an overwieght persons body, but feel comfortable commenting on my weight and size because I am slim. Either way it is insulting!!
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So very well said anon, I couldn’t agree more. I am so sick and tired of skinny bashing. It’s not okay to say horrible offensive things to thin women so the overweight ones can feel better. Enough already.
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I feel sorry for the skinny model. This campaign has made her look ugly, why does it always have to be one or the other? Why can’t we say both are beautiful?
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Also, the skinny model is without a face. Probably because she is a 15yo normal, coltish teenage girl who’s all arms and legs. Like I was. And the tagline re anorexia’s just offensive. Pfft!
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It desperately needs to be pointed out that although the “normal model” looks underweight (she is probably only about 14), it is ridiculous to claim that Katya Zarhkova is not plus size. She is a US size 12 (AUS 16). That is usually where plus sizes start at. They use women on the smaller end of plus size to make the clothes look better. But she is certainly a bigger woman. At 5″10 I think she’d be like an Amazon woman!
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Are the models getting thinner, or are ‘average’ women getting bigger? Both?
There is a Crocs store at my local shopping centre. I refuse to go in, because it STINKS. It’s that awful new rubber smell x1000 shoes.
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I am totally amazed that there is a whole store dedicated to one of the most ugliest shoe design.
I am influenced in my consumerism by the aesthetics of a product and then practicability. I am told these are comfortable on ones feet but so is a warm bucket of shit!
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oh god, that gym ad made me feel sick. I visited Auschwitz last year, it was the most confronting and horrible thing, but I think that people need to do it, just to fully understand the horrors – so they won’t make ads like those!! urgh, there is not a word that expresses my disgust!
Princess Mary’s family is gorgeous – I want those kids
as are Will and Kate, I adore those two. her dress, ahhh, incredible.
I’m actually kind of disappointed I didn’t get to see the ‘normal’ models face. would have been interesting. I agree with the comment below – it looks like a mum hugging her child
Katya is GORGEOUS. and HEALTHY. I don’t have a problem with anyone’s size, as long as they are healthy. Sometimes I look at those catwalk models and think – I can see every bit of your spine. that cannot be good for you. I feel so good about myself after looking at those photos…katya’s body is my body! I feel gorgeous again 
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I could stare at those paintings all day. Oh to have such Devine talent. Swoon!
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WTF were the advertisers for the gym thinking? How could anybody think that was acceptable (and presumably several people had to sign off on it), let alone how is that even supposed to be an advertisment for a gym (starve yourself, be tortured and forced to work for 16+ hours). Would anyone be encouraged to join a gym that they associated with Auschwitz?
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My late mother was a Holocaust survivor.I am horrified that the gym advertisement could even be considered as a concept -Anti-semites.
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I’m just waiting for all the ‘health conscious’ individuals to come on here and point out that the plus-size model is unhealthy and that fat should not be idolised.
*sigh*
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Are you as equally concerned about the “health conscious” individuals coming on here to point out that the “normal” model is too thin, and therefore unhealthy/anorexic, too?
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Off topic, I know but how gorgeous is princess Mary and her family. Not much into the whole royal watching but they are just beautifully happy!
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The gym ad with Auschwitz is beyond dreadful. I visited Auschwitz many years ago when backpacking in Germany. I have no personal links or history with Germany but even as someone completely uninvolved I found the visit heartbreaking, and the images of the torture endured will always remain with me. So this is advertising that has definitely crossed the line.
On a lighter note, is it just me or does Justine Bieber look like a 12 year old girl?
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Justin Bieber looks and sounds like a 12yo girl!!
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Aw, give the kid a break – you must be listening to the older toons because his latest stuff is way more gentler on the earst! Granted,he still sounds young – but his voice is lovely, his values seem admirable.
Try this one on for size:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9tJW9MDs2M&ob=av2e
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Auschwitz is in Poland.
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Perhaps Jo has just confused it with the Dachau concentration camp?
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Auschwitz was in Germany in the war. After the war that part of Germany was given to Poland.
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But you still can’t visit Auschwitz in Germany, regardless of where is was. Perhaps she could have backpacked from Germany to Poland, but I’m sure she didn’t visit Auschwitz in Germany (during the war).
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Auschwitz was only part of Germany during the war because Germany annexed Poland. It wasn’t in the bit which was German pre-war & Polish post-war.
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Oops, no, my mistake.
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It looks like a mother hugging her 12 year old. Plus size…. what a load of rubbish she is normal and theother girl is under weight.
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You know what, I really don’t think she is underweight. Slim, definately. But it’s not like she has bones jutting out. To my view, the ‘skinny’ one here looks much healthier than many runway models.
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Crocs have got to be the ugliest creations ever! I travelled to New York with my Husband and son who was 2 at the time and My inlaws are from Canada and met us there and i was mortified when my MIL rocked up for a walk in Central park with socks and crocs…..One of the most stylish cities in the world and she puts her freaking crocs on…..so that was fun trying to walk ahead of her the entire time and now you are telling me these eye sores raked in over a billion bucks…..man i need to invent some freaking ugly footware! good on em…but seriously people… a pair of thongs is a much better(and more Aussie) way to go!
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Hello GL, I’m a fellow crocs hater
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urgh crocs are fugly! if you’re into comfort, get some good walking shoes with arch support, padded heel etc!
(I work in a comfort shoe store…can you tell?)
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Why would you walk apart from someone in a place where no-one knows you or your inlaws?
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I’m with you I DESPISE crocs, they are the ugliest, most revolting looking footwear ever invented – I cannot believe they sell any at all, let alone a billion dollars worth!
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The only thing crocs are good for is fishing. Thongs don’t cut it when you’re getting the boat on and off the trailer (they get sucked into the sand). Barefoot doesn’t cut it because you don’t want to tread on a bullrout/fortescue (nasty, spiny fish that bury themselves in the sand).
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And why the bloody hell did someone feel the need to illustrate the difference between plus size and mainstream models by shooting photos of them rubbing each other up sexually in the nude? It’s totally uneccessary.
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I personally did not see this as sexual. It’s a beautiful caring shot.
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Ditto. Naked doesn’t have to mean sexual.
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My husband just looked over my shoulder and asked why I’m looking at lesbian porn. I guess it looks sexual enough.
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If I didn’t know the context, I see it as a mother embracing her teenage daughter. But, as I know the context, it’s more like she’s comforting her.. ‘there there, you poor, little underweight thing..” . Ugh. In this light, it’s set up to be quite an arrogant pose.
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yes beautiful and caring in a lesbian paedophile kind of way. It looks like a mother and child engaging in disturbing behaviour to me. And even if it was not sexual, I’m sick of seeing nude images of women just for the sake of putting them there. It adds no dimension to the story, it is a tasteless and overused marketing tactic.
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I have to disagree. I don’t think the full affect of the image could be seen if they were clothed – it would cover their figures and it would be difficult to see the point of the photoshoot, in my opinion.
I also think we need to change this attitude we have towards nudity, that nudity = sex/sexual etc. We were born naked. I think the human body is beautiful in all shapes and sizes, and I don’t automatically connect nudity with sex. I feel a bit sad that so many others do, though.
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I think if they were 13 year old girls in bikinis advertising perfume we would be outraged at the poses.
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I see the point you’re making… but context is key. This photo shoot itsn’t advertising a product, it’s ‘advertising’ body sizes, in a way. A perfume ad with girls in bikinis in a close embrace doesn’t ad anything to the advertisement – the pose and lack of clothing is irrelevent to the product. But in this case, the campaign is about body shapes and sizes, so nudity is a way of accentuating that. Just what I think, anyway.
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I think it’s the word “hugs” that should be in quotes here…..
ETA: I would like someone to tell me how calling a perfectly average, normal woman “plus size” is exactly helping our teen’s and women’s body image.
I mean , if you’re a size 8, you look at this and think oh great…I’m “plus size”. IE: fat BUT beautiful yada. How is calling women “fat but beautiful” helping girls not think they’re fat? All it does is replace the word “fat” by “plus size” in popular lingo. Omg I’ve gotten so plus size these days, quick, a diet.
What’s the reasonning behind this, I don’t know, but it seems faulty.
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Agree.
Hey clarinette – I need some help about travelling in France. Can you email MM and they can pass on my email? Merci!
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Wait, you know there’s a private message thingy on here
I’ll give you my email i don’t mind.
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totally agree, plus size is derogatory, maybe “normal” models should be called minus size
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Alternatively, we could make some real progress, shun the offensive labels altogether and just call them all ‘models’.
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Love this!
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Mainstream models are also getting younger. When you have a 13 year old modelling adult clothing, she will be the proportioned like a child. Because she is one.
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And “average” women are getting larger so the statistics are disingenuous.
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Exactly!