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Showing posts with label body image. Show all posts
Showing posts with label body image. Show all posts
9/15/2010
5/02/2010
How Dare She?
Halle Berry is Single and Other Exciting News for GuysCOMMENTS
I doubt Gabriel Aubry will have trouble finding another woman who is both younger and more beautiful than Halle Berry. One who will hopefully have fewer "issues" than Halle.
Also, Halle Berry has had two husbands who cheated on her, a boyfriend who beat the hell out of her and now a baby-daddy who has left her. They all leave HER!! Not a good track record. Obviously, beauty is not everything. Maybe Halle has nothing else to offer the men who come into her life; perhaps she has too much baggage; perhaps she is a boring lump of insecurity. Men get tired of that shit, no matter how beautiful the woman is.
So, yeah, Halle will find another man (if she wants one) but will things turn out any better for her? Will she be happy again? I don't think so. Halle fucking Berry is not a happy woman.
missdelite: *sniffff*
I can smell the resentment from here.
You know that itch you can't scratch? It's actually caused by bathrobe crumbs worming their way into every orifice of your being. Soon you'll be nothing but a pile of Cheeto dust and cat hair moistened by the tears of your lost youth. A forensic team will sift through your moldy remains and conclude that death was caused by the rupture of a jealousy-induced ulcer that slowly over the years ate away at you from the inside out.
After hearing about your terrible fate, Jon Stewart will launch into a tirade on his show about the rise in deaths by Gossip Exhaustion. Word will reach Halle Berry and she'll offer to scatter your ashes from the deck of her 200 ft yacht parked in Port de Saint Tropez while her hunky assistant in the tightest shorts imaginable gently cradles her Oscar and looks on in admiration. His aviators will reflect the flashes of paparazzi bulbs, the locals will cheer, and your moment of glory will finally be realized, all thanks to Halle "Who the Hell Does She Think She is, Anyway?" Berry.
Back at your place, a lonely cat howls with hunger, waiting to be fed..
________________________________________________
4/20/2010
Be Honest
[via]386,170 Unhelpful Things
COMMENT
missdelite: I find it interesting that most of you feel I'm "judging" an overweight person if I see them indulging in an unhealthy food. That's not the case because I don't know that person and have no basis for judging them as people, but can the action itself be judged? Yes, I believe it can.
If you hear a heroin addict complain one moment about how they're tired of being addicted, and then see them shoot up the next, aren't you allowed to judge their action as being unhealthy and contradictory to their stated intentions? At what point are you allowed to say "Look, I know it's hard but you're hurting yourself and I can't be a part of it anymore"?
Also, in terms of what's causing people to be overweight in unprecedented numbers, I've heard the following reasons: slow metabolism, muscle weighs more than fat, heights increasing over the decades, glandular problems and genetic predisposition.
Ok, fine. For some people, but what about the rest? Let's get down to brass tacks and talk about food and our complicated relationship to it. Personally, I live downtown above a mall where every junk food imaginable is available within walking distance. If I didn't have a gluten allergy, I'd be scarfing Quiznos, Chinese take out and BBQ potato chips at every possible moment. It wouldn't take long for me to pack on the pounds and I'd find it near impossible to stop because it tastes so damn good. When will I hear an overweight person admit that their physical state is about how they relate to food and the fact that they're dealing with an addiction that Jenny Craig can't solve? This forum is anonymous and more likely to empathize with personal weakness than anywhere else. There's a real potential for a support group atmosphere, but not if people aren't honest with themselves and each other.
I have to say, I'm impressed when I see an overweight person on a bike or jogging on our streets, cause I know it takes a lot of courage to be out there in front of everyone doing their thing. To be honest, I'd rather join the "Health Acceptance" fan club because it makes more sense to me. I've a predispositon to do so and stand by my choice. Please don't judge me for it.
__________________________________________________
4/11/2010
Date Rate
"Shut Up Bro, She Was Ugly": Indiana U. Student Explains How to Rate Girls"Men have been using the trusty 1-10 rating system to rate girls for what seems like centuries. Obviously a 10 is a knockout, and a 1 is something that should show up on the Discovery Channel. It's as universal as the 4.0 GPA scale or the dewy decimal system. One of my favorite things to do with my friends is to argue about what number a girl is." [...]
Rating Jackasses
1. This is the bottom of the barrel. Minimum of two Livestrong bracelets. Loud, obnoxious assholes who have to pay people to hang around them. As adults, all Ones will be convicted of exposing themselves at a playground. [...]
VID
Entourage: Rating Girls
________________________________________________
4/10/2010
3/13/2010
In 2030
1. Lady Gaga will be considered one of the "greats" in music history.2. Lady Gaga will be lauded as a pioneer alongside David Bowie, Madonna and the Gloved One.
3. Lady Gaga's outfits will be auctioned for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
4. Lady Gaga memorabilia will be considered sacred relics of a bygone era.
5. Lady Gaga's music videos will be considered either a) the gold standard of the medium or b) the last great examples of the medium.
6. The "Gaga Effect" will be a major influence on females in the industry, to the point where:
7. Female pop singers will only wear crotch-baring outfits in public.
8. Female pop singers will perform nude. Their nether regions will be pixilated to everyone in the viewing audience except for those who get to see them live.
9. Female pop singers will no longer eat.
10. Female pop singers will inhale electrolytic air and boast about how full they feel after a "meal".
10. Female pop singers will no longer sing.
11. In lieu of singing, female pop singers will dance, moan, grunt, snarl, yell and throw things.
12. Female pop singers will be celebrated for their songwriting skills, which will be viewed as an example of female "empowerment" - or the 2030 equivalent thereof.
13. Female pop singers will adopt a cause and become its poster woman. They will align themselves with a marginalized group that has deep pockets and can afford their merchandise (eg. Asthmatic Albino Investment Bankers). In other words, the gorillas are fucked. (But who are we kidding? There won't be any gorillas in 2030.)
14. Female pop singers will wear product logos embedded in their nail polish, contact lenses, dental veneers and tongue. These logos will change daily.
15. Girls will emulate and idolize female pop singers. They'll deride their mother's nostalgia for the days when female pop singers cared more about fashion than nudity, sang instead of grunted and there was this one pop star called "Lady Gaga" who was like nothing anyone had ever seen before.
3/12/2010
New Posts
Front St. & Jarvis St.__Jul.09
Elm St.__Mar.10__[daily dose of imagery]+Tyson & Noah
+Spring Fever Fashion
+Gaga Gallery
+Hold the Phone
+Gettin' Winched
+Yakuza Journo
+Monk's Saviour
LINKS
+Models' Transformations
+2010 Hot Spot It List
3/09/2010
Picture This
Demi Moore and Ashton KutcherVanity Fair has a photo gallery online called "Power Couples". There are the Reagans, the Kennedys, Schwarzenegger and Shriver and - amongst others - Demi and Ashton. I don't think I'd qualify them as a power couple (they're not exactly a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood), but the reason I'm posting their pic is...well... look at her. The caption says that he's 32 and she's 48 but it's obvious plastic surgery, lighting, airbrushing and her submissive pose have shaved off at least 20 years from her appearance. Hell, she could even pass for 17. And it bugs the shit out of me. It's almost as if she and the photographer are trying to tell us that the last 20 years of her life never happened. Why? Why deny us a glimpse of the hard-fought battles, triumphs and heartache only time can bring? Why is it so terrible for this woman - or any woman, for that matter - to admit that even though life hasn't always been a walk in the park, she's only grown stronger and better along the way? I'll tell you why: men. Sexist, insecure men. More importantly: male sexual interest.
Allow me to explain. You see, in a circle of women, the older, more experienced woman has the authority. Her words carry weight and as a result, other women listen to her (whether they like it or not). In a circle of men, the opposite is true. The youngest, prettiest woman holds sway and captures their attention. If there's an older woman present, she's seen as "one of the guys" and - for better or worse - can't use her sexuality as an instrument of influence. She can try, but runs the risk of a blunt refusal and being labeled a "crazy bitch". Male sexual interest is the reason transitioning between young and old is hell for a lot of women because they inevitably discover that they can no longer rely on it to pave their way in life. And for the record, any woman who denies she's received benefits over the years due to said interest, is either a bold faced liar, ignorant beyond belief or never tapped into her sexuality to begin with.
Demi takes this dynamic between men and aging, sexually attractive women and magnifies it a million fold. She's spent thousands of dollars staving off looking her age and will continue to do so for as long as her face and body will allow it. By dating and marrying Ashton, she's fully embraced the Young Hollywood Beauty lifestyle, thereby keeping herself in the loop and still relevant in a brutally ageist environment. Because of this, she's still considered a celebrity although ironically, as an actress, she doesn't get any roles. The sad fact is, writers, directors and producers (most of whom are men) don't know what to do with a sexually attractive 48-year-old woman. When it comes to older women, sex and the movies, the best they can do is produce comedies like "It's Complicated" with Meryl Streep or "Something's Gotta Give" with Diane Keaton. Older women and sex are fucking hilarious, aren't they? Heaven forbid should someone write a mature portrayal of a hot 48-year-old woman in a compelling relationship with a man of comparable strength and weakness. Relationships are a breeding ground for dramatic material: the breakups and makeups; the backstabbing, misunderstandings and lies; meddlesome families, friends and co-workers - it's a writer's bacchanalian feast for the senses. But no one's doing it on a grand, cinematic scale. Instead we get the same tired period pieces, war dramas and - yawn - animated fairy tales. The men of Hollywood avoid producing stories about mature, exciting women like they avoid period talk. And they find the topic of these women's experiences just as distasteful. They see absolutely no value in these types of stories, seek almost zero input from women on the creative front and use the big screen as their own personal playground. Fuck women. What do they know about movies, anyway?
The only glimmer of hope I see as far as interesting roles for mature women on screen are concerned, is the TV show "The Good Wife". It's the only program that qualifies as a "must see" for me and I actually look forward to seeing it Tuesday nights. It's been consistently good on every front, doesn't belittle any of the characters and it doesn't bore me to tears. The only thing I'm waiting for is the moment Alicia (played by Julianna Margulies) tells her estranged husband (played by Chris Noth) to go to hell and really mean it. After all the crap he's pulled, she's yet to have her cathartic moment and I know as an actress, Julianna can deliver the goods. I hope the writers don't wuss out and deny her the opportunity. After all, who doesn't want to see a philanderer - even a fictional one - taken down a notch or two? Besides actual philanderers, of course. I know I do, and this is the show to do it.
["The Good Wife" was created and produced by husband and wife team Robert and Michelle King. Joining them as producers are Tony and Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down) and David Zucker.]
+Why Do People Keep Getting Plastic Surgery?
+'ER' Veteran Tries Life as a Politician's 'Good Wife'
+Ridley Scott - bio
This is close as you're going to get to the "real" Demi Moore.
Also from Vanity Fair's "Power Couples": Amy Poehler and Will Arnett in a fun take on classic Hollywood roles. ___________________________________________________
3/01/2010
Fuck Fashion
Sizing Up the Fashion Industry"I can open up any magazine or pick any show and tell you what girls are taking Adderall, how many girls are taking Vicodin, how many girls are throwing up, how many girls are carrying flasks," he said. "Girls are really resorting to incredibly dangerous things."
_________________________________________________
NEW POST
Runway: Spring 2010
Jak & Jil - blog
_________________________________________________
Hey, it's Missdelite here. I feel I need to qualify the title of this post. When I say "Fuck Fashion", I refer to an industry that supports the phenomenon of the ever-shrinking model - not the creation, manufacture and enjoyment of beautiful clothes. Yes, there's a definite body conscious / sportswear trend in the spring looks this year, but a woman with curves can rock the shit out of them if she's confident and fit. In fact, I think a healthier woman would look better in the clothes I feature than the emaciated models you see wearing them. Unfortunately, fashion designers, editors and buyers shy away from body fat / muscle on female models as some sort of sick projection of their own weaknesses. Have you seen some of these people? Their expanding waistlines could no more fit into designer clothes than their egos through a standard-sized doorway. No wonder they get herded into tents!
9/23/2009
Who's it For?
Fashion Week's Finest: Fall / Winter 2009
FLARE’s fashion team dishes on the 30 looks they loved from the fall collections
The last show of the season, this collection (LOUIS VUITTON) made me giddy and reminded me why I love fashion. The Parisian frills and flounces oozed sophistication but kept the mood light and fun. My favourite part? The bunny ears of course.
-Elizabeth Cabral, Fashion Director
One never knows what Nicolas Ghesqiuère (BALENCIAGA) will come up with each season – that’s why he’s a fashion darling. And yet, he managed to completely surprise us by turning his back on the futuristic designs he’s become known for and revert to the idea of classical French dressing with draping and soft femininity. Modern and classic at the same time – what every woman looks for in luxury dressing.
Always a showman, ALEXANDER McQUEEN did not disappoint this season. Girls in sex doll lips and couture worthy clothes evoking 1940’s Dior, walked around a heaping pile of trash used in previous McQueen shows – his way of addressing the state of commercial fashion and consumerism.
I favour the Fall collections mainly for the recurring trend of ultra-rich textures - this season, the best of which was seen at GIVENCHY. Feral but incredibly sensual yards of goat hair strapped tightly across the bust, and cascaded into a full skirt. It's untamed and womanly, commanding and alluring all at once.
–Fiona Green, Assistant Fashion Editor
PREEN’s effortless sexiness gives it a huge draw each season. Its signature cutouts and bandage dressing were fresh in unexpected technicolour. Standout look: a super lush chubby pale blue and white fur coat against bare legs, with a barely-there body-con mini-dress totally reminiscent of trippy retro futurism.
The strength of YVES SAINT LAURENT's collection was in its streamlined ferocity; stripped-down power dressing in strict leathers and revamped suit silhouettes. The leather one-piece ‘bunny’ suit was a knockout amongst more masculine tailoring, with its high nipped waist and fuller bust.
This was a collection (COMMES DES GARCONS) that I kept looking over again and again. The looks had multiple layers that drew me in, but also created a complex overall atmosphere. Trompe l'oeil detailing was the clever touch that kept the looks from being too heavy-handed. These were stunning runway looks that can dismantle into practical fatigue jackets and menswear brogues.
COMMENTS
[Yahoo.com]
Three words: PIECE OF CRAP! Fashion is what's popular, so if thats it, I'm going naked.
I so don't get "fashion." Gobs of money wasted on clothing that will never be worn off of the runway. Garish outfits on pencil thin women. Hideous hair and makeup that bring the word "freakshow" to mind. And ugly, ugly clothing.
Owww! Now those images are burned into my eyes! As someone who is repeatedly the best dressed person in the room, I would NOT give 99% of those outfits a second glance, let alone pay for them. When are designers going to learn that the average woman lives an entirely different lifestyle. Snap out of it! (Okay, I did get a good laugh from them.)
90% of this stuff is horrible! The models are not much better either! I want to hear from 3 men out there that would date these women, especially if they wore some of the stuff seen here! Also, the fur issue has been going on for so long that I don't even know why it is still being used! Lets skin alive some of the designers for a change!
That goat fur one is just bizzare. It makes me want to run to the bathroom and shave.
WOW!!! These designers have managed to make beautiful models look really bad!!! Overall this is the ugliest load of crap I've seen in a while.
Please go back to the classic look where a lady looks like a lady should. Many of these models look as if they have clothes just thrown over them. i.e. Brooke Shields, Christie Brinkley, J.O., Marilyn Monroe. We need women who look feminine, with curves, not so thin they appear as if a pretzel. Healthy looks should be on the runway-be a good roll model for the young girls today.
Right. Well, that was painful. Only maybe two outfits are worthy of a second look. I agree that designers are totally clueless as to the needs of real women. Do they think that everybody is a walking stick? I'm short and to find anything in petite size is a real challenge. Enough said.
Fur is gross and I have stopped wearing designers that use it...
It's also interesting how many of the models look less like grown women and more like little girls, as if they are catering to pedophiles and hebephiles.
Trust me I love women that are thin and physically fit, but these women aren't much more than bones and skin. From what I can see they don't even have the figure of a woman. I think these designers would do themselves and their designs a better service by finding women with figures who are physically fit.
Are they kidding us????
Again, fashion proves that it can make fools out of women. If I saw these outfits on the street, I'd have to break out in laughter! Why don't we see men wearing this kind of stuff? It's carnavalesque. Clowns! Enough, already!
SHAME ON YOU FLARE! I thought the fashion industry had reached some sort of an agreement that models would have to be a certain size to do the runway. WHY are these girls SKINNIER THAN EVER? As long as you CONTINUE to show off UNNATURALLY SKINNY WOMEN in your pages and online you are poisoning our young girls and women with BAD EXAMPLES of what it is to be female and what we apparently SHOULD look like to be "fashionable" LOOKS BAD ON YOU! You think REAL WOMEN who wear bicycle shorts look like THAT? You've got to be kidding me!
When will people understand the clothes in these fashion runway shows are an extreme exaggeration of what you will actually see in the stores and on the streets. Fashion is an art and an expression and the runway is the forum to show that art. If models wore basic street clothes on the runway nothing would stand out and fashion would never evolve. You should be looking at the cuts and colours, how the clothes are fitted, the accessories etc. and then expect to see similar but less dramatic items in the stores that would appeal to the consumer.
Look at the legs and knees of that first girl, and the colour of her face. She looks like she's about to keel over. Someone FEED that kid will ya??
One day I'd like to see a promotion of clothes for REAL PEOPLE and not the walking dead.
I think a lot of these desingers are closet woman haters and actually are laughing their asses off behind the scenes at how ridiculous some of their own designs are.
Hey Lulu - so you would break out into laughter at someone with the courage and strength of personality to wear these in public, eh? Someone who dares to dress DIFFERENTLY from you and all your friends and everyone else you know, all little retail fashion clones dressed alike but pretending to be different and unique, and mocking anyone who might truly BE different and unique.... proudly showing off your subjugation to peer pressure...
Well, I guess I'm "fashion forward" because I would wear at least a third of what's on show. Perhaps not all together and certainly not with the wild make-up or accent pieces. But I'm sure we all know that those are for runway purposes only in order to add drama to the show. Being a woman of real proportions, I'd look better in many of those clothes as well. PS - I may be wrong, but those look like faux fur anyhow.
One of these photos has been disturbing me all day (the first one of the girl with the bicycle shorts).. This girl looks like she should be getting treatement in a HOSPITAL, not being glamorized on a runway... It is SO shocking to me!! Reminicent of the anorexic girl from Brazil who died of a heart attack shortly after a fashion show.
FLARE’s fashion team dishes on the 30 looks they loved from the fall collections
The last show of the season, this collection (LOUIS VUITTON) made me giddy and reminded me why I love fashion. The Parisian frills and flounces oozed sophistication but kept the mood light and fun. My favourite part? The bunny ears of course.-Elizabeth Cabral, Fashion Director
One never knows what Nicolas Ghesqiuère (BALENCIAGA) will come up with each season – that’s why he’s a fashion darling. And yet, he managed to completely surprise us by turning his back on the futuristic designs he’s become known for and revert to the idea of classical French dressing with draping and soft femininity. Modern and classic at the same time – what every woman looks for in luxury dressing.
Always a showman, ALEXANDER McQUEEN did not disappoint this season. Girls in sex doll lips and couture worthy clothes evoking 1940’s Dior, walked around a heaping pile of trash used in previous McQueen shows – his way of addressing the state of commercial fashion and consumerism.
I favour the Fall collections mainly for the recurring trend of ultra-rich textures - this season, the best of which was seen at GIVENCHY. Feral but incredibly sensual yards of goat hair strapped tightly across the bust, and cascaded into a full skirt. It's untamed and womanly, commanding and alluring all at once.–Fiona Green, Assistant Fashion Editor
PREEN’s effortless sexiness gives it a huge draw each season. Its signature cutouts and bandage dressing were fresh in unexpected technicolour. Standout look: a super lush chubby pale blue and white fur coat against bare legs, with a barely-there body-con mini-dress totally reminiscent of trippy retro futurism.
The strength of YVES SAINT LAURENT's collection was in its streamlined ferocity; stripped-down power dressing in strict leathers and revamped suit silhouettes. The leather one-piece ‘bunny’ suit was a knockout amongst more masculine tailoring, with its high nipped waist and fuller bust.
This was a collection (COMMES DES GARCONS) that I kept looking over again and again. The looks had multiple layers that drew me in, but also created a complex overall atmosphere. Trompe l'oeil detailing was the clever touch that kept the looks from being too heavy-handed. These were stunning runway looks that can dismantle into practical fatigue jackets and menswear brogues.COMMENTS
[Yahoo.com]
Three words: PIECE OF CRAP! Fashion is what's popular, so if thats it, I'm going naked.
I so don't get "fashion." Gobs of money wasted on clothing that will never be worn off of the runway. Garish outfits on pencil thin women. Hideous hair and makeup that bring the word "freakshow" to mind. And ugly, ugly clothing.
Owww! Now those images are burned into my eyes! As someone who is repeatedly the best dressed person in the room, I would NOT give 99% of those outfits a second glance, let alone pay for them. When are designers going to learn that the average woman lives an entirely different lifestyle. Snap out of it! (Okay, I did get a good laugh from them.)
90% of this stuff is horrible! The models are not much better either! I want to hear from 3 men out there that would date these women, especially if they wore some of the stuff seen here! Also, the fur issue has been going on for so long that I don't even know why it is still being used! Lets skin alive some of the designers for a change!
That goat fur one is just bizzare. It makes me want to run to the bathroom and shave.
WOW!!! These designers have managed to make beautiful models look really bad!!! Overall this is the ugliest load of crap I've seen in a while.
Please go back to the classic look where a lady looks like a lady should. Many of these models look as if they have clothes just thrown over them. i.e. Brooke Shields, Christie Brinkley, J.O., Marilyn Monroe. We need women who look feminine, with curves, not so thin they appear as if a pretzel. Healthy looks should be on the runway-be a good roll model for the young girls today.
Right. Well, that was painful. Only maybe two outfits are worthy of a second look. I agree that designers are totally clueless as to the needs of real women. Do they think that everybody is a walking stick? I'm short and to find anything in petite size is a real challenge. Enough said.
Fur is gross and I have stopped wearing designers that use it...
It's also interesting how many of the models look less like grown women and more like little girls, as if they are catering to pedophiles and hebephiles.
Trust me I love women that are thin and physically fit, but these women aren't much more than bones and skin. From what I can see they don't even have the figure of a woman. I think these designers would do themselves and their designs a better service by finding women with figures who are physically fit.
Are they kidding us????
Again, fashion proves that it can make fools out of women. If I saw these outfits on the street, I'd have to break out in laughter! Why don't we see men wearing this kind of stuff? It's carnavalesque. Clowns! Enough, already!
SHAME ON YOU FLARE! I thought the fashion industry had reached some sort of an agreement that models would have to be a certain size to do the runway. WHY are these girls SKINNIER THAN EVER? As long as you CONTINUE to show off UNNATURALLY SKINNY WOMEN in your pages and online you are poisoning our young girls and women with BAD EXAMPLES of what it is to be female and what we apparently SHOULD look like to be "fashionable" LOOKS BAD ON YOU! You think REAL WOMEN who wear bicycle shorts look like THAT? You've got to be kidding me!
When will people understand the clothes in these fashion runway shows are an extreme exaggeration of what you will actually see in the stores and on the streets. Fashion is an art and an expression and the runway is the forum to show that art. If models wore basic street clothes on the runway nothing would stand out and fashion would never evolve. You should be looking at the cuts and colours, how the clothes are fitted, the accessories etc. and then expect to see similar but less dramatic items in the stores that would appeal to the consumer.
Look at the legs and knees of that first girl, and the colour of her face. She looks like she's about to keel over. Someone FEED that kid will ya??
One day I'd like to see a promotion of clothes for REAL PEOPLE and not the walking dead.
I think a lot of these desingers are closet woman haters and actually are laughing their asses off behind the scenes at how ridiculous some of their own designs are.
Hey Lulu - so you would break out into laughter at someone with the courage and strength of personality to wear these in public, eh? Someone who dares to dress DIFFERENTLY from you and all your friends and everyone else you know, all little retail fashion clones dressed alike but pretending to be different and unique, and mocking anyone who might truly BE different and unique.... proudly showing off your subjugation to peer pressure...
Well, I guess I'm "fashion forward" because I would wear at least a third of what's on show. Perhaps not all together and certainly not with the wild make-up or accent pieces. But I'm sure we all know that those are for runway purposes only in order to add drama to the show. Being a woman of real proportions, I'd look better in many of those clothes as well. PS - I may be wrong, but those look like faux fur anyhow.
One of these photos has been disturbing me all day (the first one of the girl with the bicycle shorts).. This girl looks like she should be getting treatement in a HOSPITAL, not being glamorized on a runway... It is SO shocking to me!! Reminicent of the anorexic girl from Brazil who died of a heart attack shortly after a fashion show.
9/19/2009
Woman
Lost Youth: Turning Young Girls Into Sex Symbols
Toddlers in tube tops and naked teen pin-ups no longer seem to shock us. How the sexual image of young girls is being manipulated
COMMENTS
There will never be enough said about this subject. Ever.
That aside, this is one of the biggest reasons I can think of that being a woman is so difficult. Think about it. We're brought up by the world to value a man's opinion. We're taught to place enormous value in our appearances, and if we fall short of the ideal, we're made to feel worthless. We're taught to accept catcalls and comments about our bodies-from strangers, even-as compliments. We absorb the world's edict that we are not ourselves; we are Women. A pretty surface onto which the world's expectations and desires are projected. This starts so early in our lives; it's so sudden and impossible to prepare yourself for. And eventually, you notice that your older peers-who once stood exactly where you are standing-sometimes can't conceal their dislike or distrust for you. They look at you suspiciously, as though the purpose of your existence is to undermine their own. This is NOT a broad indictment of all women. At all. But I'm sure many of you have experienced this very thing at the hands of, say, a coworker, or a mother-in-law, or a boss. In my eyes, being a woman is a struggle that never ends. It just changes shape. The weapons get sharper, the enemy starts to look more and more familiar as we grow into adults. Now, at twenty-seven, I'm no longer worried about men. I share my life with a good one, and that's where my focus is. So no, men and their opinions don't hold nearly as much power as they used to. No. It's the women I worry about now. The attractive older woman who fawns all over my SO, right in front of me. The women I worked with in a doctor's office, who were all older than me by a decade, who shunned me and ignored me and treated me like shit because I was only twenty (and probably a little hussy) and made me so miserable I eventually quit. The woman who eyed me up and down and then told me my outfit was....."fun". All of these little tiny things that women can do to one another to cut eachother down, that each and every one of us has experienced-or committed- at one time or another, know no age, it seems. I hope that if I ever have a daughter, I'll be able to somehow prepare her for this, and let her know that her strength will often be tested, and that she should never forget what she's really worth. I hope, too, that she'll understand, and that she won't let anyone-male or female- make her feel small or powerless or like she's only her body and nothing else. This is a long shot, I know. But I have to hope these things, or I'll feel as though all of my own little sufferings, and the strength they've fostered, will be in vain.
I'm less bothered by men who are attracted to youth than by men who are attracted to innocence. Youth has a lot of good associations--energy, enthusiasm, optimism, open-mindedness, iconoclasm. But innocence is only good for a few things--patronizing, ruining, or taking advantage of. ((shudder))
Excellent distinctions. Innocence has an emotive connotation that seems to elicit predatory behaviors, like a neon sign announcing the path of least resistance.
________________________________________________
LINK
Prison Photography - women“There is beauty and there is truth and most truth in this present world is ugly.”
________________________________________________
9/13/2009
You've Changed
It doesn't look like her, but it is
The surgeries should've stopped here, IMO
Is this the final incarnation of Megan Fox?Megan Fox is Bloody Evil in Jennifer's Body
QUOTE
"If you want a reason to commit suicide, google yourself on the Internet...I haven't given people a reason to think I'm a good actress."
COMMENTS
[NYLON on Facebook.com]
She is so pretty
love her!
Oh god not Nylon too. Why must she be EVERYWHERE.
She's not that bad. And she doesn't try to fit in with everyone else which I think is a key element of hers.
I don't think a woman who gives interviews about how women should enjoy being objectified by men is a very good role model, but that's just me. Even SHE says she doesn't think she should be a role model.
i do not care for her.
I love her + her sexy, bitchy, sarcastic attitude. She talks too much but that's what makes her kind of awesome.
She overrated, and not that great of an actress. I'm not a fan.
"i'm not a alcohol-drinking, cigarette-smoking, shit-starter." i liked that. she seems pretty cool here.
how sexy and interesting is this months cover omg the fox is in the house .. sexy!
I hate her.
nylon surprises me with some of the people they select for the cover, and not always in a good way.
Can you say guilty pleasure? Mmmnn yes.
I agree with Alex Castro, that "actress" is not famous for a the right reasons. Just another Paris Hilton with darker hair.
yeah, not the best person. i really don't like her.
i think she tries so hard to be bad...she is just an actress in her own life... thats why she´s not a role model because she doesnt have anything interesting to copy!
bad choice for a cover. she knows nothing about fashion- just taking her clothes OFF
bad choice for a cover girl nylon. i know you have better taste. why not someone else like daisy lowe or an upcoming fashion designer or just someone more awesome? megan fox gets way more credit and attention than she deserves as an actress.
fuckin sell outs
ok, so Megan is hot - got it. What else has she got to offer?? A big MEH to this cover.
boooo megan fox. bad choice Nylon. I know the lil diva darling personally... and she is just as lame as we think she is.
whaat were you thinking nylon ?? megan fox.. what?
Sexy! But a bitch.
nylon tv + megan fox = epic fail.
you can do so much better, nylon.
especially when it comes to the "it girl" issue.
I do not care for this one at all. And, I agree, her acting is pretty disgraceful.
NYLON - FAIL.. what a let down.
9/06/2009
Disconnected
So What Do We Think About This?
[The Sartorialist - Aug.29/09]
This month Glamour magazine ran this photograph which has created quite a stir here in the US.
It seems women desperately want more images that highlight the variety of beauty that the female form has to offer. If that is true, then this should become one of the biggest selling issues in Conde Nast history.
Actually it just might become the biggest seller. When we wanted to do a post about this Tracy went to three different shops to find the magazine but all three were sold out. We had to scan this from the NY Post.
When I am shooting on the street older women and larger size women often say "no" to my request to shoot them. Actually, much more than any other category of people I shoot. I think they have a real suspicion about how the image will be used. I also think there continues to be a growing disconnect between the fashion community and "average" women in general.
However, do you think that this economic crisis has forced the fashion community to open it's eyes a little bit to what the customers want?
COMMENTS
No offense, but I think that you are giving the fashion industry far too much credit for suddenly becoming more "tolerant" of curves. Rather, it is the promise of the "biggest selling issue ever" that has them smacking their lips. In short, if it sells, they will push it. The minute it becomes yesterday's news, they will go back to the anorexic waif image that has ravaged a generation or two of young women...I know it's been said a lot, but if Marilyn Monroe were starting out today she would probably never have even gotten to make her first movie. However, if you ask me to choose between her and, say, Calista Flockhart, as a reference for female beauty (and no disrespect to Ms Flockhart intended), I wouldn't even have to think once, much less twice!
In my opinion, the key is health. So long as we are eating as well as possible, getting exercise and periodic checkups, size and shape should not matter. And we women should not wait for fashion mags to show this kind of image to get comfortable with our bodies.
It would be nice not to feel plump at anything above 100lbs but it will take a long time for some people to see this as fashionable or beautiful.
As a 20 year old female all I can say is that it's too late, our brains are washed.
I'm 5ft tall, Asian, dark hair, weigh just over 100lbs. What are the odds you'll ever see anyone like me on the pages of these fashion magazines unless it's a "special" article about non-model size people with "odd" proportions? An article to help us dress and deal with our shapes? And I am part of the majority. Imagine?
Regardless what the reason is for publishing this pic, thank you for that! Because we're talking about it. But unfortunately, it's probably all about marketing rather than finally listening to what people want. Fashion does change...and I am still hoping I get to live and see that we are going to change for the better.
Although I'm all for a broader range of healthy women's body types being shown in magazines, I have to admit that this particular image grosses me out a bit.
Does acknowledging that the average woman is not 5'10" and rail thin mean I have to see every lump and bump?
I think people are just looking for a rationalization for their complacency, laziness, and unhealthy habits.
I'm all for a 'more natural woman' in magazines. I dislike the choices that are being made by the (euphemistically speaking) "fashion types" — the ridiculously skinny 15 year old girls. We're in an era when Giselle has been called "curvy." But, i also don't want to see fat/flab idealized and normalized. Fashion magazines are still about fantasy. If i want to see 'regular,' i walk down the street and can do my own calculations of 'what percentage of Americans is obese.' [I'm not suggesting THIS woman is "obese!"]
It seems that in a time of economic crisis companies should throw a wider net if they want to continue to pull in profits. The more women feel accepted by the "fashion machine" the more they will buy. I do agree that it's a trend thing though - she's not the first we'll see. Slowly the fashion industry will seem more accepting to see if their profits increase. If it works, then yay, and they'll keep going until it peaks. If it doesn't work, then fashion curves were just a trend.
It has nothing to do with the media, in my opinion; you hear men every day in the street gawping - very loudly - over pretty girls walking past, and making those who don't get as much attention feel worthless. They then go home and compare themselves to the pretty girls, who are all tall/thin/well-dressed/etc.
The media simply aggravates it. That's all. *shrug*
I don't think that this photo will ever become the "norm" in the fashion industry no matter how much people say they "want" it.
I do agree with Scott that there is a disconnect-which is unfortunate, but I don't know if the industry is to blame. It has been a VERY long time since society has embraced "larger" women.
I don't find this a very fashionable photo, nor a stylish one. She looks like a figure model caught in a joke.
I look to newspapers and blogs like yours to see "real" people and style. I don't expect, or want, to see it in the high fashion mags. Glamour is more a middle of the road mag so this sort of shot is perfect for them. They represent a more obtainable style.
I don't think this photograph really has anything to do with fashion... she's NAKED, for crying out loud. Okay, she's wearing a G-string. I saw this article in the magazine - yes, I will admit that I was slightly thrown off by the choice of photograph when I saw it too - but the article that it graces is about things that men find attractive and sexy about women. They use REAL quotes, from REAL men, about REAL women. The article itself really has nothing to do with fashion. However, I don't disagree that the public idea of what is "fashionable" when it comes to the female body is absolutely changing for the better. While models like Kate Moss are still at the top of their game, we now have more normal-looking girls popping up here and there, for example Lara Stone, an average size 4-6 and a top model to boot. There is hope.
See whether she looks fabulous without her (very pretty) face.
1. Yes, it is bad that models starve themselves for their job.
2. Yes, photoshopping models to perfection creates an artificial standard. i can't even express in such a small space how bad that is.
3. BUT one should not mix up runway fashion with what can be bought in stores. It is not the same and it does not serve the same purpose. One is inpiration, the other is work.
It's about being realistic. Glamour's readers are not wealthy socialites. They are working women, moms, maybe some men, who are just looking for some tips. They are looking for editorials that will help them achieve beauty and style by working with what they have. Glamour has, for a while, been printing stories on the best clothes for your body type and the best clothes for your budget. This is nothing new. They may have to run advertisements with skinny, skinny models, but they don't really have a lot of control over that. They have been sincerely, I think, heading in this direction for as long as I can remember. I applaud their efforts to make it easy for everyone to feel confident and look good.
Perfect! Now let's see some breasts that have gone south, as well, so healthy, middle-aged women can learn to stop hating their bodies.
"I also think there continues to be a growing disconnect between the fashion community and "average" women in general."
Oh, you don't say? I think it's (partially) the fashion community's fault that "average" women feel they have to measure up to some higher standard - as though anything less is subpar and inadequate. All that will do is alienate a population that will regard you as arrogant and elitist.
Shame on anyone who looks condescendingly at someone who doesn't quite fit their version of beauty.
I'm not trying to make a blanket statement about the entire community as a whole, but certainly these types of sentiments are prevalent.
I read some years ago that the super thinning of models began on the runways as a way to focus the attention onto the clothes and off of the beautiful woman underneath them. And now we have twisted that body type into THE body type. As several other people have said already, it needs to be about health and as Mr. Schuman shows us each day - it's about personal style.
Okay, why does there have to be such an extreme contrast?? Either a model is going to be skin and bones or she's going to represent the "average" woman by having abs that hang below her beltline?
Come on. I am 43, not a model, not chubby or unfit. I also don't regularly work out and my stomach still doesn't look like that AND I have a kid. There are plenty of real women that lie somewhere in the middle of anorexic and massive. Shoot - put ME on the cover of Glamour.
Every once in a while, a model or a celebrity decides to take some sort of stand against the rather distorted image of "woman" that the media shows. That image changes decade to decade, but I think right now, that image is very dangerous: super-skinny, almost pre-pubescent silhouette, yet ultra-tall. And almost always Caucasian. Now, there's nothing wrong with being any of those things, but all together, this image represents a very tiny percentage of the population. And women looking at these models will ask, "why can't I look like that?". This can lead to some very dangerous dieting habits and low self-esteem.
Touche, Sartorialist. Touche.
Over the past decade we've seen the fashion industry slip lustily toward the luxury market, leaving behind those not willing to chase a virtually unattainable standard of "beauty".
Perhaps we've fallen in love with megapixels and baubles to the extent that we've lost the plot, as the English might say. And you wonder why retailers are tanking? Because the very guardians of their pursestrings have seduced them into a fantasy world bereft of authenticity, and print media is now feeling the pinch, represented through a declination of ad pages and loss of subscribers.
Fashion need only be interesting, and people will be interested in it. Authenticity is a good place to start.
What I'd love to see is magazines where the models are WOMEN, not girls (or women who look like they are 17). The kind of women that Richard Avedon used to shoot. It is women who can afford to buy the clothes, not young girls.
Please stop calling voluptuous women "real"! ALL women are real just as all people of all colors are real people. It is extremely insulting.
i stopped buying women's magazines when i was 30--i finally realized they made me feel bad about myself. seventeen magazine helped fuel 9 years of eating disorders--i was obsessed with how skinny and tall the girls were, and what they weighed. i will NEVER have another fashion rag in my house, since i have two daughters, yet i love clothes. so THANK YOU for your blog that shows real people with real bodies and always inspiring choices of dress.
All I can say is...Why not Plus Size and In Shape?
The woman in this picture, and she is only 20 years old, has no muscle tone....plus size or not.
I think North Americans believe "It is all good". I simply do not agree.
As intelligent and discerning individuals, there is a desire to strive to be the best we can be.
[Comment Total: 540]
____________________________________________
Lizzie Miller
Do Women Really Want to See Themselves in Fashion Magazines?
While Glamour editor Cindi Leive swears that her magazine will strive to feature women of all sizes, following the praise they received after featuring model Lizzie Miller, Times of London writer India Knight remains unconvinced.
COMMENTS
>Knight is acting like it's just either or. It can be both. Just like I don't think we need to be so whitewashed in fashion mags, we could stand to be a lot more age, size, and racially diverse.
I mean, I just don't get the idea that it has to be all fantasy or all reality. Is there some kind of paradox waiting that will destroy the world if we start acknowledging that diversity is a good thing?
I did notice the incredible amount of negativity in some comments, though, with size comparing. But I think people do that anyway, whether it's Miller or someone else. We're taught to compare and find ourselves wanting. That's sort of the whole point of the "beauty myth".
Sure some people can look at the aggressively thin ideal and think, well, whatever, I don't look like that, that's okay. And some people clearly don't and internalize that ideal as a goal they are forever striving for and forever feeling inadequate for not meeting. Our weight obsession is not an accident. And likewise lots of people look at a pic of Miller and feel good, others don't. You can't "win" when it comes to beauty. But I still think diversity is better than none.
>Reading the comments on a piece in the Guardian about this got me thinking about who is really making women compare themselves to super thin models.
I'm noticing most of the nasty comments seem to come from men. Back when Jennifer Love Hewitt's badly fitting bikini was news, I remember noticing the exact same thing- most of the nasty comments were from guys. In real life, I seem to know more women who were hurt by male comments about their bodies than female comments. If a woman was involved, it was probably their mom, but it seems like the dad/boyfriend comments cut deeper.
Who do you think contributes more to women's body issues- men or women? Conventional wisdom seems to be that women cause body issues in each other, while men are just happy with a naked lady. But I'm not sure that's really true.
>The Guardian commenters this week about Lizzie Miller made me want to sob. As you noted, they were generally men (or very male sounding usernames) and incredibly rude and judgemental about all women's bodies.
I had been considering joining the Guardian Soulmates dating site, but working on the premise that some of those male commenters will also be on there, I have scuttled away in abject fear. Imagine going on a date or receiving an email along the lines of those comments...
>In my own personal experience, the only negative feedback I've received regarding my body has been from judgemental men (either male friends, boyfriends, or obnoxious men on the street). In fact, while I'm not saying this is representative of everyone, I honestly can't think of a single instance in which a woman has criticised my body.
>I think men are in denial about their bitchiness because they think of it as a female trait and insults from men are often more painful because 'No one wants to fuck you' is the ultimate insult in our pornified culture.
>I think we're encouraged to think that the only reason men are with women is looks. That whole "There is no female Seth Rogan" thing. So when a man insults our looks, it calls into question whether a man would ever want to be with us. Conventional wisdom says looks aren't as important to women, so its okay if a guy has a big gut, Katherine Heigl might get drunk and overlook it.
I know this is true for me. The people who were most critical in my life of my looks were boys and men. I'm sure other girls had issues, but they never said them to my face. It's probably why I can never really relate to the "mean girl" threads...not that I didn't know girls like that, but it was all more secretive and I could deal with it. But the men and boys were aggressive, public, and intimidating/threatening about it. And people just shrugged it off.
I hear the "well, men like x bodies" argument a lot...and I'm like, yeah, but what about all the men who don't? It's not like there's a shortage of body snarking online, much of it coming from men. It's a myth that all men are somehow accepting all body types. I think most men are taught they're entitled to comment on women's bodies because, after all, we have them FOR them, don't we? What value do our bodies have without men to either criticize or appreciate them?
That's always my issue with the "men like any body type" argument. It still relies on the same idea...that we should be happy with our body because some man is. And unhappy with it if he isn't. I don't like either, personally, because it makes women's bodies public property and not their own.
And as an anecdotal aside...I work with an office of mostly men. The amount of body commenting on celebs is intense, and is usually ridiculously nit picky. And I've had this stuff said to me, in my presence...and it's like...what the hell? If this is what you think of celebrity x, what are you thinking about me, an average person? They just don't think.
>There's a lot of confusion in your comment, and it's all valid. On one hand, there is absolutely nothing wrong with men's right to have a "type" of women that they pursue. Everyone has preferences when it comes to the imagined appearance of our ideal partner. This overlaps with men's (and women's) tendency to completely invalidate the women who do not meet that ideal.
>Yeah, I have no problem with preferences. We all have those. It's the way people are encouraged to comment, publicly, on other people's looks and bodies when they don't meet those preferences or ideals. And I think that happens with women more because we're valued by our bodies more, culturally. It's a frustrating thing to watch.
____________________________________________
NEW POST
Swimwear
[The Sartorialist - Aug.29/09]
This month Glamour magazine ran this photograph which has created quite a stir here in the US.
It seems women desperately want more images that highlight the variety of beauty that the female form has to offer. If that is true, then this should become one of the biggest selling issues in Conde Nast history.
Actually it just might become the biggest seller. When we wanted to do a post about this Tracy went to three different shops to find the magazine but all three were sold out. We had to scan this from the NY Post.
When I am shooting on the street older women and larger size women often say "no" to my request to shoot them. Actually, much more than any other category of people I shoot. I think they have a real suspicion about how the image will be used. I also think there continues to be a growing disconnect between the fashion community and "average" women in general.
However, do you think that this economic crisis has forced the fashion community to open it's eyes a little bit to what the customers want?
COMMENTS
No offense, but I think that you are giving the fashion industry far too much credit for suddenly becoming more "tolerant" of curves. Rather, it is the promise of the "biggest selling issue ever" that has them smacking their lips. In short, if it sells, they will push it. The minute it becomes yesterday's news, they will go back to the anorexic waif image that has ravaged a generation or two of young women...I know it's been said a lot, but if Marilyn Monroe were starting out today she would probably never have even gotten to make her first movie. However, if you ask me to choose between her and, say, Calista Flockhart, as a reference for female beauty (and no disrespect to Ms Flockhart intended), I wouldn't even have to think once, much less twice!
In my opinion, the key is health. So long as we are eating as well as possible, getting exercise and periodic checkups, size and shape should not matter. And we women should not wait for fashion mags to show this kind of image to get comfortable with our bodies.
It would be nice not to feel plump at anything above 100lbs but it will take a long time for some people to see this as fashionable or beautiful.
As a 20 year old female all I can say is that it's too late, our brains are washed.
I'm 5ft tall, Asian, dark hair, weigh just over 100lbs. What are the odds you'll ever see anyone like me on the pages of these fashion magazines unless it's a "special" article about non-model size people with "odd" proportions? An article to help us dress and deal with our shapes? And I am part of the majority. Imagine?
Regardless what the reason is for publishing this pic, thank you for that! Because we're talking about it. But unfortunately, it's probably all about marketing rather than finally listening to what people want. Fashion does change...and I am still hoping I get to live and see that we are going to change for the better.
Although I'm all for a broader range of healthy women's body types being shown in magazines, I have to admit that this particular image grosses me out a bit.
Does acknowledging that the average woman is not 5'10" and rail thin mean I have to see every lump and bump?
I think people are just looking for a rationalization for their complacency, laziness, and unhealthy habits.
I'm all for a 'more natural woman' in magazines. I dislike the choices that are being made by the (euphemistically speaking) "fashion types" — the ridiculously skinny 15 year old girls. We're in an era when Giselle has been called "curvy." But, i also don't want to see fat/flab idealized and normalized. Fashion magazines are still about fantasy. If i want to see 'regular,' i walk down the street and can do my own calculations of 'what percentage of Americans is obese.' [I'm not suggesting THIS woman is "obese!"]
It seems that in a time of economic crisis companies should throw a wider net if they want to continue to pull in profits. The more women feel accepted by the "fashion machine" the more they will buy. I do agree that it's a trend thing though - she's not the first we'll see. Slowly the fashion industry will seem more accepting to see if their profits increase. If it works, then yay, and they'll keep going until it peaks. If it doesn't work, then fashion curves were just a trend.
It has nothing to do with the media, in my opinion; you hear men every day in the street gawping - very loudly - over pretty girls walking past, and making those who don't get as much attention feel worthless. They then go home and compare themselves to the pretty girls, who are all tall/thin/well-dressed/etc.
The media simply aggravates it. That's all. *shrug*
I don't think that this photo will ever become the "norm" in the fashion industry no matter how much people say they "want" it.
I do agree with Scott that there is a disconnect-which is unfortunate, but I don't know if the industry is to blame. It has been a VERY long time since society has embraced "larger" women.
I don't find this a very fashionable photo, nor a stylish one. She looks like a figure model caught in a joke.
I look to newspapers and blogs like yours to see "real" people and style. I don't expect, or want, to see it in the high fashion mags. Glamour is more a middle of the road mag so this sort of shot is perfect for them. They represent a more obtainable style.
I don't think this photograph really has anything to do with fashion... she's NAKED, for crying out loud. Okay, she's wearing a G-string. I saw this article in the magazine - yes, I will admit that I was slightly thrown off by the choice of photograph when I saw it too - but the article that it graces is about things that men find attractive and sexy about women. They use REAL quotes, from REAL men, about REAL women. The article itself really has nothing to do with fashion. However, I don't disagree that the public idea of what is "fashionable" when it comes to the female body is absolutely changing for the better. While models like Kate Moss are still at the top of their game, we now have more normal-looking girls popping up here and there, for example Lara Stone, an average size 4-6 and a top model to boot. There is hope.
See whether she looks fabulous without her (very pretty) face.
1. Yes, it is bad that models starve themselves for their job.
2. Yes, photoshopping models to perfection creates an artificial standard. i can't even express in such a small space how bad that is.
3. BUT one should not mix up runway fashion with what can be bought in stores. It is not the same and it does not serve the same purpose. One is inpiration, the other is work.
It's about being realistic. Glamour's readers are not wealthy socialites. They are working women, moms, maybe some men, who are just looking for some tips. They are looking for editorials that will help them achieve beauty and style by working with what they have. Glamour has, for a while, been printing stories on the best clothes for your body type and the best clothes for your budget. This is nothing new. They may have to run advertisements with skinny, skinny models, but they don't really have a lot of control over that. They have been sincerely, I think, heading in this direction for as long as I can remember. I applaud their efforts to make it easy for everyone to feel confident and look good.
Perfect! Now let's see some breasts that have gone south, as well, so healthy, middle-aged women can learn to stop hating their bodies.
"I also think there continues to be a growing disconnect between the fashion community and "average" women in general."
Oh, you don't say? I think it's (partially) the fashion community's fault that "average" women feel they have to measure up to some higher standard - as though anything less is subpar and inadequate. All that will do is alienate a population that will regard you as arrogant and elitist.
Shame on anyone who looks condescendingly at someone who doesn't quite fit their version of beauty.
I'm not trying to make a blanket statement about the entire community as a whole, but certainly these types of sentiments are prevalent.
I read some years ago that the super thinning of models began on the runways as a way to focus the attention onto the clothes and off of the beautiful woman underneath them. And now we have twisted that body type into THE body type. As several other people have said already, it needs to be about health and as Mr. Schuman shows us each day - it's about personal style.
Okay, why does there have to be such an extreme contrast?? Either a model is going to be skin and bones or she's going to represent the "average" woman by having abs that hang below her beltline?
Come on. I am 43, not a model, not chubby or unfit. I also don't regularly work out and my stomach still doesn't look like that AND I have a kid. There are plenty of real women that lie somewhere in the middle of anorexic and massive. Shoot - put ME on the cover of Glamour.
Every once in a while, a model or a celebrity decides to take some sort of stand against the rather distorted image of "woman" that the media shows. That image changes decade to decade, but I think right now, that image is very dangerous: super-skinny, almost pre-pubescent silhouette, yet ultra-tall. And almost always Caucasian. Now, there's nothing wrong with being any of those things, but all together, this image represents a very tiny percentage of the population. And women looking at these models will ask, "why can't I look like that?". This can lead to some very dangerous dieting habits and low self-esteem.
Touche, Sartorialist. Touche.
Over the past decade we've seen the fashion industry slip lustily toward the luxury market, leaving behind those not willing to chase a virtually unattainable standard of "beauty".
Perhaps we've fallen in love with megapixels and baubles to the extent that we've lost the plot, as the English might say. And you wonder why retailers are tanking? Because the very guardians of their pursestrings have seduced them into a fantasy world bereft of authenticity, and print media is now feeling the pinch, represented through a declination of ad pages and loss of subscribers.
Fashion need only be interesting, and people will be interested in it. Authenticity is a good place to start.
What I'd love to see is magazines where the models are WOMEN, not girls (or women who look like they are 17). The kind of women that Richard Avedon used to shoot. It is women who can afford to buy the clothes, not young girls.
Please stop calling voluptuous women "real"! ALL women are real just as all people of all colors are real people. It is extremely insulting.
i stopped buying women's magazines when i was 30--i finally realized they made me feel bad about myself. seventeen magazine helped fuel 9 years of eating disorders--i was obsessed with how skinny and tall the girls were, and what they weighed. i will NEVER have another fashion rag in my house, since i have two daughters, yet i love clothes. so THANK YOU for your blog that shows real people with real bodies and always inspiring choices of dress.
All I can say is...Why not Plus Size and In Shape?
The woman in this picture, and she is only 20 years old, has no muscle tone....plus size or not.
I think North Americans believe "It is all good". I simply do not agree.
As intelligent and discerning individuals, there is a desire to strive to be the best we can be.
[Comment Total: 540]
____________________________________________
Lizzie MillerDo Women Really Want to See Themselves in Fashion Magazines?
While Glamour editor Cindi Leive swears that her magazine will strive to feature women of all sizes, following the praise they received after featuring model Lizzie Miller, Times of London writer India Knight remains unconvinced.
COMMENTS
>Knight is acting like it's just either or. It can be both. Just like I don't think we need to be so whitewashed in fashion mags, we could stand to be a lot more age, size, and racially diverse.
I mean, I just don't get the idea that it has to be all fantasy or all reality. Is there some kind of paradox waiting that will destroy the world if we start acknowledging that diversity is a good thing?
I did notice the incredible amount of negativity in some comments, though, with size comparing. But I think people do that anyway, whether it's Miller or someone else. We're taught to compare and find ourselves wanting. That's sort of the whole point of the "beauty myth".
Sure some people can look at the aggressively thin ideal and think, well, whatever, I don't look like that, that's okay. And some people clearly don't and internalize that ideal as a goal they are forever striving for and forever feeling inadequate for not meeting. Our weight obsession is not an accident. And likewise lots of people look at a pic of Miller and feel good, others don't. You can't "win" when it comes to beauty. But I still think diversity is better than none.
>Reading the comments on a piece in the Guardian about this got me thinking about who is really making women compare themselves to super thin models.
I'm noticing most of the nasty comments seem to come from men. Back when Jennifer Love Hewitt's badly fitting bikini was news, I remember noticing the exact same thing- most of the nasty comments were from guys. In real life, I seem to know more women who were hurt by male comments about their bodies than female comments. If a woman was involved, it was probably their mom, but it seems like the dad/boyfriend comments cut deeper.
Who do you think contributes more to women's body issues- men or women? Conventional wisdom seems to be that women cause body issues in each other, while men are just happy with a naked lady. But I'm not sure that's really true.
>The Guardian commenters this week about Lizzie Miller made me want to sob. As you noted, they were generally men (or very male sounding usernames) and incredibly rude and judgemental about all women's bodies.
I had been considering joining the Guardian Soulmates dating site, but working on the premise that some of those male commenters will also be on there, I have scuttled away in abject fear. Imagine going on a date or receiving an email along the lines of those comments...
>In my own personal experience, the only negative feedback I've received regarding my body has been from judgemental men (either male friends, boyfriends, or obnoxious men on the street). In fact, while I'm not saying this is representative of everyone, I honestly can't think of a single instance in which a woman has criticised my body.
>I think men are in denial about their bitchiness because they think of it as a female trait and insults from men are often more painful because 'No one wants to fuck you' is the ultimate insult in our pornified culture.
>I think we're encouraged to think that the only reason men are with women is looks. That whole "There is no female Seth Rogan" thing. So when a man insults our looks, it calls into question whether a man would ever want to be with us. Conventional wisdom says looks aren't as important to women, so its okay if a guy has a big gut, Katherine Heigl might get drunk and overlook it.
I know this is true for me. The people who were most critical in my life of my looks were boys and men. I'm sure other girls had issues, but they never said them to my face. It's probably why I can never really relate to the "mean girl" threads...not that I didn't know girls like that, but it was all more secretive and I could deal with it. But the men and boys were aggressive, public, and intimidating/threatening about it. And people just shrugged it off.
I hear the "well, men like x bodies" argument a lot...and I'm like, yeah, but what about all the men who don't? It's not like there's a shortage of body snarking online, much of it coming from men. It's a myth that all men are somehow accepting all body types. I think most men are taught they're entitled to comment on women's bodies because, after all, we have them FOR them, don't we? What value do our bodies have without men to either criticize or appreciate them?
That's always my issue with the "men like any body type" argument. It still relies on the same idea...that we should be happy with our body because some man is. And unhappy with it if he isn't. I don't like either, personally, because it makes women's bodies public property and not their own.
And as an anecdotal aside...I work with an office of mostly men. The amount of body commenting on celebs is intense, and is usually ridiculously nit picky. And I've had this stuff said to me, in my presence...and it's like...what the hell? If this is what you think of celebrity x, what are you thinking about me, an average person? They just don't think.
>There's a lot of confusion in your comment, and it's all valid. On one hand, there is absolutely nothing wrong with men's right to have a "type" of women that they pursue. Everyone has preferences when it comes to the imagined appearance of our ideal partner. This overlaps with men's (and women's) tendency to completely invalidate the women who do not meet that ideal.
>Yeah, I have no problem with preferences. We all have those. It's the way people are encouraged to comment, publicly, on other people's looks and bodies when they don't meet those preferences or ideals. And I think that happens with women more because we're valued by our bodies more, culturally. It's a frustrating thing to watch.
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NEW POST
Swimwear
9/01/2009
Fade to White
Never afraid of speaking her mind, Naomi Campbell has accused the advertising business of using the recession as an excuse to drop black models.
The 39-year-old supermodel claims that major companies are refusing to use non-white women to promote their products.
"This year, we have gone back all the way that we had advanced," she says. "I don't see any black woman, or of any other race, in big advertising campaigns."
"People, in the panic of the recession, don't dare to put a girl of colour in their campaign, full stop. Nor of any other race. It's a shame. It's very sad."
Earlier this year, she described the fashion industry as "racist". In a magazine interview, she was quoted as saying "You know, the American president may be black, but, as a black woman, I am still an exception in this business. I always have to work harder to be treated equally."
[Excerpts: telegraph.co.uk / 08-29-09]
8/11/2009
Food for Thought
My Visit to Fat Central
Confession time. I am a fattist. I find obese people unappealing in almost every regard. They are physically unattractive, they lead unhealthy lives, they take up too much space on public transport, and (most of all) they are a strain not only on their clothing but on NHS (National Health Service) resources.
The secret of their size? Their outsized appetites are matched by a lack of self-control and even less self-respect.
There, I've said it. Just as I have said it many times in my column for this paper. And each time I do so, it's greeted by the same howls of outrage.
COMMENTS
Why is it that these people who purport to be so concerned about the "health" of overweight people feel like they need to attack overweight people themselves for their assumed lack of will power instead of, oh, say, the consumer goods companies shoving saturated fat and sugar and preservatives into everything on the supermarket shelves? Or maybe the FDA whose regulations are so lax as to allow this shit because they're led and staffed by the former leaders of the food producers? The giant corporations that create monopolies over the farmers, making sure they're fattening up their livestock with as much hormone as possible? Aren't these the bad guys?
It'd be a lovely world indeed where we could all pluck fresh produce from trees and plants in our backyard, but it ain't the world we live in lady. So shut your damn pie hole and quit trying to mask your simple aesthetic disgust with some sort of global concern for health.
Fat shaming does not work. If these people really cared about obesity, they would take a different track.
There's more at work here than socio-economics. There's also attitude, both hers and of the obese. Hers is unhelpful at best but some of the obese take pride in their size and eating habits I'm sorry to say.
I've gotten flamed for dressing down some Mom online for feeding her 9 month old chocolate formula. Then there was the Mom that bragged about her 10 month old being able to scarf (her word, not mine) down an entire slice of pepperoni pizza. We're not talking the economically depressed here, we're taking about soccer Mom's that have full access to fruits/veggies.
Look don't get me wrong my kids get french fries etc. But not all the time and not at the expense of real food.
I hate the authors attitude here. I agree w/pp that Jamie Oliver does a muuuch better job.
Jamie Oliver's response to the fat epidemic was to go to a provincial city in England and use it as the start of an incentive to get people in non-posh areas more aware of eating healthy. THAT'S how you do it, miss.
You don't need to shop at Whole Foods to get healthy food. I shop at Fry's because I'm a poor college student, and I'm able to find a pretty good selection of produce. Not the best, admittedly, but adequate. Also, frozen fruits and veggies are both cheaper and more convenient. For me the temptation to buy junk and ready made food comes more from convenience than price because the cost difference in making a good, healthy home-cooked meal and buying something from McDonald's is small. One just takes a lot more planning and effort.
There's a lot of misdirected anger and hatred in her article... Makes me wonder why this is so personal to her. Perhaps she or some close family members have dealt with weight issues. (Or maybe she's just an asshole.)
Yeah, because every person who isn't a fatty must be a super health-nut, right? I work with models and actresses that are so skinny and most of the time they fall into two categories:
a) genetically blessed mutants who can (and do) eat anything and everything and rarely exercise.
b) adhering to incredibly unhealthy "activities" to maintain their size- drugs, extreme dieting, eating disorders.
It really frosts my cupcake that thin people get a free-pass when it comes to prejudice. It is also completely insensitive to the people who have a medical condition (because, you know, those things do exist) or those of us (myself included) who are trying to change our habits and maintain a healthier lifestyle.
It upsets me to no end the amount of insecurity that is placed on the shoulders of those of us that are trying to get healthier. Everybody likes to watch and make fun of the "fatties" no matter what. Human beings have this interesting paradox of wanting to be accepted and to exclude simultaneously.
I've heard stories of women running and exercising in graveyards or at odd hours of the day- because they don't want to get hassled. You can't imagine the looks I get, when I go out to eat with my best-friend (one of those previously mentioned genetic mutants).
In the grand scheme of sizes, I'm not even that big (I'm a 14) compared to the national average.
Note to Platell- you catch more flies with honey, than you do with vinegar. Don't complain about a problem that doesn't concern or affect you, unless you've actually come up with a plan of action that is supportive, comprehensive and not based solely on the "otherness" of people who don't look like you.
Amanda Plattell is concerned with nothing more than the greater enrichment of Amanda Plattell.
She's an Australian hack for hire who will write anything for a buck and who has no real strong opinions on anything.
In contrast to MeMe Roth she almost certainly doesn't believe any of this but considers it 'good copy' in much the same way that she considers repeatedly attacking female celebrities in print 'good copy'.
Whether her complete amorality makes this piece worse I leave up to everyone else to decide.
Honestly, it's days like this that make me silently, painfully want to stop existing. If I could be smaller, I would. I generally like the way I look, with a curvy bum and wide hips and yes, even bits that jiggle. I'm a big woman, but not, I hope, a repulsive one. But the visceral loathing that comes pouring off this woman and her intellectual comrades really jab sharply at my sense of self-worth. It makes me quietly relieved that it's actually rather difficult to commit suicide, for I would have done it many, many times over if only to escape such vituperative loathing. Today is one of the tough days.
I hear you. I used to be small; now I'm not.
Even though I'm mobile, active, strong, work out with a trainer three times a week, take care of my own house, have a job I'm good at, animals that love me...the only thing people like her (and most other people, frankly) see is that I'm fat. Most of the time, I'm either ignored or pitied; once in a while, though, I run into this sort of loathing.
And it surprises me *every time.* I guess it shouldn't; God knows it's out there in plain sight for us to be bugged by. But it does.
I ran a mile today in ten minutes, then lifted weights for an hour. I felt great about myself until I read this article. Now I wonder if I ought to just give in, be less mobile, be less active, and just sit the hell down and become invisible. It's hard to keep getting out and doing in the face of people like her.
Ten years ago I would have laughed at the idea of an addiction to food. Now I'm not so sure. There are many people out there (including my own parents) who are highly educated, have access to good food, live in areas where they can safely exercise, know what they should eat, know that if they keep eating crap and remain sedentary it will kill them, and yet they cannot stop. They cannot change the way they are eating or the way they are living. And these are not people with a death wish or generally self-destructive people.
I'm an ignorant-assholist. Everywhere I go, there are these obnoxious, ignorant assholes. I can't escape them. Women and men, spouting diarrhea of the mouth and brain, trying to pass it off as concerned journalism.
I went to a therapist about my level of disgust with these offensive people, but she advised that I continue my current theraputic regime of mockery and alcohol.
The Daily Mail has one use: identifying the bigots before I have to find out in the course of conversation.
Do I think to myself "hmmm, 5 people could sit there instead of 2" sometimes on the subway when I have nowhere to sit with my heavy laptop bag? Yes. I don't think that makes me a bad person. I don't think it's fair, personally. And I know it's going to get me in trouble. But just like I don't think it's fair for someone to put a bunch of bags on the seat next to them so no one can sit...it's kinda unfair for someone to take up more than their share of room on a subway seat with their body. But I would never be mean to someone about their weight. My sister is obese and I would freak out if someone was mean to her about it.
Do you feel the same way about tall people, too? Because they often take up more than one seat just from sheer size. Or bigger boned people. Or conjoined twins- one set of legs, one seat, I say.
Seriously, though, seats are based on biometrics that make assumptions about "average" size. These averages are based on one particular archetypal shape, which is generally slender and white and perfectly proportioned and of a very specific height, all things which many people are not. It's simply...weird to resent someone for not fitting this particular and ever changing type.
The thing that drives me crazy is this recent trend where it's like, as long as you admit that you discriminate against people, then it's ok. Imagine if instead of "I am a fattist" she wrote "I am a racist" or "I hate Jews," "I hate gays," or any other ridiculous discriminatory sentiment. She would lose her job. Why is this OK? Discriminating against people for any reason, in such a public forum, should not be applauded in this "oh, you just tell the truth!" sort of way, the way it has been recently.
Disgust is inextricably linked to moral taboos. Her morality is such that she sees the very existence of fat as fundamentally wrong. An example: some people oppose gay marriage because it disgusts them, so they just KNOW it must be wrong. The same arguments were made in support of sodomy laws. Also, disgust is tied to the idea of pollution. It is clear from her remark about people wanting to be fat to fit in that she thinks obesity is a pollution, a plague on society. It's not just about seeing other fat people, it's seeing fat as actually taking over.
The thing about morality is that it's taught--in ancient Greece, people were disgusted by eating in public and now that is one of the most common activities I can think of. So many restaurants! Our culture has taught her that this kind of disgust is appropriate and that the accompanying hatred is equally okay.
Speaking as a former impoverished student who lived in London for several months on a food budget of about 10 pounds a week, I can tell you that it's MUCH much cheaper to buy packets of crisps and knock of Jaffa Cakes than it is to buy proper food. On the weeks where I nannied and had extra spending money, I could afford to buy fruits, vegetables, Innocent smoothies and meat. But to get the most caloric bang for my buck, it was sadly all about sweets. Oddly enough, I didn't gain any weight during those months (I had no Oyster Card so I had to walk everywhere), but if I drove/bussed it, I'm sure I would've packed on a few pounds.
I'm tall, I'm a drinker, and I'm a smoker. I take up space, and am a strain on health care. But I guess because I'm slim I'm not a problem. Good to know.
That's funny. As a smoker, you contribute second- and third- hand smoke, which actually DOES affect the health of those around you.
Last I checked, you can't catch fat on the subway.
And on the other hand, you have people who will die out of their efforts to be thin. It's all about a happy medium, and I hate to say this, but doesn't it seem that she has major issues about her own body, if she has to hate on others?
Why do you hate to say it? You don't enjoy being right?
Amanda knows which side her bread is buttered. Nothing pays the big London mortgage better than a bit of bitchery in the Daily Mail.
[jezebel.com]
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Trainer Struggles to Lose Weight
It's actually a lot more expensive to be overweight than it is to be in shape.
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