t all started with Lizzie Miller. She appeared in Glamour magazine sitting on a stool, au naturel with her belly exposed. There wasn’t a six pack in sight.
I love magazines. I love the glossiness. I love highly styled fashion. I love the beautiful people. I’ll admit it.
But I also love a little bit of reality. After swiftly flicking through a highly glossy magazine I get to the end, and close the pages on the magazine and a fantasy life. A fantasy life where all the people have beautiful clothes, the latest IT handbag and legs from here to the heavens above. All things that I do not have/own or will ever own. It’s not my reality.
I prefer magazines like Frankie and Notebook, when reading them I don’t feel as far removed from my own life. They are the magazines that I can’t wait to hit the shelves. My life lights up when I see them at the Newsagent and I almost want to kiss my ‘friend’ behind the counter.
Ellen recently revealed some more Plus Size Models that will be featuring in Glamour magazine. They’re not particularly plus size in my eyes, but they have flaws… that I can see, and I’ll embrace that.
I remember when it made headlines that Miranda Kerr liked fried chicken, so I am glad to be hearing that real models are making headlines which makes for more substantial reading, and viewing.
I look forward to more reality. After all it isn’t that hard to look at anyway. These women are beautiful. xx
What do you think? Are you happy to see more normal sized models in the media?
i like to see them within the media [real size models]. but for me it is still very token. they only grace the pages as they know that they need to show real women. not because they want to [thats the idea that i get]. you still see the skinny models that are endorsing products.
maybe thats just my view but it will be the day when all sizes are accepted. maybe it is the fashion designers that need to be brought up to speed?
all i know is that i hate flipping through cosmo and cleo and the likes. im size 14. i have curves. i like my curves. but maybe id like them more if they'd portray them more often not just because they are doing a special.
Absolutely! I think there should be more of it!
I have to agree with Carly. All of this largely feels like a token gesture. I am a size 10-12 woman who is uncharacteristically 'big' for her normal size at the moment. It is ridiculous that I look at magazines and feel like a heifer instead of normal. It would be nice to look in a magazine and see something vaguely attainable for the average women. I am not saying get rid of skinny models entirely (some people are naturally skinny, too) but some equal representation without a damn fuss anyone who isn't a size 6 graces a magazine page would be fabulous.
I saw this on Ellen today (when I was at home in bed sick eating my chicken soup) and it was fantastic – the girls were all fabulous and while I agree that it does often seem more of a token I think any step like this is a step in the right direction. I'll still buy my Madison and maybe Vogue but hopefully soon there'll be clothes in there that are styled and aimed at a range of size models instead of just an unhealthy looking size 6.
ps. how gorgeous is Lizzie Miller?!
I hear you LOUD and clear, I love my lumps and bumps they are a map to my life….but it has taken me 30 years to realise this. Shame I wish I had the “love my body” image I have now at 16, ahhh, to go back with what I know now. Maybe not.
What bothers me is when these 'real women' are addressed as being 'plus sized'. I'm a perfectly healthy size 12 and a lot of the 'plus sized' models would still be half my size.
On a sort of vaguely related note … Jackie Frank, editor of Marie Claire. In all other ways I think she's an intelligent, progressive sort of woman. But she's holding back the movement for the 'normal sized' model to be depicted as acceptable in women's magazines, and that really sh!ts me, because I think she holds a fair bit of clout when it comes to that sort of thing in Australia, and if she'd just use her powers for good instead of evil … so to speak!
I saw Ellen today as well and I thought it was great to see “plus sized” models getting this exposure. But I was quite shocked when they said that size 6 is deemed Plus size as a model – I know that this is about a size 10 in Australian sizes (correct me if I am wrong), but that to me is still not Plus, what does that make me at size 16? I love that they are showing fuller figures, but until they make clothes in bigger sizes it doesn't matter who is on the pages, because quite frankly I want to have the opportunity to look good in modern clothes that I want to wear that I feel comfortable and hip in, because if you already have body issues, you at least want to feel like you look good in your outfit. Do you know what I mean?…
I have always enjoyed a curvy woman. It could be because I am petite with larger hips and a size 34DDD chest. That may – just MAY – have something to do with my views! Women of all sizes are gorgeous and should not just have a special issue, but should be included at all times. Lovely post. Thanks.
@Miss Carly + @Hannah: I whole-heartedly agree. It's a token gesture… because it would be very hard to change the entire mind frame of the whole fashion world. They're very set in concrete. BUT it's a gesture all the same. I'd rather the fashion world/media be in this place right now {moving to an all body acceptance stance} than back where size zero is only acceptable. So whilst it certainly doesn't seem enough… it's moving in the direction that it should be. Don't you think?
@Vicki: Me too. I am hoping it's the start of something. I'd love to see more real people in magazines. How much more attainable is that!
@Elle: Oh, I didn't know you were unwell. Get better ASAP! I think Lizzie Miller is beautiful. I didn't see Ellen, but I saw a clip on her site. She's quite eloquent too.
@Thula Thula: All those years we wasted with body hating, hey? Such a waste! We can change it now though. 🙂
@Jay: Yep, that irks me too. Clearly not plus sized. And Ellen addressed that too. We just have to realise that it's the fashion world putting these terms out there, not us real people. How do you know that Jackie Frank is holding out? If so, I agree she does have a great position in the media to push this. She stands up for real issues, and makes real changes. I wish she'd jump on this one.
@Megs: It's very frustrating, isn't it? I think they need a little bit of a reality check. And pronto!
@Melifaif: Indeed. I agree. x
umm hells to the yeah!
Great post Chantelle!
Yea, I tend to agree with the everyone else on the issue of normal size ie: 12 – 14 being seen as “plus size”.
If I was a size 12, id be over the moon.
I love those pics by the way, it's reassuring to see other women who arnt considered “perfect”.
They are all gorgeous in my eyes 🙂
Everybody's different in their own ways.
I've always been a fan of plus-size models! There's a great site with many images of plus-size models here:
http://www.judgmentofparis.com/
They're all gorgeous.
The site's forum also has thought-provoking discussions about body image and the media.
I'd be ecstatic to be a size 14 again, and I think it's insulting to a woman's natural body to brand size 10-12 models as plus. Plus really only kicks in at 16 IMO and even then I think that's a bit harsh on the 16s of the world.
The militant feminist in me is outraged, actually (the more she thinks about it).
Whatever happened to being allowed to be a little soft in teh curves? Ever hugged one of these model-sized women? They feel like you'd snap them in two (even if they work out and are really strong!).
It's a little scary-when I was growing up there was lots of airbbrushing but it was only in the last 10 or 15 or so years that airbrushing seems to be talked about so for many years of my life, I thought that some people had absolutely perfect skin, not an ounce of inappropriately place fat, white eyeballs and perfect hair. Now I know that isn't true but the mental damage is done 😛
I don't see that group of models as 'plus' size, however they aren't the usual starved looking models in most magazines. I think there should be more normal sized women in the media and society as a whole should recognise that anyone above a size 8 is quite capable of being beautiful too. Why do so many people see curves and other bumps as a negative thing?
After 4 children I will never have a flat belly again. Yes there are days I want one, yes there are days I curse those yummy mummies and the media that makes us feel bad about ourselves. Cheers to mag editors for this shot and Lizzie Miller, it is beautiful and serves to remind us that we are all a work of art and we need to worship our bodies and keep them strong. Easier said than done but this picture IS worth a thousand words. Love it.
I think it's cool…BUT, I'm really sick of hearing the “skinny” crap. I am skinny. I am 5'6 and 108lbs. I just had a baby 9 months ago. I have always been skinny. I will always be skinny. I don't even work out. I drink every night and eat doughnuts for dinner. I like butter pound cake for breakfast, and a massive mexican lunch. I still have toned arms and ripped abs. I don't know why. I don't know how. But I'm sick of being called anorexic. I'm sick of people telling me I'm not normal. I'm sick of being singled out and told to shut up I can't have body issues because I'm skinny. I'm sorry I'm forever stuck in the body of a 10 yr old. Please leave the skinny people alone just a little bit. We have feelings as well, and we're obviously skinny because it's just how our bodies are made. I have never starved myself. My husband battles weight gain, and is always angry that he's eating yogurt and I'm eating a bloomin' onion. Skinny, anorexic models are still needed to show women like me that we can wear these clothes too, even with my 1/2 a cup boobies. I can't get curves, and I want them, because I'm sick of being called anorexic. Just sayin'