I’m Going to Pose Naked For Glamour Magazine
Ok, I’m not really going to pose naked for Glamour, but I got your attention, right?! 
So unless you’ve lived under a rock, you heard all about the “model on page 194″ — Lizzi Miller who appeared nude in the back of Glamour Magazine. Her picture caused quite a stir as people debated semantics, the “obesity crisis” and whether Lizzi’s picture was a step in the right direction or an IOU lip service to feature more “plus-sized,” “normal,” and “real” women. *Vomits at all the double talk, hyperbole, and attempted political correctness*
The November issue of Glamour is now featuring (and by “featuring” I mean showing pictures beginning on page 198 of a magazine with svelte Scarlett Johansson on the cover) plus-sized models as part of Glamour‘s pledge to show a “wide range of body types [and ethnicities] in our pages.” Before I get all cranky and lose my meager readership, here’s the picture featuring the seven plus-sized models in their nude-ish glory:
Four of the models, Kate Dillon, Lizzi Miller, Crystal Renn and Amy Lemons, appeared on the Ellen show today here. The clip is actually painful to watch because Ellen (whom I usually adore) just doesn’t seem to get it. Her awkward comments on size zero models invariably being anorexic is counterproductive and ironic given the intention of these women to promote body acceptance. She also makes sure to note that these women are “healthy” as she is subtly addressing critics who will argue that these gorgeous women are promoting obesity.
Cindi Leive, Editor-in-chief of Glamour says that her message to young women, especially, is that “there are a million different ways to be beautiful. You don’t have to be born pin thin. Whether you’re voluptuous or lean, however you’re made is the right way for you.”
Look. I hate to rain on every one’s parade. I really don’t get that much pleasure out of being cranky and all that jazz, but I have to be honest (repressing my strong sentiments is really not good for my health …
- Glamour: I don’t care. Yes, it’s true. I don’t care what size models are posing on the cover of your magazines because I don’t buy them. I don’t not buy them in protest of the models you do or don’t feature, I just think most magazines are crap in general. Everyone seems to be seeking adequate representation. It’s like asking a caricaturist to make sure to get your mole on the right cheek. At the end of the day, it’s a caricature.
- Ok maybe I care a little, but only in deference to all the little girls out there and to my future daughters. Sure, I don’t want any little girl to feel like she’s ostracized or an outcast or what not. I do have a heart somewhere in this chest cavity.
- But I’m not going to be putting my daughter on a diet, telling her she can’t eat ice cream or crying with her over airbrushed photos of Faith Hill wondering why oh God why couldn’t I have been made to look like these women?! Why not? Because I don’t want my daughters to equate their self-worth with someone else’s description of beauty, or, dare I say, external beauty in general. I hope I have to cradle my future crying daughter because she cares about the world or about being more intelligent, not because she thinks her thighs are fat.
- The so-called “plus-sized” models are stunning — yes, I think they are beautiful, truly. So, setting that I supposedly don’t care aside, why aren’t these chicks on the cover of your magazine? So you failed at life once by putting Lizzi on page 194 and when she became an accidental phenomenon you vow to show more “real” women, more women who show how we are all not “cookie cutter.” Then, in your issue that is hailed for answering our prayers, you put them again in the back of your magazine while cookie-cutter white, thin, beautiful and wealthy actress Scarlett Johansson is featured on the cover? *Looks around for Punk’d crew or Candid Camera — you’re joking, right?*
- I can’t help but feel like that chubby little girl who is crying over feelings of otherness and is confronted with people who are almost condescendingly apologetic. You know when people apologize to you but in the same breath are saying, “look, that’s just the way things are in this big, bad, society and we’re all powerless to change it! But your face is beautiful and you have a great personality!”?
- Just like Drop Dead Diva is awesome for trying to give a hip-hip-hooray to “plus-sized” chicks, the show, at the end of the day, is part of a larger network of problems, which is why the show is brought to us by O-Band Bariatric Surgery Centers. Yea. You’re beautiful with all your curves girl, but in case you forgot we’re really just saying that because we want your viewership and your money. By the way, you’re fat. Get surgery to remove it then pump more money into our system by paying your therapy bills and shopping at our couture stores for your new size 2 body.
- Don’t even get me started on everyone throwing around the term “obesity crisis” and the fact that these healthy looking chicks are being called fat and unhealthy. Sometimes I feel we fear body acceptance because it means Big Pharma & Med Cos might lose some of their body-hating customers.
You know, I really could go on. I guess my convoluted point is that I truly want all women to be happy in their unique skin. I strive for body acceptance and also believe in the right to work on our bodies healthily without feeling anti-feminist. More than anything, I want women to just stop caring so damn much about external beauty.
I would love to hear from you. What do yo think?!
In the News
- Science Daily‘s, “Eating Sweets Every Day In Childhood ‘Increases Adult Aggression’” (10/1/09) here
Give-Away Round Up
- Win a $50 gift certificate to Whole Foods if your “small bites” appetizer recipe is chosen here
<3, The Cranky One
Tags: amy lemons, body acceptance, crystal ren, ellen, glamour, kate dillon, lizzi miller
17 People have left comments on this post
I care about external beauty. Don’t think there is anything wrong with that. I think of myself as an artistic individual and I see my body/external appearance in general as another canvas (I paint) or page (I also partake in creative writing from time to time).
What gets me about these “plus sized” models is that they still aren’t very representative of the “average” American woman. From what I can tell, they are probably all close to 6′ tall and from looking at their very thin faces with high cheek bones, one would never be able to tell that they were a normal weight or overweight.
Good job for the progress Glamour, but let’s see some real height, age, and body type diversity!
Amen sister! I have redefined beauty a long time ago. Of course Scarlett Johansson is beautiful, but so is Camryn Mannheim. And I’m not too bad myself. I refuse to let my standards be dictated by the media.
I totally agree – and I do not trust magazines to have our best interests at heart at all. I just don’t read em and I wish our children didn’t either. Sigh.
Society sucks. Enough said.
… and this is why I’m ok with never watching tv or reading magazines…
Great post today!
I’m with you on the points you made. I wish it were possible to just help girls feel comfortable in their own skin, without there having to be a “representative” of them in the media. That’s why I love Caitlin’s Operation Beautiful.
I’m tired of it being about fat/skinny/pretty/ugly and that’s why girls feel bad. I think it’s not that. Girls/women (and boys/men) have internal struggles that get externalized into being about fatness or uglyness. Like when I hate myself for being fat, it wasn’t really that, it’s that I didn’t like who I was on the inside, or I didn’t think other’s did.
I think we need to find a way to promote general self-esteem and stop externalizing all these insecurities in people. We need to let girls know there’s more to self acceptance than body acceptance.
I don’t know if this comment made sense. But…. maybe I’ll delve into it more on my blog.
Awesome post. I think that it’s important to have more “normal” sized women, but I really don’t like how overweight people use fat acceptance to justify being unhealthy. There is nothing healthy about being a size 20 unless you are 8 feet tall. As a society we are far too self righteous. We should promote healthy, normal bodies – not overweight, not underweight – normal and healthy! The so-called “plus size” models look pretty darn normal to me, but calling them plus sized is ridiculous. Now it makes people who truly are overweight/plus-size think that it’s okay, and it makes women who are actually normal and healthy (the same as the models) think of themselves as plus size. It’s sick. We need to stop making such a big deal about size and focus on the underlying issue – HEALTH.
P.S. I don’t read those crappy magazines either. I used to read them before I became aware of my own health, and honestly I wish I hadn’t – they just made me long to be a size 0.
I saw this & thought some of your same thoughts. In fact, I was going to do a post next week on it sometime. Again, like you, why was the pic in the BACK of the magazine…. put them on the cover! Also, they did not look PLUS to me. I think of very very heavy when I think of plus size models. They looked great! Also, the fact that size 6 & up is plus size.. OMG!!!!! F’in craziness!!!! Yes, I want to look fit & healthy BUT saying that a size 10 or 12 is plus size is nuts!!!! And if you are tall, my god, should you be wearing the same size as me at 5’1″.
Very good post!
Annabel, today is LIVESTRONG Day 2009…. you can make a after note on your post OR if people want to come to my site, I have some info there too. Let’s beat cancer!
I don’t get that these ladies are all that plus sized. They look pretty much normal to me. Maybe they need to do a little lifting
It’s such a hard balance between accepting yourself and being the healthiest you can be for the right reasons.
I think that you’re overall point – that we need to promote comfort in our own bodies, whatever that body may look like! – is the most important one. We can spend as much time we want discussing whether these women are actually “plus-sized” or “normal” or “average” or “beautiful” (yeah, they’re stunning), but that doesn’t get us anywhere. You can slap whatever “positive” label you want on their looks, but it’s still a label. Until we stop trying to make people fit into these categories in our heads (“overweight,” “anorexic,” “ugly,” etc.) and accept people for *who they are,* nothing will change. We can all be labeled as beautiful on the outside, and we all need to be!, but it doesn’t change what’s in your head or your heart. That’s where our focus needs to be.
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.
The ad agencies have poisoned society by what they believe to be “perfect bodies” or “perfect faces.” How dare they tell me what is beautiful and what is not. I find it insulting…I will make up my own mind. They don’t know what I’m thinking. I am a true believer that a person needs to be beautiful on the inside first…I don’t care how beautiful you are on the outside (and I have known many of those people), if you don’t have it within your heart to be a kind, caring person….the ugliness will reveal itself.
Women need to stick together and fight all of this B.S. about “perfection”! If I see one more ad for plastic surgery, liposuction or Juvaderm, I’m going to vomit.
I have so many thoughts about this and I can’t even begin to wrap my head around most of them. Don’t get me wrong – all of those women are beautiful, but guess what? They are still models. Their waist and hips may be larger than the size 0 models we see on the pages, but I’m starting to think there’s so much more wrong with this than there is right. Maybe I’m being cynical, but oh well. I see a few “rolls” but I don’t see any cellulite, which Glamour is always giving us wonderful tips on how to banish. Oh, the absurdity! Plus, why can’t we see these women on the COVER and not pushed halfway through the magazine? Thanks so much for posting this! Hopefully you gave a lot of people some stuff to think about.
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