Topic: Body Image

Seventeen Vows To Stop Airbrushing Models In Response To A Very Enterprising 14-Year-Old

Seventeen Vows To Stop Airbrushing Models In Response To A Very Enterprising 14-Year-Old

Julia Bluhm, a 14-year-old kid from Maine, made it her business to get in Seventeen magazine’s face about all their rampant photoshopping of young models. In her online petition, the young lady asked that Seventeen commit to one unphotoshopped spread each issue to give readers an idea as to how altered many of the images actually are. While Seventeen is hardly alone in their airbrushing tactics, the publication wouldn’t even admit to the practice, releasing a statement touting how they “celebrate girls.” Eighty-four thousand signatures later, Seventeen magazine has finally accepted the teenager’s terms, meaning that one of the country’s leading magazines for girls is willing to address our unchecked media problem. More »

Even For The Natural Model Movement, Body Acceptance Is An Issue

Even For The Natural Model Movement, Body Acceptance Is An Issue

As much as Hollywood, the media and advertisers like to think we are attracted to stick-thin models who are airbrushed and photoshopped to a “perfection” that doesn’t even resemble reality, we don’t. That’s why natural models are so awesome. They represent more of the true woman today, and we love their true bodies. It seems they would too. But, that’s not always the case.

We were actually pretty surprised to find out that these models struggle with body acceptance too–even though they are the ones who are encouraging us to accept our own “real” bodies. More »

Surprise! Vogue’s ‘Health Initiative’ Covers Aren’t So Body Positive

Surprise! Vogueâs âHealth Initiativeâ Covers Arenât So Body Positive

In honor of their new Health Initiative (i.e. to stop knowingly featuring anorexic models), all June issues of Vogue were themed around healthy living—a valiant effort that you’d have no idea they were making, judging by the thin supermodels covering all but two of their 19 international editions.

Oh wait, Kate Moss is holding a ROPE! Like an strong athletic woman! My bad. More »

This Is What A Post-Pregnancy Belly Really Looks Like

This Is What A Post-Pregnancy Belly Really Looks Like

In a time when women feel more pressure than ever to snap back a slim waist and flat tummy immediately after giving birth, it’s rare to see full and honest depictions of a post-pregnancy body that doesn’t belong to an over-trained, over-dieted celeb. So when we came across the blog Birth Without Fear‘s collection of images showing what a post-pregnancy belly really looks like, we were relieved. Finally, there’s a depiction of what a) real women look like, without airbrushing or crash dieting, and b) proof that not all women look the same, even after having kids.

There’s a wide range of body types in their post, and they all look great (and if your body doesn’t happen to resemble any of the photos, that’s also okay). But what we love about their post is that it’s honest and brave–and these women shared photos of themselves to comfort other moms and women, rather than to entertain the media or bash anyone’s body. As Birth Without Fear’s author explains: More »

Thin Models Actually Don’t Make Most Women Buy Clothes

Thin Models Actually Don't Make Most Women Buy Clothes

There’s no one reason why fashion models are extremely thin. You’ll hear everything from clients, sample sizes, and agency demands to competition between models and the public that buys magazines featuring them. One of the more steadfast beliefs, though, is that models are thin because fashion is “aspirational” and women want to buy more than clothes: they want some abstract impossible thinness, youth, beauty, etc. As one researcher says, “It’s better to use extremely thin models because that’s what makes women feel bad about themselves and want to buy the products.” More »

From “Scary Skinny” To “Full-Figured”: 5 Celebs Who Have Been Snarked For Both

From âScary Skinnyâ To âFull-Figuredâ: 5 Celebs Who Have Been Snarked For Both

Some celebrities are consistently being bashed for the same thing–Rachel Zoe is always “scary skinny,” like at last week’s Met Gala, for example–and that is upsetting. However, it’s not quite as disappointing as the body-snarking that happens to celebs who, like a lot of us, aren’t one body type or another. These women, whose weight fluctuates depending on, say, the role they’re playing, the workout they’re into, or what’s happening in their life, can’t ever seem to get it right. This does not send a great message to the rest of us. More »

Vogue’s Olympic Issue: Celebrating Male Athletes and Female…Models

Vogueâs Olympic Issue: Celebrating Male Athletes and Femaleâ¦Models

Vogue‘s June issue is a special Olympic-themed issue, devoted to celebrating the athletes with shoots like Annie Leibowitz‘s “Country Strong” and Bruce Weber‘s “Wonder Women.” But from the cover–which features Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte flanked by Hope Solo and Serena Williams—to the shoots, it’s hard not to notice how strongly the issue glorifies male athletes…and female models. Not only are the female athletes given far less ink (each male athlete gets two photos, while the female athletes each get one), but the photos chosen for the magazine practically try to hide them beneath giant props and vast expanses of sky, while model Karlie Kloss gets far more attention for posing languidly beside America’s top male Olympic hopefuls in designer clothing. More »

Franca Sozzani Gives Speech On Thinness & Body Image At Harvard, Misses Point

Franca Sozzani Gives Speech On Thinness & Body Image At Harvard, Misses Point

Franca Sozzani, editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia, gave a speech at Harvard yesterday, covering eating disorders, pro-ana websites and thinness as beauty ideal. You may have noticed that in recent months, Sozzani has been an outspoken opponent of pro-ana websites, championed plus size models in a landmark issue and even pulled an image of Karlie Kloss from a Steven Meisel-lensed editorial because Kloss looked too thin. She’s also blogged extensively on matters of body image and eating disorders over at the magazine’s website.

…All the while, she’s undermined her crusade by running a fashion magazine. More »

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