Glamour Magazine’s September 2009 issue features a more “normal” looking woman semi-nude embracing her body, meaning she doesn’t have 6 pack abs or isn’t rail thin. She is still pretty thin by most people’s standards but she is MORE realistic to what women look like versus the images we normally see. You know the ones that have the excessive airbrushing, surgery, oush & pulls of the body/clothes, and trick photography happening to give it the appearance of an object of perfection versus an image of a woman.
Her name is Lizzi Miller she is a size 12–14, her photo appears on pg 194 in the print issue.
I support campaigns to have women embrace their bodies. I would love to see more companies, magazines, and media outlets featuring the array of beauty that women possess. Similar to Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. To remove the negative imagery and feelings that exist in this culture about the female body that many women (myself included) have internalized. That women should all be a size 0 or 2 at the most, have perfect bodies, skin, hair, and everything else, and that any deviation from that unobtainable perfection means you are not beautiful, worthy, or valued.
However, I am realistic and wonder if this is going to be embraced by Glamour or if it is just a one shot deal. I have seen features like this in the past, next to articles that encourage women to do the opposite not valuing themselves for their real beauty; e.g. “lose 10 lbs in 10 days” (to hell with whether or not you need to) “get him to love you with sex tricks” (screw your mind) etc…I would love to see Glamour and the media in general helping to make a substantial change not just pay lip service to it. I am hoping that if they hear from more women and women speak with their pocketbooks that it will morph into the standard for Glamour and others not just the occasional “love yourself” feature without a real change.
Real changes could be truly beneficial to women who struggle with body image and self-worth in our culture, which over emphasizes the plasticity of the body. As if the body is merely a tool that is to be manipulated and reconstructed without thought to the HUMAN BEING that it is part of, the body is not an object separate from self. The statement of embracing the body is part of embracing ourselves, who we are & loving ourselves the whole kit & caboodle.
I know I struggle with embracing my body. Especially after having 4 kids in 6 years my body has shifted in places during the transport & delivery, add on top of that my current challenges with PPD, and the truth is that it HAS BEEN REALLY FREAKIN’ HARD to just embrace myself & mean it. I joke that I have a road map that I take everywhere with me, but really I’m NOT joking. My stomach & hips look like one giant map. However, I am better today than yesterday at realizing my body has given life & it’s OK if it’s not perfect. I also know that I don’t want my kids (especially Mamacita) to grow thinking that if they don’t have the perfect body that they are less loved or valued.
What do you think? Do you think that magazines and media outlets should feature more realistic looking female figures? Do you embrace your own natural beauty?
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
They absolutely should use normal women more! I’m so sick of all the attention placed on the body. YES it’s wonderful & important, but the focus should *REALLY* be on health, not “healthy” being code word for “skinny”. People learn from the media, and the media needs to step up instead of profiteering off of the fear and sadness of it’s customers.
Interestingly enough, for the most part, I do enjoy my own beauty. I’ve struggled with eating disorders before, but that was a psychological control issue, not a trying to look good in other people’s eyes issue. I think i’m so “EFF YOU, AUTHORITY, I WILL BELIEVE ONLY WHAT MAKES SENSE TO ME” that that includes the media’s authority to tell me what is up. I deny their version of up. It is silly and dumb.
It’s actually quite impressive how much i’ve stayed away from that mass hypnosis. I mean, it is implanted in my brain, and I DO hear from it, but i don’t actually believe it or take it seriously in the least, all our conditioning just seems so absurd.
Give me Lizzi Miller any day! She looks so soft and beautiful. I find the boneyness and hard edges of all the actresses & models nowadays is realllllly off-putting.
Ugh, it is so hard to get used to your after prego bod, isn’t it? My youngest is 2 and I’m still mourning my old abs.
BUT I love that magazines are at least trying to convey a more realistic body image out there. I saw a picture of J. Lo in a bikini the other day and wanted to hurl.
It is way passed the time for magazine and tv to embrace real women! Let’s hope Glamour continues. Do you realize what a boost this would be for our daughters and granddaughters? To not have to grow up expecting to look like the size 0 models? That would be wonderful!
I think it would be nice if more magazines had more normal sized models.
Having had 5 kids in 5 years, I HEAR you. I wasn’t lucky enough to be born with super elastic skin, so I have stretch marks that I could do without and a stretched out tummy too. I’m just glad that I can embrace my body IN CLOTHES.
I *think*
Haute Couture is meant for size 0 girlies. Unattainable, wearable art should be on models with bodies we will never have, wearing makeup, jewels and shoes we would never…ever…buy.
BUT…if you want me to buy your jeans-you really need to have a model that has a little front butt and back butt going on…just sayin’.
Thats how I drive my taxi !!! ….kidding…I wear a hat.
@Ameya–I’m Effin’ with you on that!
@Lisa–Yea, pregnancy does something interesting to your body. And J. Lo is airbrushed.
@Lisa@All That And a Box of Rocks–Here, here. I’d love to have that boost for other women.
@Angie–That’s the one super power I wish I had, super elastic skin
@BWelch–Yep, there is a difference between the 2. And that’s why magazines like Glamour, which are SO not haute couture, could show more asses that look like asses not pancakes.
@kingofnewyorkhacks–Well now that’s only polite. I mean to not wear a hat would just be rude.
On that same note: what about clothing stores that pin clothes for a shaped fit on the size -4 mannequin? You look at the shirt and think… hey that’s cute so you try it on and you realize a paper sack would look better. Upon further inspection, the clothes on the mannequin have been tucked and pinned in ways that aren’t possible in… oh, REAL, freakin’ life.
Yes!!! Finally a woman who is represntative of most of the American Women of today. Thank god someone has finally realized thta most women do not resemble a rail thin emaciated model. Thak you Glamour Magazine!!!
Wow, that’s what a size 12 looks like? They make you think that’s fat but really she looks pretty thin to me. I don’t want to see her on a magazine cover but she looks good for real life.
I think she looks great, too! More magazines should definitely portray this realistic image as most of us would be able to relate…especially after babies:)
Tweeted this! Seriously girls, the more we tweet and blog about this- the more they will listen!
I agree that I just wish more people would focus on health instead of weight. I have heard that probiotics are being shown to help with weight and I take the Vidazorb chewable…but not for this. I take it because of all the ways they help with health. I think it is important for us to think about that…eating whole foods, less processed,exercising, taking time for ourselves, taking our supplements and enjoying life.
I am so glad to see Glamour doing this and really hope it does continue and that other magazines will hear our voices as we shout out “We want more of this!” Tweet and Blog!!!!!!
Thanks
Finally, a more accurate rep of women’s bodies! But she looks more like an 8/10 to me:)
I prefer the “normal” looking models. The stick ones make me nervous and I just want to cram a Big Mac down their throat.
I think it will be a “one-time” deal. I get More magazine which is promoted as helping women over 40 love the stage of life they are in. I’ve watched it morph into articles about plastic surgery, etc.
Uhhh…considering I just blogged about how much I desire a tummy tuck, I’m def not embracing my body. I just hate my pooch (and my lack of stomach muscles from 3 c-sections).
I prefer seeing natural, normal women as opposed to the airbrushed pics and stick thin models! And I love seeing what clothes look like on regular people because it’s easier for me to figure out if I might like them! Hooray for natural, normal body types being shown!!
@Sara–those bother me too, a little curve wouldn’t hurt. Most those mannequins are also not even a size 0 as I remember from my days in retail.
@1healthymom–yes, a size 12 for her height is thin. it’s not the # but the overall health of our bodies we should be looking at. And I’m curious, why not on a cover?
@michelle–yea, getting the tummy back after a baby is rough. I won’t get it back totally because my skin just isn’t going to snap back.
@smilinggreenmom–Word up on the tweeting! Thanks, I hope more women get involved in these campaigns & voice what they like to see. A wider array of bodies & topics.
@ali–LOL.
@Amber–I hear (or read?) ya. I know some people are naturally thin but most models are not, they starve themselves or do all sorts of unhealthy things to get unnaturally thin bodies. I want the Glamzons of the 90s to come back.
@debbie–ugh, I’m actually wondering if the obsessive focus on plastic surgery that is in More magazine isn’t coming in some form of advertorial because it seems like a lot of magazines that are shooting for demos in the 30+ age bracket are doing a lot more of that now. Usually with tips on great procedures that you can do on your lunch break that are big bucks for the companies that make them.
@Trenches of Mommyhood–I’m not anti-plastic surgery either, heck I consider fixing what women go through via pregnancy & childbirth to be reconstructive work (restoring what was once there). But it’s the non-stop focus on how our bodies are *defective* in the media that’s not good for women, IMO.
@Lori–Me too, I am actually closer to Lizzi Miller’s body type right now than I am a Kate Moss body type.
I completely agree that magazines and the media in general should really start showing more women that resembe what an average woman looks like. There are such unrealistic expectations on us about what we should look like, which gets very frustrating. I try to be true to myself, but I still have moments where I do really struggle w/ my body image. I am trying very hard to let it go b/c I do not want my daughters growing up feeling they have to look like a supermodel. Great post!
I’ve been saying for years that the media is horrible to woman’s self-esteem. I fear this is more lip service. Until the US starts having manditory miniumum weight rules for models, until Cosmo stops having every issue about losing weight and making her boyfriend cum, until directors stop using actresses with eating disorders, we have a problem. It wasn’t until after babies that I started seeing my body as gross; it was after my belly hung over that I wondered if feminism really starts in our bathrooms as we enter and exit the shower, catching a view of ourselves.
We need to stop this before more girls are trapped in this vicious self-disgust.
Hi there.
I’m with faemom on that – I believe that the modeling industry needs to have weight standards employed.
I’m afraid this issue has gotten to be epidemic in the States. More and more people are erasing what makes them unique – getting nose jobs, boob jobs, etc. Mind you, I’m not totally against surgury – I just feel that one should learn to accept themselves for who they are before making that sort of a decision.
Of course, the mixed messages the media has been sending us aren’t helping either. One moment it’s “boost your self esteem and embrace yourself”…opposite an ad for weight loss pills.
We are women, hear us rawr.
Great! Just swithced to a new phone and I can read your post on my phone, it didn’t work on my old one. Keep up the good work!
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