If you’ve ever seen the show Mad Men you know Joan (Christina Hendricks). Even I’m attracted to her. She’s feisty, complicated, a little bit icy, but a little bit delicate too, and she makes heads turn wherever she goes. Her character is complex and fascinating, yet the thing most people notice are her curves. With good reason too. She has a fabulously gorgeous and real body, but I think the real reason we notice it is because it’s so rare that we see this version of the female body in entertainment.
I just read an article on this in New York Magazine http://nymag.com/fashion/10/spring/63808/ and wanted to know your thoughts on it.
The media keeps telling us that “curves are back”, but I wonder what their definition of curves are. Christina Hendricks definitely has a fabulous figure, but most of the time when you read articles about this they go to the other extreme and profile a very overweight celebrity. Now, I’m not saying that being overweight isn’t ok, but why do they have to be so drastic? It’s almost like they’re trying to apologize for profiling so many skinny celebrities and models by going to the opposite extreme. There’s something to be said about being healthy and looking healthy, and not being too skinny or too overweight.
A few months ago Glamour magazine profiled a “plus size model”. Here she is: http://www.glamour.com
/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2009/08/on-the-cl-the-picture-you-cant.html
If this is plus size than most women in America are in trouble. I find it almost offensive that they call this plus size. It just seems so insincere. So many women applauded Glamour for this photo, because it’s not the norm, but I think women are doing themselves a disservice by accepting that this is plus size. We’ve become accustomed to twig like arms that we think any body that isn’t see-through is plus sized.
You know what, now that I think about it, why does the media have to profile only one body type? Why can’t it be a plethora of figures? That way we won’t hold any specific one to a standard.
Christina Hendricks says that she’s bored by talk of her body and I think we have to follow her on this one. We can’t deny that looks matter, they do, but so does confidence. I don’t think we notice Christina Hendricks on Mad Men solely for her body, it’s her assertiveness and poise that really makes her and her body stand out.
Verypersonaltraining's Blog 
I just read the article in Glamour…
I want to say first, I appreciate all body types. I’ve been in love with women who were rail thin, and engaged to a size 14. I”m not fixated like some men are- on a specific “type” and I’m definitely not into anythng the media tries to brainwash me into. If someone looks good, they look good. Period. if they dont- then they dont.
With that said, my first thought atthe sight of that picture was – “woah”, because I’m not used to seeing a little flab on my screen. And not being used to seeing it in the media, I reacted accordingly, a split second later I thought to myself “she’s a beautiful woman, if she were my girl I’d kiss her right on that tummy”.
I should be so lucky.
I have mixed feelings on the issue though. I think that of course, the world should be more used to seeing real-beauty, and not conditioned, as apparently am I, despite my appreciation of the female form in its many sizes and shapes- but at the same time I thought to myself, “if that WERE my girl, I wouldnt want her showing herself like that to the world”, for how it would probably make her feel.
And again, thats a conditioned thought- a thought to assume she would feel shame or embarrassment- which obviously- that model does not- or DOES, and wants the paycheck more? We cant know- she wasnt interviewed and cynical as I am, if she were interviewed I think she’s lie, because we’re all conditioned to want to look good I think- so really, from within the cocoon of conditioning- can we really tell what’s right or not right?
The world was a different place once. Reubenesque was commonly accepted as attractive. This was captured in paintings of the time. At that time, there wasnt a painter in the world who would willingly paint a woman (an attractive woman) who wasnt what we now generally call plus sized. Take an art class- you’ll see.
That was then, this is now.
What does this tell us? Well, that the whole thing is a lot bigger than a plus sized model.
Its bigger, and its out of our control- because our “general consencus” is for the most part- dictated to us.
And dont get me started on how this “conditioning” effects relationships because we’ll be here all day.
Like anything else you have to take a step back and look at the business end of it. No pun intended. These magazines, they dont care about you. Skinny, fat, plus sized, anorexic- they dont care about you. If they feature a plus sized model in an attention getting way- its not because they care for those women- its because the plus sized magazines who cater to this (what is today a) niche audience- are biting into their readership and they want to dangle the feeling of acceptance to that auidience within the pages of the magazines that have excluded them for decades past.
Think about it! THE REASON the general concensus is the impossibly thin woman- the unrealistic and uncommon beauty- is because of the bottom line. Dollars and cents. No other reason.
Its not love or appreciation. It’s marketing.
Will it change- hey, with enough Beyonce’s and the other singer I forget her name but I think she’s so HOT (she was on broadawy, American Idol I think? you know who I’m taking about), then yes, with enough of them in the spotlight, marketing may change to favor the majority- but until then, unless you have companies wanting to get your attention- those companies will not look to show you an image of YOU, to sell to YOU.
Get it?
If you want to change that “image” of women in the media- you have to stop coveting the image thats out there now. Stop coveting- stop buying- stop PAYING THEM to sell you an image that makes you not like yourself.
Right now the big machine knows you see this model on the cover, and you want to be like her. You want the attention she gets, you want the men she can have, you want to feel as beautiful as they TELL you she feels (in reality she’s as insecure as anyone else only she punishes herself by starving, not eating), they know this because they’ve punded shame into both men and women about their body image. And we keep buying the magazines, watching the TV shows, YES, watching the TV SHOWS you should stop watching if you really do want to change it, and so they keep packaging the goods that we complain about the way we can complain about them in.
Now we get to the point where (and you should have put a text limit on here cause I like to write) the point where we have to ask ourselves- about ourselves…
There’s a part of us all that needs to bitch and moan.
What would we be saying if a curvy mama graced every page of every magazine?
What do the fit women say now? They say nothing, at least not about whats on the magazine cover- but they have other things to talk about. But there would definitely be a shift. Those skinny women would then be the ones complaining they never see their likeness in the media and they were developing body image issues because of it- you would see them bingeing to keep up their weight and fit in, you would see weight GAIN centers sprouting up all over the country- to help women maintain an “attractive” figure.
You know this is what would happen- because we’re in a capitalist society- so around society there will always be companies looking to make money off what you seem to want or need.
But there will always be a group thats left out- unhappy- upset… upset, but still consumers in that society- so the commercial powers do not need to change for them.
Me, I’ve conformed. My personal body image issues, effected strongly by the male image pressed into my brain from a young age- do not apply to the women in my life. I can relate, but I do not judge them in the way I judge myself. Theyre just too beautiful, the women I’ve loved.
And how do I judge myself? Oh you really dont want to go there. My family says I resemble Ricky Martin, I realistically think I look like the mind reader on Heroes, but most days I feel like the heavy guy on Lost. How they see RM, I dunno. Love I guess.
But as for the women in my life, It’s something they could never understand when they would see pictures of a previous girlfriend- and saw, that they were very different from who they were. “you loved her? You love me? But she’s skinny/ curvy- I’m not?”
And all I could say to explain was; would it make you feel better if she looked exactly like you?
That would really be freaky wouldnt it?
(Needless to say the media has made it dificult for me to even be able to tell the woman I love, that I love her, without her having to try and qualify it in some completely unrealistic way. So I dont get believed when I say “I love you just the way you are”, and that sucks, because as a man in love, I meant it, and not just because I was in love- but because I saw her beauty.)
But I think the same holds true for all of you beautiful women out there.
It would really be freaky if what you always saw in a magazine was always exactly what you saw in the mirror-
Its great to aspire, to want to be healthy, to love yourself how you are right now, and sure- make improvements if you feel you want them- why not?
But learn to see the media for what it is and dont let it effect you in a way where you hurt yourself becuase of their influence.
I think thats really where thoughts should focus. Not on why, because why is Money. Thats why.
Entertainment, media, is not telling you who you should be, and taking it as such is unhealthy.
Be healthy.
Believe that person who loves you when they say youre beautiful- because THAT’s what’s real- not the magazine.
So very true! It’s not media or societies FAULT, but ours for perpetuating it. We should stop buying these magazines if they make us feel bad and take matters into our owns hands. We have to be responsible for our actions and the way we feel and stop placing blame.
It’s interesting to hear you talk about body image issues as a man. I know that men go through similar thoughts, but it’s just not talked about. It must be hard as a man to have to deal with these destructive thoughts and pretend like everything is ok.
The main thing is that whether you’re a man or a woman it’s about being healthy for health sake. Take care of your body, because it’s the most priceless possession you’ll ever have and you’re lucky to be here. Love who you are, because (I know this sounds corny) you’re unique and special simply for who you are. Who needs a million Heidi Pratt’s out there?
And btw, a few years back I could swear “plus size” in an article in a major fashion magazine, was topped off at size 10. If theyre openly referring to it as size 12-14, thats progress isnt it? Or is it?
I couldn’t resist commenting. 🙂
Very interesting! I totally missed this. Neat looking blog by the way! Have a good day!
Thank you for the advice. I’ve found your first point to be most effective.