Open any woman’s magazine and you will likely find at least one article dedicated to helping you “fix” whatever hideous flaw you have that is troubling you.
To minimize a large bust, wear this Jacket. To maximize a small chest, wear this top. To make you look like you have a butt if you don’t, do this. To hide your too big butt, do that. If you are too skinny, here is how to fake curves. If you are too curvy, for Gods sakes girl! Cover up with this!
So basically the rule is, whatever you look like is wrong and you should change it. Also, the perfect woman is the one who has no defining features at all.
Then there is the ever popular article telling you to be happy with what you got, right next to the article on how to drop 10 pounds fast without dieting!
What the hell?
Of course the answer is to stop reading women’s magazines, but I love clothes! Not that I can tell what the clothes I see in magazines would look like on my 5’ 4”, size 8 body from looking at the 110 pound, 5’ 9” models that they will inevitably use to showcase the newest trends.
Once every two years (if we are lucky), a magazine might feature a so called “plus sized” model, but even then they will fail to put her in an outfit that actually fits. She will more than likely be busting out of the sample size, looking uncomfortable, with the zipper visibly unzipped to accommodate for her overflowing fleshy bits (this is unfortunately actually something I have seen more than once in a spread featuring a model that wasn’t considered a “strait size”).
“But that is fashion!” You say. “Surely you can find inspiration in other media!” Think again.
At least models come in more than one color! Pick any movie or TV show (made for women in particular) and you will find that the plucky heroin is a skinny white girl with long hair. There are very few exceptions. Her best friend might be Asian, black or white, have short hair, and may even be above a size 2, but probably not above a size 4. The heroin may be above 140 pounds (or have a skin color other than white for that matter) only if that is part of the story (think: Wacky “fat” girl finds true love! Or, Black family goes to dinner with white family and chaos ensues!).
I am unfortunately painfully aware of this problem and it has bothered me for years. I am not saying that curvy is better than slim, but I do strongly believe that different ideas of beauty need to be represented in the media. It makes me sad, and it also makes me angry that they are not. Even more so that it has become so the norm, that no one even seems to notice.
I’m not asking for the moon here people! Just give me one article in a magazine that truly celebrates the beauty in different types of women (just as they are, thanks) or give me just one movie that has a bigger girl in it, or even a leading lady who is (gasp!) a size 8 without even mentioning her weight. And please wardrobe department, don’t make her wear an unzipped size 2 when it finally happens!
