The Beauty Rant

What kind of feminist blog would this be if we didn't give an occasional shout out to the true beauties of the world? Well, there are three stories that have hit the news recently, and women everywhere should be aware! That's the most important thing after all.

First off, THE GOOD:

Very rarely do you see a mainstream, high-fashion-ish magazine like Glamour feature models who are bigger than a size two when they can highlight the emaciated, stick-like figures of today's supermodels. But thank God editors are coming to their senses!

We all know that curves are beautiful-- Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Queen Latifa... The list of amazing, strong women with bodacious bods goes on and on! But, for some reason, white America does not embrace the magnificence of bodies like these. White people in power want tall, thin blonds with no ass and no breasts. They want lots of make-up, big eyes, and lots of skin to show... usually.

In September, Glamour ran a column about body confidence in which Lizzie Miller, a 180-lb buxom blond, and six other healthy ladies were featured. Miller is now known as the "Lady on Page 194" and has gotten rave reviews. And truth be told, in all her naked-ness and pudge, she is GORGEOUS! She is fresh, fun, and memorable. Her slight flaws are nothing compared to her smile and openness and the comfort she has with her body.

And the other ladies are just as fetching. All sexy, all models, all plus-sized. So who says sexy means emaciated? Certainly not I. And neither does the American public. In fact, more and more people are vying for "real" women to replace the so-thin-she's-almost-invisible supermodels.


So brava for the women who defy the sickly look in favor of a healthy body and for the editors who see right to feature them!!!


But now, THE BAD:

I used to have Barbies. A lot of them. They've changed so many times, gotten so many Dream Homes and makeovers and new friends that I can't keep track. My Barbies didn't look quite like they do now.

But now, a revamped Barbie is being offered to our children: The I'm so Skinny I Can't Support My Own Body Weight Barbie! She's fabulous-- tall, thin, blond, blue-eyed, and now with bigger boobs and smaller ankles!

Now you might say, "Well, what's wrong with Barbie changing with the times?" First , let's just examine what was bad about the old Barbie:

She is so disproportionately wrong, if she were a real woman, she's be over seven feet tall, only 110 pounds, and have to walk on all fours to be able to hold her body up. Is that really something that needs to be taken to the next level?

Well, French designer Christian Louboutin thinks Barbie has kankles... Wait. Correction: Barbie's arches make her look like she has kankles. So he is forcing Mattel to change it. They must be on crack. Barbie isn't already bad enough for impressionable girls' self-esteem; now she has to be thinner and even more unrealistic. Girls want to be like Barbie. The thinner and more disproportionate we make her, the worse off are our kids. Oy...


Last but not least, THE UGLY:


These days, even the sexiest, skinniest models can't get a break! It's big news now. Have you heard it? Filippa Hamilton, the 120-lb spokesmodel for Ralph Lauren, was fired, because she is too fat. Have you seen this lady?! She's one of the healthier looking girls -- sexy and alluring. But still she's too fat. C'mon! Rally?!

What's worse is after she was released from her contract, an ad of an extremely air-brushed Filippa appeared in a Japanese department store. This image is, according to RL, "a mistake", as if the correct picture was accidentally lost for a million dollar campaign and the extensive body editing, which is very expensive, was not meant to be shown. Sounds like a bunch of bull to me. I think the fashion industry is just getting worse and worse and even more full of itself.


Filippa herself said "I think [Ralph Lauren] owes American women an apology, a big apology. I'm very proud of what I look like, and I think a role model should look healthy." Agreed Filippa!

These fake hips are smaller than her head! In what world is that normal? In what world is so skinny you look like your starving equal to I-wanna-do-you sexy?

Our media and fashion world need wake up calls. No one wants to aspire to being sickly. We want healthy, full, and real. So let's be real. Let's embrace our bodies, ourselves and get over the digitally distorted look.