Don't look now, but Glamour's at it again, "championing" the plus-size model. And, in theory, we're all for it, but this photo on page 147 of the February issue made us do more than a double-take. Hear us out.In the issue, plus-size model du jour Crystal Renn, shown in the image at left, stars in a multi-page fashion spread, modeling sheer, lacy clothing and lingerie in neutrals and pastels.
The shoot itself is beautiful. The problem? The fact that, if you look closely, Renn may simply be zipping or unzipping her dress, but judging by the lack of droopy fabric on either side of the zipper, the image seems to suggest that said dress is too small to fit her -- that, in fact, she's a size 12 straining to fit into a size four.
And, all in all, the photo sends a majorly mixed message.
The first contradiction is this: The model really isn't all that large. In fact, none of the "plus-size" models Glamour has been promoting recently seem any different from, well, normal women. Doesn't it strike you as slightly insulting that the average American woman is being represented by "plus-size models," while real-life plus-size women aren't being represented at all?
The whole plus-size hullaballoo started back in September 2009, when Glamour ran a small, nearly nude photograph of a plus-size model seated sideways, wearing a thong. Mere hours after the magazine hit newsstands, Glamour.com received thousands of comments on the photo -- and upwards of one million page views.
Newsflash: Woman in women's mag actually looks like one of us! The response was so rabid, "the woman on page 194" appeared on CNN, "Access Hollywood" and the "Today" show to discuss the photograph. It also spurred a November Glamour feature on plus-size models, promising "a continued commitment to showing a wide range of body types ... [and] enthusiastic support for any designer who manufactures chic clothes we can photograph on full-bodied models."
Apparently the designers aren't quite on board yet.
Now we have what will soon be known as "the photo on page 147," which sure makes it look like Crystal Renn would have to slim down to fit into the clothes she's been asked to model. And it begs the question: Why put "plus-size" models in your pages, then portray them in a way that suggests their clothes don't -- or won't -- fit?
Even more interesting are the clothing sizes in question at all.
Plus-size models clock in, on average, as an eight or 10. The average American woman is a size 14. So, by Glamour's standards, most of us wouldn't even be able to get the zipper up that far. And we're still a long way from seeing images in a magazine that celebrate a wide variety of female bodies -- tall and skinny, small and voluptuous, whatever the curves may be -- represented fairly.
Back in that September issue, Glamour did concede that "plus-size models aren't all that 'plus.'" What they meant by plus size, the magazine said, was "plus size" in the modeling industry, where norms can range from zero to four, and any model over that size is quickly and unceremoniously put on a diet.
Of course, part of the problem is the consistently small sample sizes that designers send to photo shoots, but why does that practice have to persist? Is a Ralph Lauren or Calvin Klein marketing exclusively to models and Kate Moss? Last we checked, everyone from the Gap to Saks Fifth Avenue sold a diverse range of sizes.
But that quirky fact may go a long way in explaining why plus-size models are nearly always depicted naked in the pages of fashion magazines: Anyone over a size four literally doesn't fit into Glamour's "new definition of gorgeous."
Is the magazine to be congratulated? In our opinion, not yet. Are the editors' hearts in the right place? Of course. But until the acceptable norms surrounding women's bodies are let out yet again, we're here to give Ms. Renn a little help with that zipper.
Our friend Lauren at College Candy, a plus-size girl herself, is torn about the whole trend: "If their goal, as they state, is to change the way we view beauty and really represent the real women living and shopping in this country, they're going about it all wrong." Click here to read her thoughts.
Liz Funk is a freelance writer, author, and speaker who focuses on young women's wellness. Her first book, "Supergirls Speak Out: Inside the Secret Crisis of Overachieving Girls" was published last year by Simon and Schuster.More Good Stuff on the Web
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Sunday 17 January
By Honeybee
Sizes have been inflated over the years. Has anyone tried on vintage clothing lately? My mother and her sisters (who would all be in their 90s now) were size 8 or 10 in their youth, but their dresses are TINY compared to an 8 or 10 today. They were not considered especially small women either. At a size 4 I could fit into their vintage dresses, but when I graduated to a 6.....Women today want to see themselves as 2's and 4's when in the past they would have worn a much larger size. Size is, therefore, irrelevant. Yes, clothes hang better on a super thin person because they look like they are still on the hanger!
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Sunday 17 January
By kalaks
Liz Funk, you have written an excellent piece which accurately analyzes the fashion industry's struggle to market to the very population it depends upon for revenue. Your points are revealing and extremely poignant. I applaud you for your honest portrayal of the facts and for exposing the hypocrisy of the fashion industry's attempt at appearing to be 'embracing' the plus sized woman, when, in fact, they are side-stepping the reality.
A size 14 female is the average portrayal and to label a size 14 female as plus sized is nothing more than smoke screens and mirrors and simply perpetuates the stigma of the plus sized female.
The association of overweight with unhealthy must be curtailed not only for the sake of our teenage girls but for all women. The pressure created by the fashion industry's portrayal of half-starved women being the epitome of glamour and health has created generations of eating disordered females riddled with constant expectations to achieve the fashion industry's warped perception of acceptability. It has promoted negative social attitudes toward the average size 14 when marketing a size 14 as 'plus-sized'.
Our society has allowed it's perceptions of glamour, attractiveness and acceptance to be dictated by an industry that has injected ill conceived expectations of weight that continue to habituate eating disorders, negative self images and mental duress for generations of females.
What has not been addressed is the impact these inconceivable expectations have in perpetuating obesity. The reality is that overweight females of any age become overwhelmed with the pressure to be attractive and fit into the ludicrous size 4 mentality. As a result, an opposite reaction occurs which is never discussed. Too often, women simply 'give up' in their efforts to become the 'perfect' acceptable size.
When this happens, many women psychologically accept that no matter what they do they are destined to be overweight and unattractive. With that acceptance of 'defeat' they indulge in overeating and sedentary lifestyles discarding and rejecting efforts to maintaining healthy lifestyles. They become depressed and unmotivated. They find themselves avoiding public interactions and activities which serves to reinforce unhealthy practices. They are inundated with negative societal pressures to lose weight from the saturation of media hyped diet and exercise advertising to societal preaching as well as societal scorn.
What possible positive effect can this have on the overweight women who have already succumbed to their feelings of low self esteem as well as the belief that nothing they do will make a difference anyway. A society that is obsessed with their beliefs that the overweight among us are vile creatures who are single handedly responsible for our health care dilemna simply engages in cruel mental abuse and only perpetuates the situation. Everywhere overweight women go they are acutely aware of the disgust and stigma associated with their size. The cycle continues.
We must have the ability to look at ourselves in the society we have allowed to evolve where we have created a quagmire of mixed messages and impossible expectations with associated negative stigmas. Stop the unrealistic media created images of the perfect woman and stop the negative stigmas associated with being overweight and instead demand the fashion industry portray women realistically, design clothing intended to make every size female look attractive and start embracing women of all sizes. We must create a society that participates and practices acceptance and support.
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Sunday 17 January
By rylee
Oh the irony. I am 5'9'' and 124 lbs with a size C bust. I am 100% healthy and eat LOTS to keep up with my metabolism and lifestyle. I don't go to the gym; I go ski, kayak and climb instead. I would love to see a diversity of sizes in magazines, a beautiful woman is a beautiful woman at any size; that includes us tall skinny girls too. Don't assume that we are all anorexic and insecure because of our genetics. now quit whining, love your body, grab a burger and get out in the sunshine and play!
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Sunday 17 January
By Lenore
As the average size of models portrayed in fashion magazines has dropped (a trend that started in the late 1960s Twiggy era), anorexia nervosa and bulimia has dramatically increased. It wouldn't promote obesity to show size 12 or 14 women. It would reflect reality. Marilyn Monroe was considered gorgeous when she wore a size 16, and actresses from Mae West to Sophia Loren would never have crammed their curves into a size 4. Several generations of women have felt pressured to conform to an unrealistic body image. We can turn this deadly trend around if we flex our economic power by buying only from designers who cater to customers of all sizes.
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Sunday 17 January
By laura
Yeah, Sophia Loren was a hottie for sure. lol. I saw her pics and thought, Wow another baby with back! haha. It's nice to find someone who's a sex symbol that you can actually relate to. =D
Friday 22 January
By ljsurf322
No, Monroe was a 12, but sizes have changed, and a size 12 back then was more like today's 6 or 8. Source: http://www.snopes.com/movies/actors/mmdress.asp
Sunday 17 January
By Bec
I think the point is being missed as well. Magazines should NOT be featuring women who are so skinny that they are unhealthy, or so many images of one body type (tall and skinny) that young girls think that is the only definition of beauty; However, they ALSO SHOULDN'T be featuring women who are unhealthy the OTHER in a heavy way! the article says the average American woman is a size 14....The average American is also VERY UNHEALTHY! Depending on your height and your eating/exercise habits, you CAN certainly be healthy at size 14 and above, but this article seems to be saying "show heavier women." It should be saying "Show HEALTHIER women" We should simply be promoting health as beautiful....at whatever size that comes in.
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Sunday 17 January
By psfreespirit
Im sick of hearing about the so called plus size model. Plus means just that PLUS. A size 12 or 14 is NOT a PLUS size. Plus sizes are 1/2 sizes or over the size that you can get in the regular misses department. Regular misses sizes go to 16 and sometimes 18. Junior Plus sizes are those sizes that start after 16 and sometimes 18 in the junior department. They are cut differently for women who do not have hips (or as it originated-women who had not bore children yet). So I say to Glamour--its great that you are not showing anorexic women and girls in your magazine in order to make more sales to the average sized woman, but shame on you for calling 12 and 14 PLUS sizes!
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Sunday 17 January
By ej
You don't zip a dress sitting down you bunch of dummies.....it is a photo shoot.
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Sunday 17 January
By Jo
It's funny how these forums have turned into ad space for a-holes. Keep it to comments about the article jerks. No one wants to hear about the crap that you're trying to sell.
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Sunday 17 January
By Katie
Seriously, get over it, at least they are putting her in the magazine, and the title is " Choose not- that innocent lace" maybe she is taking it off for a reason.
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Sunday 17 January
By Lisa
What are people talking about when they mention a size 14 and obesity in the same sentence? A size 14 is not obese, unless the woman is quite short! I am 5'9" and a size 14 is fine for that height. It is realistic. My teen daughter is tall too, and it is hard for her to accept that some of the mall stores stop at size 12. She is not overweight, but when she can't shop at the same stores as her friends, it feels like world thinks she is.
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Sunday 17 January
By Hillary
"Plus sized" models are refered to as such because they are bigger than the average model, which is true; they are. It is not meant to mean "larger than the average woman." On another note, I believe that the media should portray healthy, beautiful, fit women. I don't think that we need to start seeing unhealthy, overweight models, just the same as I don't believe that as a society, our image of beauty should be portrayed by unhealthy, underweight models.
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Sunday 17 January
By doc
liz, your position that the dress does not fit is mere supposition on your part, your whole article is based on the premise that YOU dont THINK the dress fits her.
lacking hard evidence, you need to shut the f**k up.ok?
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Tuesday 19 January
By Hillary
I agree completely. Well said.
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Sunday 17 January
By Laura
I think the pic is fine. She's just in the process of zipping. Who's to say she's straining?
I worked as a model for like .... 2 seconds. lol And as a size 6 I was considered plus size and I think compared to your average girl I'm on the smaller side. The skinny craze started some 20 years ago and I do hope this is a start to the fading out of that trend. If you look at models in the 30's and 40's they look just like the lady in this pic
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Sunday 17 January
By elkscorpion
if average is a size 8 i guess i need to join the circus cause im nowhere near an 8 nor do i weigh even close to 300 lbs does that make me an in betweener???
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Sunday 17 January
By wolfsmistress
There used to be a good plus-sized magazine for women called "Big, Beautiful Women," or BBW. The problem was that it didn't seem to get the advertising that "normal-sized" magazines seem to get...in other words, the industry didn't want to find themselves advertised in magazines that catered to larger women, ones that weren't seen by society as "normal sized," or from 00 to size 6, which on most tv shows is considered "the fat girl." Only in America, where the average sized woman (or NORMAL size) is actually a size 14 will companies fight harder to not be associated with people that are considered "normal." If you're larger than a size 14, heaven help you. And if you're a man, if you are larger than a 38 to 42 waist, you do not exist, either, although they do have more Big & Tall men's magazines that cater to men up to size 5X than they do for women up to size 24W or larger. Most women's magazines and catalogues stop at size 16, consider size 16 an XL and 18 a 2XL, and the few that have sizes above 18 don't go further than size 24. Come on, America...your biggest asset is that there are millions of men and women who are larger than the people in Hollywood, those sticks that are seen on television and in movies. Those are fantasy people in magazines, books and onscreen that we see. The real life is right in front of your noses. Let's let them be put on the pages of the catalogues, magazines, on the TV and movie screens and NOT be made the butt of the joke for a change. Let's let the world see the beauty of these people and American companies will finally see that they have a major source of income if they will only make clothes, shoes and other items that will finally fit those wonderful, lovely, pudgy, cuddly bodies that we all can learn to love....
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Sunday 17 January
By lester
why is she called a plus sized model? calling that anorexic twig plus sized is a real insult to us real plus sized people. she need some more meat on her she looks sick.
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Monday 18 January
By Tina
I think models should keep their traditional thin body shape. After all, they are selling a fantasy and a beautifully designed dress. I think looking at the curves of a plus sized model take away from the fashion. The fashion industry shouldn't have to change everything just because the average woman is not a size zero!
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