Plus Plus Plus...

I have something I have to get off my chest. (ha-ha)

I really can't decide if I like or resent this sort-of trend of 'Plus-size" models in magazines right now. On one hand, I am enjoying that they are showing more realistic-looking women, but labeling them "plus-sizes" when they are size 12s (and the average size of an American woman is 14) is pretty depressing. Also, the fact that magazines are all patting themselves on the back and pretty much saying "look! we have token fat girls! We're inclusive!!! Buy our magazine!!!" and the fact that they usually oversexualize the 'plus-size' models, putting them in lingerie and see-through things and having them pose naked also bothers me. The focus is so much on the actual body, all the "fat rolls" and other such "anomalies" that they seem to have forgotten that they're actually modeling clothes or other products. They even sometimes pose the models and direct the lighting so that it emphasizes their curves even more, trying to prove their self-promoting point. Crystal Renn puts it plainly:

""When designers and editors choose one fat girl to salivate over, and revel in her avoirdupois, I'm not sure how much it advances the cause of using girls of all sizes in a magazine,"

I think there's something really poignant in the fact that when Glamour posted the picture of the model sans-photoshop, with a little bit of (gasp!) belly-pooch and (gasp!!!!!!) meat on her thighs, the letters from women were overwhelmingly happy that finally someone showed a picture that was a realistic depiction of what a woman actually looks like.

My psychic powers are telling me that any negative notes sent in were all probably from (you guessed it) men. They complain that things like this are "glorifying obesity" and "not warning people of the health dangers of obesity" and other such bla-dee-bla-bla. Hysteria about obesity as if we're talking about Rosalie-fuckin'-Bradford here. Finding newer, not so sneakier ways to needle women about their weight guilt-free. You know, that's really rich, considering that the current fashion situation is glorifying dangerously skinny models that whittle themselves down until they collapse and die on the freakin' runway. So, they can take that and shove it up their asses, basically.

I try to think all this 'plus size' model stuff out, weight the positives against the negatives, but the one thing that my mind keeps going to is: 12 is plus size??!! are you serious?!? My pant size is 12+ and I do NOT, under any circumstances, consider myself plus-size, nor will I let a magazine and a ridiculous fashion industry tell me so. I want to be glad that there's media attention about normal-sized girls, but my mind keeps telling me that I'm slightly offended.

It's hard to put a finger on what I find offensive about all this hullabaloo.... The only way to describe it is: It's like, even though the magazines are being all "inclusive" or "diverse" or whatever they want to call it, it still feels like one giant backhanded compliment. Like, "we love you even though you're fat." As if after every punchy, glittery headline stating "plus size," or "diverse body types" or any other name for it, there's a little needling fashionista voice afterwards going "fat!" "fat!" "fat!" We love plus size ("fat!") models! This model is beautiful ("even though she's fat fat fat!") You get what I mean. Ugh. I think, seeing as the average american lady is a size 14, we shouldn't have to endure the indignity of being called a "diverse body type." Diverse? I'd say a size 00, 0 or 1 pant size is pretty freakin' diverse. How many people have you personally met who are a size 00? Right.

Well... on that note, if you couldn't tell, I am currently obsessed with: Crystal Renn

Here's a photoshoot with a skinny twit "straight-size model"

notice how Crystal Renn looks 100% hotter than the skinny girl in every single one. Hehe.

Also: I am in love with this Swimsuit Photoshoot.

Although I am aware that this looks like a pretty much direct rip-off of Rineke Dijkstra's Beach series:

No matter.

Uh oh, I'm being all FEMINIST again.. oops (that one's for you elle, heehee)

Then again, maybe I should stop tooling around on Jezebel and get to work.