Yes, I am real.. a real person behind these pixels.
This morning I was eating my regular oatmeal and checking emails… I came across one whose subject said “Real Women Model Search.” and in the body of the email ‘You may want to inform your readers that [insert retailer here] plus-size clothing is looking for the new face of their upcoming campaign through their real women model search.”
So basically, just because you are ‘real’ that instantly means you are plus size?
As sick as I am of the size zero debate, campaigns are sprouting up to say they are ‘doing something about it’ by merely featuring plus size women shouldn’t be the answer. Why does the media have to immediately go to the other end of the scale? Sexy headlines. Mark Fast wanted to show women that they didn’t have to have the figure of a telephone pole to look good in his dresses so he sent UK size 12-14 models down the runway along regular size models. Karl Lagerfield (a man with his own body issues) says no “No one wants to see curvy women.” And now German magazine Brigitte (granted it’s a lifestyle magazine) is banning professional models all together and using their own readers to model instead. It seems that they have no interest in promoting public health, but only in sensationalizing an already personal battle.
It took me a long time to get comfortable with my body, so long, I’m not really sure if I want to say I’ve actually achieved ‘comfort’. But I’m more comfortable than I was a few years ago. Counting every calorie, measuring out my food, weighing myself every day, going to the gym more than a normal person should. Then to the other extreme, eating loads of crappy food and not exercising at all. Right now I’m at a place where I go to the gym, but I don’t kill myself there, and I pretty much eat what I want, and though ‘eating what I want’ means a well balanced diet. Even though it does not make me a size 2, that’s ok.
I’m not sure if my own body issues had anything to do with the media, or if they had more to do with my environment, or my own personal quest to fix what was wrong on the inside by focusing on how I looked on the outside. Comparing myself to actual models never seemed like a logical thing to do. So can media can fix this one? Health can’t be indicated by someone’s dress size, we’re all more complicated creatures than that. But maybe they can start by edging a little closer to medically determined ‘healthy’ body weights.
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thumbs up, lady :]
well said!
.-= Quinn Smith´s last blog ..Lusitania or Titanic: You Be the Judge =-.
I so agree with you. I have always wondered why women have always been defined by size, first of all, and within that defined as either in the 00-4-ish range, or 14+. What about those of us in the 6-12 range? We are the ones out there buying the damn clothes! As you suggest, size is not the issue, health is. But it seems so unlikely that the fashion media will every care much about health.
And those sizes are completely arbitrary. Retail clothing size differs greatly from pattern sizes – this arbitrariness shows that women can’t be defined by a number, especially when the number means virtually nothing.
.-= birdie´s last blog ..Gothic Guy: Edgar Allan Poe =-.
thank you for this!
.-= Corrie´s last blog ..ahead of its time =-.
Yes, it seems that hollywood etc seem to love one extreme or the other and all us inbetween get left behind. They seem to forget somewhere in their marketing that the inbetween is more the norm than anything else. I hate that plus size is being marketed as ‘real women’. I was plus size once upon a time and to be told that being overweight is real and normal is not going to help me achieve a healthier lifestyle.
How you descibed eat what you want is how I eat what I want too.
.-= eyeliah´s last blog ..Americas Next Top Model Season 13 Episode 7 =-.
This was excellent jennine….its funny I was just reading about the horrible Ralph Lauren photoshopping dealie and chatting with a co-worker about this very thing. I am horrified by the size zero, bone clackers and models with ribcages showing. BUT I also have to be honest and say that when I read a fashion mag, I don’t want to see “real” people, warts and all. I like to see pretty, interesting, unique, cute, beautiful etc. To me a lot of fashion is aspirational….and there are so many celeb women who are slender / fit but in a healthy way (Hello Beyonce…Heidi Klum etc). I feel like people are such extremists. I don’t want a skeleton wobbling down the runway, but it doesn’t have to be “plus size” either.
This is the ralph lauren thingie:
http://photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com/2009/10/ralph-lauren-hits-keep-on-coming.html
.-= miss alex´s last blog ..A Little Glovey Lovey =-.
Wonderful post, dear. I think part of the problem is society’s need to categorize everyone…. you’re plus-sized, you’re emaciated, you’re thin or curvy… what does the word matter? (It doesn’t help when these ads call for “plus-sized models” which can really be anything from a 6 to a 14…what does it even MEAN?)
I am pleased with Glamour more and more for focusing on “real” women (it was my flight read today at 6 a.m.). Because they get it’s not about fat or thin, tall or skinny, but about showing a broad range of women’s shapes, ethnicities, and looks.
I agree that we do live in a society focused on extremes… and while I only know vaguely of your struggles with eating, I still think you are and look like the same fabulous Jennine who started the Coveted years ago.
.-= Ashe Mischief´s last blog ..Costumes of Holidays Past…. =-.
i love this! i’ve been keeping out of this whole mess w/naked plus size models, ralph lauren airbrushing etc., because i’m afraid i’ll say something unpopular LOL
we are all “real” – no matter what size or shape, it’s just become popular (again) to pounce on skinny models. professional models come in all sizes, but primarily they are there and used to showcase the clothes, not their bodies – which is why they have to be teeny tiny IMO. they’re just “hangers” for clothes. there’s definitely a place for them, but i don’t ONLY want to see clothing on professional models all the time, that’s why i started my website and why i frequent other personal style sites – i like to see things on all types of bodies. on the whole, the fashion industry is giving US what WE are asking for – fantastic runway shows and beautiful creations to inspire us and take us away for a bit – that’s not reality, and it’s not trying to be! fashion shows and magazine editorials are meant to be fantasy imo, the problem starts when people start to think it’s SUPPOSED to reflect reality, or fail to acknowledge and live in their own reality……..
I still struggle with my body image and I know thats bc I have a warped kind of idea that has been supported by the industry I love. I like how you point out the extreme does not have to be taken to prove a point, but hopefully things will start to change a little.
.-= alixrose´s last blog ..(NYFW) SUSPENDERS SAVED MY LIFE: WHAT I WORE TO THE RACHEL ZOE QVC PARTY! =-.
Fighting this extremist sentiment – plus size, skinny, “real size” – is SUCH an uphill battle. Thank you for making this post; it’s another nail in the coffin of the idea of a “perfect” body – which is a complete and utter myth.
Health is such a fluid, moving thing, and it’s completely dependant on the body it’s in reference to, the real person. It shocks me that we’re still trying to figure that out, not just in the US, but all over the world. It’s like no one can see beyond the media sometimes.
.-= Jennifer Nicole´s last blog ..Elle: Comfort Food Will Ruin Me =-.
you know i have NO idea what dress size i am since i really only wear vintage except for jeans and t-shirts. now i look at myself in the mirror to see where i am at. it’s taken me my whole life to look at myself and think, hey you look nice!
it’s funny i posted a somewhat different take on “i am real” on my blog today!
it’s funny i often don’t get linked back through to my site from here. can’t figure it out. it takes 2 posts.
.-= SwanDiamondRose´s last blog ..how have you found your personal evolution online? [2] =-.
Great post Jennine. It would be great if health were a factor in the standard of beauty, instead of just body measurements. As a mother of a little girl, I often worry about how the media & fashion industry will affect her body image.
.-= Andrea´s last blog ..Beauty Freebies! A Round-Up of What’s on Web =-.
I totally agree with your entire post! How about, we’re all real women, hmm? I think the media wants to try and create a catfight where there isn’t one…
Although I do have to add, trying to focus on “healthy weights” can be a problem too. BMI (which is usually where that leads) has been shown over and over again to be inaccurate; I’m a healthy-eating vegetarian who exercises on a near-daily basis and my BMI still puts me at overweight. I just wish people would realize that if you feel healthy, eat healthy, and exercise, then you are healthy and probably look exactly the way your body was meant to look! Be happy about it!
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..Everyone Hail to the Pumpkin Song =-.
❤ yuma and quinn..thanks!
❤ jenifer…so true, health only sometimes has to do with image.
❤ birdie…tell me about it, i no longer do the size game because it’s so off..
❤ eyeliah..i can totally relate, i’ve always had to work on my figure, at times being near plus size and at times being size 0, i can say from experience that neither should be aspired to, which makes this so infuriating.
❤ miss alex omg, i didn’t want to delve into the whole Ralph Lauren thing but it’s facinating how poorly they’ve dealt with this from the beginning. it’s horrendous.
❤ ashe…so true, the whole category thing is crazy, though i’ll have to check out that issue of glamour!
❤ grechen, i too love the fashion spreads, i’ve never thought of them as having anything to do with real life, which is why blogs have such a special place, and i love how it’s a non-issue in the bloggosphere.
❤ alix, i hope so too..
❤ jennifer, i still don’t know what the ‘perfect body’ is! But you’re right, health does evolve in definition… i’m not sure if that’s a bad thing though.
❤ swan..hahah, i have no idea how much i weigh, and have not a clue as to what my size is. but i can totally relate to taking a whole life to get to a place of acceptance.
❤ michelle…excellent point, though BMI isn’t accurate, it’s just a loose guide itself. but you are absolutely right about feeling good through healthy diet and exercise… .
Good post. But I, however, am imaginary. And I am sick of the discrimination against imaginary women like myself, dammit!
.-= WendyB´s last blog ..“Caption This” Contest Winners =-.
Kudos to you and writing this, too!
Can I get an a to the men? As a larger person who’s taken far too long to accept my body, I hate and despise the rhetoric that only “real women have curves.” That defeats the entire purpose of body acceptance and continues the vicious cycle of girl-on-girl psychological crimes.
What we must realize is that ALL natural, healthy body types are beautiful–be they long and lean or shorter or rounded… Or shorter and lean or taller and rounded… Every size, shape, color, style is beautiful if it is what comes naturally. It’s great that magazines are showing a bit more body types, but even still, plus size models are just that: models. Which by definition is an unattainable standard, no matter how thin or curvy they may be.
So thanks again for posting this, and maintaining a message of solidarity and individuality. It’s going to take a long time to get there, if we ever even do, but it’s voices like yours and other fearless real-life fashionistas that will help us along the way.
.-= Leigh´s last blog ..Fashion Week Freja: Party Like It’s 1991 =-.
These people are pathetic, I understand very well what you felt. ;p
MAISON CHAPLIN, the internationally recognized most stylish and glam fashion blog by some fashion houses!
@ http://www.MaisonChaplin.blogspot.com
.-= MAISON CHAPLIN´s last blog ..Vogue Hommes Japan: Paolo Anchisi by Hedi Slimane | Vol.3 =-.
This is a great post. I hope more of us, and more industry types, can stop making a political statement about what “kind” of model/woman is ideal.
.-= Clare´s last blog ..My Little Record Player on the Floor =-.
Thank you for this! These are my exact sentiments. Extreme ends of the spectrum are usually not the best places to be. ALL women are real women regardless of size and we should all strive to be healthy. Bottom line.
.-= Alicia´s last blog ..Fall Wardrobe Update =-.
I loved reading this! I’m finally getting to a point in my life where I’m comfortable with my body as well. You know what’s the worst thing about it all? The women’s magazines perpetuate all of this with “helpful” health articles alongside impossibly thin models. Healthy is beautiful. But healthy doesn’t necessarily connote a dress size.
.-= dreamsequins´s last blog ..Five Years Ago Today… =-.
Fantastic article! I think you really hit the nail on the head in terms of the size debate. Most of us know that size is a constant battle (in terms of media and what not) – it fluctuates and doesn’t equate to being “healthy” or “unhealthy.” I don’t even know what my “real” size is since so many brands and designers vary wildly. And it doesn’t really matter, but it is hard. There are time when I’m like, “Oh, well it would be nice to be smaller here or there.”
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..link: Suit Up Like A Mad Man =-.
Great piece of writing. Loved it!
I have to say I’ve been taking quite an interest in this media storm over super-skinny versus plus-sized “real” models, as body image is something that strikes close to home for me. Having struggled with anorexia off and on for years (seems to be mostly under control now, thank goodness!
, I know first hand the impact all this can have on a young woman’s view of herself–especially when it comes to placing one body type (usually very thin and tall) on a pedestal. Now the whole categorization of “curvy” gals being “real” just has me scratching my head.
I guess what disturbs me is fashion’s inability to moderate itself and keep from engaging in going from one extreme to the other. While I applaud the fact that some media outlets are trying to put forth a less idealized and fantasy-based image of women, I worry that it still isn’t a true picture of “real” women. Sal of Already Pretty has discussed this very topic many times: what separates a “real” woman from the rest? Because you or I don’t fit into either extreme, does that make us less real, less consumers and admirers of fashion, give us less right to flaunt our *real* bodies?
Anyway, thanks for this post–as well as your honesty about your own body image struggles. I am always comforted and encouraged to hear I am not the only one who has struggled with this, and daily struggling to overcome it.
Bravo for your honesty!
I think referring to plus size women as “real” is rather insulting. Also, I am actually quite skinny – so am I not real?
I agree with miss alex, I want to see beauty and originality in fashion, whatever shape it takes.
I also think banning professional models as a promotional tool is very low. It is their job and they work bloody hard. They were encouraged to be thin for years and now that it is so chick to be against skinny they are no good?
Natural body shape should be promoted but not like that!
.-= Alice ´s last blog ..Fashion Recession =-.
Amazing post! It is shocking how “real” means plus-soze nowadays. As much as I like the recent Glamour UK photos about “real” girls it was suprising that they were actually plus size models as well. Same goes for the Dove Girls. It’s flattering, but not all people who aren’t models look like that.
.-= Kate´s last blog ..Make Your Hair Smile =-.
Thank you.
.-= Jessica´s last blog ..Playing Stylist =-.
This is such a complex issue.
I have also had my fair share of body issues in the past. I hate when really plus size people are hailed as “real” and I also hate hearing models that wear a UK 12 described as “plus size. I wear a 12 and if I walked into a high street “plus size” store everything would fall off me!
Women come in all shapes and sizes and I think the problems arise by trying to squeeze them into pigeon holes. Modelling, for instance, is a career that many girls aspire too, and using models in a dress size that only a handful of women are “naturally” will only lead to girls trying to squeeze themselves into that pigeon hole by starvation dieting and worse.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could accept that our bodies are all different, and that as long as we eat well and take care of them there is nothing wrong with them?
.-= Retro Chick´s last blog ..Style Icon – Carla Bruni-Sarkozy =-.
Does anyone remember the “I’m Beautiful Damnit” song? I like to dance around the house like a crazy person singing this at top volume for theraputic reasons on gray days.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUUFe7wUKdE
.-= adah potato´s last blog ..Love Janis =-.
You KNOW I’m with you on this one, Jennine. All women are real, all women are beautiful, and setting us up to feel jealousy and hatred toward one another is ridiculously self-defeating. How about a little bodily diversity instead of banning slender models and replacing them with plusses? There should be room for US ALL.
.-= Sal´s last blog ..The Basics =-.
its unbelievable!!!!
real means plus size??? hahaha!!!!
You ARE real but def NOT plus size.
Its all just weird. Funny world.
(I think its ok that models are more beautiful than the average, its their job.
(more beautiful doesnt have to mean skinnier) and people should be smart
enaugh to accept that and able to see the difference)
.-= Liv Lundelius´s last blog ..nightboutique: art related fashion =-.
*roaring applause*
thank you for being real. this post made me smile big.
.-= tricia of bitsandbobbins.com´s last blog ..wardrobe_remix(ers) o’ the week =-.
This is a great post, Jennine. Personally I think the retailers and fashion mags should just keep doing what they do, and leave the showcasing of ‘real’ women to the people who already do it best — us bloggers!
.-= Audi´s last blog ..Latvian Socks =-.
this is a debate that i have with myself constantly–the “i wanna be skinny but i wanna be healthy but always look good” debate. it’s terribly disappointing that anyone who’s not a size 0 is put into the plus size model category…
I totally agree! I’m in between and I always have been and I feel like I’ve never been represented. I’m not a size 2, but i’m not a size 12 either and I don’t do anything drastic to be it.
What’s strikes me though is the association with being skinny and being healthy. Maybe I’m being naive, but I never thought models were supposed to be a shining beacon of health. I just thought they were the (very ridiculous) ideal. Are people really under that impression?
I can honestly say I’ve toyed with the idea of being a plus size model. I am 5’11 and a size 6… Therefore “plus size”.
I only see this as a problem when women who are unhealthy over weight 200lbs+ start to themselves “okay”, when in reality a “plus size” model is only size 6-8. These women shouldn’t be marketed as that; I prefer the term “lifestyle model” instead of “plus size”.
For everyday people, there has to be a balance between disturbingly thin and morbid obesity, and the responsibility is lies with parents, doctors, teachers… etc
lovely post, jt! just say no to size shaming, everyone. xoxo
I too am finally coming to terms with my body, finally, at 28.. I have been putting off buying a really good pair of jeans because that has been my ‘carrot’ to lose 5-10lbs, but this morning I realized that I have been this weight for the past 3 years.. what the heck am I waiting for? (I could have been wearing them this whole time!) I think that all girls (and boys?) should be taught about health and body image at a young age. How much happier would we have been if growing up we were taught to find activities that we enjoy and to nurture and feel proud of our minds instead of falling into the trap of envy and self-loathing.
)
But, kudos to you for speaking your mind, it was very well written and received.
.-= crystal´s last blog ..Size comparison… =-.
I think being a “real” woman is being a flawed individual, which is what we all are. Yes, I have a jean size of 25 but I am only 5’2″ and I have scoliosis which gives me an awkward posture… Fashion models are flawed as well but the media glamorizes their skinny bodies so the public ignores the fact that this person isn’t perfect. As long as we’re healthy and we’ve got energy to fulfill our daily activities (not just sitting in front of the TV), then we should be happy for ourselves!
.-= Lucy´s last blog ..Prepare Yourself – American Apparel Flea Market Tips =-.
Would love to see a wider variety of women in mags and such. Would also like to see women who are smaller than a size 14 not categorized as “plus-size.” That’s just so lame. Variety is the spice of life. How nice would that be to see that reflected in fashion and beauty. I used to model and was told I needed to go on a diet when I hit a whopping 125 pounds when I was 5’10″. They told me I just wouldn’t fit in the clothes and they wanted the clothes to look like they do on the hanger. How ridiculous is that?
I applaud this post… Do I smell a blogger campaign to inform the brands we promote that there are PLENTY of REAL women who fall somewhere between size 0 and plus size? Even if not, I agree… We are all REAL, and many of us have our own body battles. Brands and designers bastardizing need to stop bastardizing the issue.
Great post, Jennine! I agree that the concept of “real” women has been somewhat misconstrued. I am tall and real, proportionate with some flabs but I wear UK 12-14. Under Mark Fast’s definition, I am plus size.
.-= Misss Glitzy [from Singapore!]´s last blog ..The Kimono Runway Show =-.
I have alwys hated that in order to be a real women, you had to be plus-sized! It’s almost being anything smaller means your fake. I have met my fair share of real and fake women and I assure you, they come in all sizes.
As a woman who blogs a lot about being plus size, while i believe that women need to work more to define themselves for themselves and not be dictated to by the media, etc, i am in some ways happy that plus size women are getting more positive focused attention in the media, as opposed to the constant slamming that usually takes place.
whether this attention is pro women or just viewed as good PR on the part of the companies is of course up for debate.
i also think that the reference to “real” women meant women who you do not normally see modeling, etc, not that women who are not plus size identified are not “real”.
.-= Goody´s last blog ..Wrap it up! Scarves Under $25 =-.
I totally agree with you… I don’t understand why the media has to coach it in terms of “real women have curves/are a size 10 and up” instead of “real women come in all sizes, period.”
Only you and your doctor know what size range is the healthiest for you. Since hitting puberty, my own range has been all over the place from size 6 to size 12, and I think size 8 is probably my “optimal” size because it’s what I naturally hit when I’m eating healthily and active.
My husband and I often talk about how our weight affected us when we were growing up. As a second-generation Asian American, I often received explicit messages from my mom, aunts and female friends that I was FAT, starting from when I was just 4. Looking back at old photos, I only now see that I was never fat — simply bigger because I grew up with different nutritional standards than they did. On the other hand, my husband comes from a family with speedy metabolism, and as a teenage boy growing up in Texas, he got picked up relentlessly for his thin frame — never mind that he was probably a lot stronger and more athletic than most of the people picking on him. If someone is giving you crap about your body, it probably reflects more on them than it does on you — but of course that often doesn’t mitigate the pain it causes.
.-= catherine_sr´s last blog ..Groovilicious Taiwan =-.
Jennine, this post is smart, beautiful, and perfect–just like you!
This has always been a big issue for me, as a fashion fan, a blogger, and someone who works in the fitness industry. Those three facets of my personality are at odds with each other. For me, it’s impossible not to be drawn one way, then the other.
I’ve heard women in my classes say “fat” and “diet” and “dislike” more in the last year than in my whole lifetime. It’s true that some of us are not sure if we like our bodies, and the media are not helping when they imply that we are not good enough if we’re not “telephone poles.” But when I really take a look at the telephone poles from a fitness standpoint, and from a human being standpoint, I wonder if we could just back off and be kinder to ourselves.
I see all shapes and sizes in my work, and they’re ALL beautiful to me. I tell them that every day.
.-= enc´s last blog ..Poll #48 Yes, No, or Maybe? =-.
Thank you for writing this.
I am at a healthy weight and I’m happy with it. But I’m a little too boyish to be described as having “curves.” Does that make me less real?
.-= Kelley´s last blog ..Awesome Etsy Item =-.
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