LOVE HER. This is Ms. Octavia Spencer killin' it on the cover of Elle this month. She is plus-sized and gorgeous. Kudos to Elle for showing us some real beauty. Work it!
Fashion, culture and the news from a demure, feminine point of view.
Showing posts with label Big Girls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Big Girls. Show all posts
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Suck it, Fat Maggie! Eddie Shows You How It's Done.
Yesterday I made a post about a book designed to teach girls about dieting. Let's look at it again, shall we?
Look at how Fat Mags is staring in a mirror, holding up a dress that is too small for her. She longs to fit into that damn dress. What message does this send? She wants to lose weight because of how she looks. That's what's important for little girls, of course. To look pretty in pink dresses.
Contrast Maggie's book with this one, called Eddie Shapes Up. Here the protagonist is a male. Here is the description provided by Amazon: "...Eddie Shapes Up is the story of a boy who with the support of his friends and family decides to change his lifestyle in order to make his life happier and healthier. With a forward from President Bill Clinton and beautiful illustrations by Jonathan Hoefer, this anticipated bestseller will inspire readers of all ages to eat right, exercise regularly and to always join the fun."
What do you notice? Eddie, our fat boy, is shaping up to be healthy and have fun. The cover is happy and evokes play and physical activity. On the other hand, Mags, our fat girl, is dieting so that she can look pretty. UGH!
Wouldn't little girls respond to a book about getting healthier and active? Why do we have to stoop to shaming them about how they look?
Look at how Fat Mags is staring in a mirror, holding up a dress that is too small for her. She longs to fit into that damn dress. What message does this send? She wants to lose weight because of how she looks. That's what's important for little girls, of course. To look pretty in pink dresses.
Contrast Maggie's book with this one, called Eddie Shapes Up. Here the protagonist is a male. Here is the description provided by Amazon: "...Eddie Shapes Up is the story of a boy who with the support of his friends and family decides to change his lifestyle in order to make his life happier and healthier. With a forward from President Bill Clinton and beautiful illustrations by Jonathan Hoefer, this anticipated bestseller will inspire readers of all ages to eat right, exercise regularly and to always join the fun."
Wouldn't little girls respond to a book about getting healthier and active? Why do we have to stoop to shaming them about how they look?
Are you looking for new and exciting ways to screw your kid up? Maggie Goes on a Diet can help!
Check out this book, available directly from the devil himself on Amazon.com. It's called Maggie Goes on a Diet. Amazon gives this description: "This book is about a 14 year old girl who goes on a diet and is
transformed from being extremely overweight and insecure to a normal
sized girl who becomes the school soccer star. Through time, exercise
and hard work, Maggie becomes more and more confident and develops a
positive self image."
Huh. Right now the average age that an American girl goes on her first diet is eight years old. Seriously. That is all kinds of fucked up. At eight you should not be worried about the size of your tummy or the thickness of your thighs. Yet, this is normal in our culture. A survey of girls in first through third grade showed that 42% wanted to be thinner (Rader Programs). Insane.
By the time a girl reaches high school, there is a 60% chance she is on a diet at any given time. No matter what she weighs or how fit she is, she is likely to believe that she needs to lose weight and to express disatissfaction with her body. Girls learn quickly that their bodies don't measure up.
The thing is that dieting is not healthy. Kids who go on restrictive diets are at increased risk for developing eating disorders. You don't want your kid to end up anorexic, bulimic or a compulsive over-eater? Do not let them go on a low calorie diet! Lots of research has been done to show that when a person goes on a diet, they become more obsessed with food. The mere act of dieting can trigger a lifetime of disordered eating. Don't believe me? Check out this article about the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, one of the most famous and earliest studies showing that dieting makes you crazy in the head (They Starved So That Others Be Better Fed).
Your kid has a case of the chubbies? Turn off the damn television. Give that kid a piece of fruit or a vegetable, and get them outdoors. Drag your fat ass out there, too. For God's sake don't tell the kid that they are fat, and do not put the child on a diet. If the kid has an active and healthy life they'll be fine. Let them have a slice of chocolate cake once in a while. If you tell them they are too fat for it, they are just going to want it more. As soon as you make certain foods taboo you have opened up a Pandora's box that is going to haunt that child for life.
Oh, I took the time to read through the reviews for the book. Most of the comments were from rational, sane people. Some were a bit misguided, though. For instance, Robin said: "Wow this is a very great book! My daughter who is 14 and fighting childhood obesity just had a birthday and this book arrived at her birthday party just a couple days after her birthday. So I let her open it up and she loved it." Can you fucking imagine opening up a present for your fourteenth birthday and getting a book about going on a diet? Ho-ly shit that kid is going to need therapy.
Huh. Right now the average age that an American girl goes on her first diet is eight years old. Seriously. That is all kinds of fucked up. At eight you should not be worried about the size of your tummy or the thickness of your thighs. Yet, this is normal in our culture. A survey of girls in first through third grade showed that 42% wanted to be thinner (Rader Programs). Insane.
By the time a girl reaches high school, there is a 60% chance she is on a diet at any given time. No matter what she weighs or how fit she is, she is likely to believe that she needs to lose weight and to express disatissfaction with her body. Girls learn quickly that their bodies don't measure up.
The thing is that dieting is not healthy. Kids who go on restrictive diets are at increased risk for developing eating disorders. You don't want your kid to end up anorexic, bulimic or a compulsive over-eater? Do not let them go on a low calorie diet! Lots of research has been done to show that when a person goes on a diet, they become more obsessed with food. The mere act of dieting can trigger a lifetime of disordered eating. Don't believe me? Check out this article about the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, one of the most famous and earliest studies showing that dieting makes you crazy in the head (They Starved So That Others Be Better Fed).
Your kid has a case of the chubbies? Turn off the damn television. Give that kid a piece of fruit or a vegetable, and get them outdoors. Drag your fat ass out there, too. For God's sake don't tell the kid that they are fat, and do not put the child on a diet. If the kid has an active and healthy life they'll be fine. Let them have a slice of chocolate cake once in a while. If you tell them they are too fat for it, they are just going to want it more. As soon as you make certain foods taboo you have opened up a Pandora's box that is going to haunt that child for life.
Oh, I took the time to read through the reviews for the book. Most of the comments were from rational, sane people. Some were a bit misguided, though. For instance, Robin said: "Wow this is a very great book! My daughter who is 14 and fighting childhood obesity just had a birthday and this book arrived at her birthday party just a couple days after her birthday. So I let her open it up and she loved it." Can you fucking imagine opening up a present for your fourteenth birthday and getting a book about going on a diet? Ho-ly shit that kid is going to need therapy.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Barenaked ladies
Plus Model magazine ran an intentionally controversial pictorial in their January 2012 issue titled "What's Wrong with Our Bodies Anyway?" The pictorial is designed to elicit shock and raise questions for the viewer. Most of the images are gorgeous. Here are two of the most lovely:
(View the full pictorial here: PMM Pictorial)
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| Katya Zharkova |
Then there were two images that featured the plus-sized model alongside a so-called "straight-sized" model. I'm not sure what I think about these. They do highlight just how pre-adolescent and tiny the smaller model looks. However, I'm not sure how I feel about comparing women's bodies in this way. I also can't help but note the faux lesbianism in the posing, and the fact that the smaller model has her face completely obscured in each photo, which is a form of objectification. These things strike me as a bit unnecessary, possibly creepy, and ultimately distracting from the points they were trying to make. The photos below lack the joy of the ones above. What do you think? Progress or not?
(View the full pictorial here: PMM Pictorial)
Friday, December 23, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
A Little Hilda for Your Monday
So it's Monday. We've got that going for us, right? Here's a little Hilda to get your week off to a good start.
Plumbing can be fun? Really?
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Queen of the Pin-Ups
Have you ever heard of Hilda? She was a pin-up girl painted by Duane Bryers between 1957 and 1970. She has been experiencing a bit of a revival lately. There is something so joyful and free about her. And as an unexpected bonus, she is a bit of a big girl and a ginger, too! How can you not love her? Here are a few of my favorites, but there are dozens more.
This one reminds me of a racy Anne of Green Gables. Remember when she walked across the roof and fell?
Don't they make you smile?
Don't they make you smile?
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