This reminds me of the movie "Real Women Have Curves." It's worth seeing - Netflix has it.

I have to add something here - I was watching one of the idiotic shows on E! where people sit around and criticize celebrities as they walk the red carpet. This fellow (don't know who he was - maybe a clothing designer?) made a comment about Teri Hatcher (who is lovely and in no way fat) to the effect her dress showed how big she was. Big????? Compared to what? Yes, compared to a paper doll, she's huge. OMG.

What in the world is going on here? Most "fashion" on the runway in still designed by men. Then, very, very tall and very young women who usually are quite underweight and have very slim hips put the clothes on and their pictures are plastered into magazines. These pictures are then airbrushed, skin is made poreless, noses thinned, irises made turquoise blue - sclera is whitened. Then we ladies are supposed to buy these magazine and DO WHAT WITH THEM???????

Sorry for the rant. This kind of thing just gets me.

I'd honestly rather see the media shift away from this thin vs. fat discussion in general. Marilyn was beautiful, there is no denying that, but beauty fades quickly.

I'd rather see a culture that focuses on what women are outside of their looks and reminds the next generation that intelligence, inner-beauty and kindness are the traits that really matter. Some women are naturally thin, others will be curvier but developing character should be the most important lesson.

i was in no way calling the model unattractive, im sorry if it came out like that. i think she is quite beautiful, i think most models are quite beautiful, i just wish they didnt have so much pressure to be SO thin. so many models turn to drugs or have eating disorders because our society has turned into one where a size 10 (or even 8 or 6) is "fat" for a model.

agreed. if women didnt feel that they HAD to be attractive because of the media, and if our society didnt put so much emphasis on looks, we'd all be a lot happier.

I think a healthy medium is best. I read an interesting article on changing shapes recently, and an elderly lady said that, when she was young, most women looked like Marilyn or Liz Taylor, etc, while today, most women seem to be either too thin or too large, but all onsessed with their weight.

Just yesterday I read where a top fashion designer, who's name escapes me right now, said he prefers skinny models because no one wants to look at a woman with curves! I was soooooo mad I couldn't even finish reading the article. From what I've seen anyway of their fashion designs, I don't think any woman regardless of age or size would be caught dead in their clothes. They are not made for the "real" woman.

Maybe the fashion designer is afraid that the curves distract from his clothes than being afraid that people don`t want to look at them?

I've heard that most designers are more like what Stella said - that they choose the super-skinny models because most people DO like to look at women with curves, and it takes focus away from the clothing. (I'm not sure why they aren't just rolling the clothing out on hangers if that's the case, but then, I'm not in the fashion industry. ) Just think about how different the shape of a Victoria's Secret model is - they're selling the sexy "look" more than the actual items of clothing, so they want to distract us with women with curvier shapes.

I've never looked at it that way. You are both probably right! It is a shame tho that the fashion industry is still sending out the wrong message to young girls and women that you can't look good in the clothing unless you are very skiny. Maybe they should design clothing that actually looks and fits good on the average curvy woman.

A think a lot of it, both consciously and unconsciously, is that the big bucks in fashion are not made off of healthy, confident women whose personal and financial priorities and self-worth are not wrapped up in social approval and a willingness to spend tons of money, wear shoes that injure their feet, and starve themselves. Demanding unrealistic thinness is just another way of keeping their customer base under their mind control.

It was Karl Lagerfeld that said that. I remember reading the same article. I was disgusted with what he had to say in the article. He said that women who complain about too skinny models are just fat and jealous. This all came about because a german magazine committed to not using real models anymore for their magazine but instead REAL women ... real sizes. Also, Glamour has committed to using models of all sizes including plus size. I cant remember the link but I'm sure if you put his name and skinny model in any search engine you'll find the article.

Yes Smilette you are right. That was the designer I was trying to think of. So glad to hear that some venues such as Glamour are starting to break the skinny only models rule and reach out to the real buying public.

and then yesterday i saw the news that a size four model was fired for not being thin enough. at five foot ten and 120 lbs her bmi places her at underweight. and she's still not thin enough.
how can anyone trying to lose weight even hope to attain a good idea of what normal is when this is what we are bombarded with?!

The model fired for her weight was the one who was airbrushed on a magazine cover so her head actually looked bigger than her hips. Ralph Lauren was the company, Fillipa Hamilton was the model.



Link to the airbrush story.

Link to the fired story.

Very true Lizzie. Plus I think that SOMEtimes when people finally get to a healthy weight, they aren't satisfied because their bodies don't look as thin as that size 00 in the magazine. Case in point, my cousin had gastric bypass surgery about 2 1/2 years ago. She was about 300 lbs. Fast forward a year and half later and she was down to 155. She looked GREAT!!! She kept saying she needed to lose 35-45 more lbs. I was thinking in my head " from where??? " but didn't say anything. I saw her a few months later and she looked so thin and sickly looking. I asked my aunt what was going on and she said that my cousin became so obsessed about being at a certain weight that she didnt stop to think what was ideal for HER body. A year later now and shes being treated by doctors and in therapy for an eating disorder because she still thinks even at 115 lbs now that shes still not thin enough. Plus all of this is causing medical complications due to the gastic bypass as well. When Ive spoken with her over the past year she just keeps saying that shes fat and if we are watching tv or theres a magazine near ... shell point out a stick thin model ... and keep telling me that THAT is thin ... and then point at herself and say " this is fat ".

Sophia Loren - 38C-24-38


This thread has sent me a-googling. Just wanted to post these pics. I love love love Sophia Loren.