Celebrating the Feminine Form vs The Culture of Thin
31 March 2011
I am writing this post in response to the backlash that this post by blogger and street style photographer Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist, created. He took a picture of this fellow street style blogger on the streets of Milan during MFW. The blogger clearly has a more feminine curvy physique and he accurately pointed this out. I personally did not find any offense to his comment. To be honest he was complimenting and admiring her form. However, over 1300 comments later, it seems that many commenters took what he was saying to mean that he was calling the girl fat when in fact he wasn't.
In America predominantly and around the world there has been this trend for the last 20 years towards being emaciated aka "heroin chic." The models on the runway, the actresses on screen and on the cover of magazines feed into this mindset that in order to be beautiful you must be a bag of bones, literally. This to me is very unhealthy for women. Women are meant to have a little more fat on their bodies than men, and we are meant to be curvy. Yes, there are some ethnic groups namely Asian where the women are naturally slim, but that is natural for their ethnicity, mainly because of their diet--they eat less meat and more seafood. But this fact is not necessarily true either. I lived in China for almost a year and the women their literally starved themselves to thinness. In some cases, they were so thin that their extremities namely their toes and fingers were blue. Not good people. There has been many models and actresses who have died from anorexia and bulimia, because the industry pressured them to be thin.
There is something unnatural about women looking like prepubescent boys. It is one thing to be naturally thin--I have friends who can eat anything and still stay thin because this natural for their bodies-- and those who eat one meal a day or work out 3 hours a day (they are not athletes) to stay thin. Friends who have snorted cocaine and popped Adderal to alleviate their appetites. I am sorry, food is meant to be enjoyed not maligned and working out should be for health not to punish your body. And if you have to take drugs to stay thin then maybe you are not supposed to be.
Despite this pressure, there has been a few actresses and models who have stood up and said "NO". I will not be unhealthy for my career, love me or leave me. And this attitude I have so much respect for. I am not saying women should be obese either. I believe in being healthy for your body. For me that is 20lbs lighter than what I am now. And 20lbs lighter than where I am now is still 175lbs. However, at 175lbs I wear a size 8 in clothes. And if I were to lose more weight I would look sick. I am not big boned but I have an athletic physique because I used to run track and play volleyball. So my body is mostly muscle with 20lbs of fat hanging out on it. So I am working hard to eat more healthy and work out more to lose it. But that is what is healthy for me.
me 20lbs heavier
me at 180lbs/ size 8
I have had boyfriends in the past pressure me to lose even more weight but what I have learned is that self love trumps any pressure and once a man starts talking to you about your weight in an unflattering way, then it is time for you to let him go. If you are in a industry that expects you to be unhealthily thin then it is time for you to stand up and say "NO!" Women have more power than we believe we have and the only way the industry will change is if we as women say "NO." Collectively.
So since today is the last day of Women's Month, I have decided to celebrate the feminine form. To celebrate what makes us different from men, what makes us unique and what makes us beautiful.
In ancient art, women were always depicted as having large breasts and hips, or smaller breasts and large hips, like the fertility goddesses and the Botticelli women. These women are always in proportion and look healthy.
I have a friend who looks exactly like this.
Botticelli's the Birth of Venus
And I tip my hat to these beautiful women of classic Hollywood
Josephine Baker
Marilyn Monroe
Sophia Loren
And these women of today who have decided to buck the norm and keep their curves
Jennifer Lopez
Christina Hendricks
Nichole Scherzinger
Sanaa Lathan
Scarlett Johansson
Tyra Banks
Kate Winslet
Kasia Pilewicz
Toccara Jones
Whitney Thompson
** And last but not least, my body idol:
Michelle Obama
And Who wouldn't wear this shoe? Wish I knew who designed it.. Loves it!
forgot to add this earlier.. :D
Be what is healthy for you, rather it is a size 0 or a size 16. Never let anyone pressure you to be something that you are not. Be you, love you. Happy Women's Month
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6 comments on "Celebrating the Feminine Form vs The Culture of Thin"
6 comments on "Celebrating the Feminine Form vs The Culture of Thin"
Thanks chiclets for your chic comments. I look forward to hearing more from you.
Forever chic,