'Twenty years ago the average fashion model weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today, she weighs 23% less.'
'50% of women wear a size 14 or larger, but most standard clothing outlets cater to sizes 14 or smaller.'
I say ALL HAIL NORMAL WOMEN!
If you are a normal sized woman, and feel ugly, fat, unwanted, rejected, freakish, uncomfortable, self-conscious, ashamed, or undesirable — our society has failed you spectacularly. It is up to US to take it back. US. YOU. ME.
I am a size 12/14, curvy, in shape, healthy, and damn sexy in my own mind. THAT, my dear friends, is ALL THAT MATTERS. Besides, I'm wicked smart <smirk>…
If you are thin because you are thin (and healthy) I think it's wonderful. If you are thin because you think you need to be, I beg you to look on the inside first…
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PLUS Model Magazine's Katya Zharkova cover highlights body image in the fashion industry
Size 12 model Katya Zharkova, 28, poses nude in the shoot alongside a 'straight-size' model to demonstrate the differences between them.
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True that,I'm lucky in that the woman I am arse over tit in love with is thin and beautiful and smart and has a generous loving nice kind nature,the perfect woman,in every way imaginable.
+Mark B
It all just went over your head, didn't it?
+WT Gator neeeeawwwn… no,it did not 😉
Be happy with the skin your in!
That is one hell of a statistic! Thanks!
Wow! The size 12 has gorgeous curves… So why am I still trying so hard to be a size 2?
be thankful ya~
Well, I don't know. In looking through the article, the one thing that struck me the most is that the first shot was guaranteed to derail every single heterosexual male looking at it. I wonder why?
laro
hot …..hot…hot………..xxx
good action
Hi,PLUS MODEL MAGAZINE: please do not post naked picture of woman! DO NOT POST NAKED WOMAN on MY PAGE! 🙂
+Lynette Young Thanks for posting this Lynette.
This came up recently about a song Beautifully Broken on YouTube http://goo.gl/i9aoX Someone mentioned that it was considered "Thinspiration" that apparently had a following by "Ana". I looked through the YouTube comments but didn't see them when I checked.
Body dysmorphic disorders like Anorexia and Bulemia are extremely serious.
Great share. Thanks
Marilyn Monroe:
http://goo.gl/bJbcn
Thanks for sharing this Lynette. I get so frustrated trying to find clothing as I am petite in height (5 foot even) but I have lots of curves and am slightly fluffy… standards need to reflect reality.
olo
That is a terrific photo and good wishes to you, +Mark B . I'm pleased that it didn't miss the mark (so to speak lol).
These statistics could be extremely skewed. Just giving a % change doesn't say a whole lot since the average weight of women (and men [USA]) has risen greatly (11lbs from 1990-2000 for women alone, hard to find current figures for the next decade) in the past 20 years. So even if models stayed the same size, the % difference is going to balloon from the average sized woman.
Stores cater to size 14 and under because smaller women buy more clothes (statistically). Also, many stores have changed their sizing to smaller numbers for the same sized clothes to allow more women to shop for smaller "sizes."
That said, I'm convinced the constant imagery of smaller women in advertisements has an overall negative psychological effect on the majority of women.
And I love me a normal lady 😉
I have to pipe in here. You have to look at fashion economically. Most of the higher end designer brands who show in Paris, Milan, London and New York are catering to a niche audience, however it is closely looked at by everyone now – not just fashion industry insiders. With the internet, now everyone with a connection can see the images shortly after it walks down the runway.
These brands know who their customer is, and they do tend to be a very wealthy woman who has the means to spend that money on a regular basis on that particular brand. Those wealthy woman also tend to have personal trainers, be able to afford personal chefs, nutritions, etc. so they do tend to be on the smaller size than the regular consumer.
When it comes to mass consumerism where most people do not have the means that those very wealthy women have, it is the high street brands that have the responsibility to create clothing for the mass consumer, who tends to be larger in size. With a North American woman being about 5'5 and a size 14 on average, the high street brands (or mall brands if you prefer) are losing out by not catering to those groups.
These high street brands have played with standard sizing also, where now there is no standard sizing, hello vanity sizing. A size 8 in Prada could more of a size 4 in a high street brand. Think of Marilyn Monroe as an example, she was a size 14 back in the 1950's, today that is more so a size 8 in a luxury brand size and a size 4-6 in some others. She was not a modern day size 14.
This magazine is just looking for attention. If you are, however in the position to make a change (ie in media/advertising) then be that change. Make conscious decisions on the jobs you accept and what you are putting out to the public. Say no to something that might affect society negatively. Stand up for others rights to feeling good about themselves.
Rather than go on; my end to this all is to be healthy, happy,and ignore the hype.
very nic style butt
Twenty yrs ago the 'regular' woman weighted far less then today's do. That may explain most of this gap. Thanks to our nutrition, lifestyle and bureau-jobs
my 2 cents:
– average weight does not = healthy weight
– women in men's mags are not the same shape as women in women's mags (so which do men prefer?)
– sizes should be replaced with hip, bust and waist measurements on labels
– many clothing designers are gay men and might simply prefer models that are androgynous (or look like boys)
– diversity is what makes individuals – I don't want to be a carbon copy of barbie…
– curves are harder to design and fit for then strait up and down
– the bigger the person, the more material needed, the more a garment costs to make, ship, store, display…
– clothes look good on clothes hangers
– history shows that the fashionable figure is an ever shifting spec, and if your lucky at some point in your life the fashion and your figure may just match up for a short while…
+WT Gator so because +Mark B is in love with a girl who happens to be thin he missed the point? Both the article and +Lynette Young are saying be happy in the skin your in. What if his lady is thin because that's THE SKIN SHE'S IN? Too many people now, because the fashion industry has so warped women's views that now everyone (men included) think skinny = anorexic. I was teased all through high school because of this. EVEN ADMINSTRATORS in the school mocked me about it. I could not break 100 lbs in my teen years, I am 5'7. Being told you are unhealthy because of your weight no matter if its "too much" or "too little" weight is hurtful. I'm sick of having to trail behind every "curvy and proud" debate reminding people of this. Putting others down to make yourself feel better is never ok. Like +Lynette Young said. Ladies, if you are healthy, all hail normal! The spectrum of normal includes curvy and skinny and lots of body types so stop getting bent out of shape that some women are naturally thin (like +Mark B 's lady probably is, since he didn't say she's a diet maniac with an eating disorder)
I am personally one of the "thinner girls". I am 5'7" and 105 pounds. I didn't choose to be this, it's simply in my genes. I eat like a horse, and my metabolism simply outweighs the food that I intake. (I am also 28 years old and have had a son.)
I'm so very sick of the "thick girls rule; thin girls are sick-looking" fights. Society (and media) needs to start looking at ALL women as beautiful for who they are. No matter if they are thin, thick, short, tall, black, white or olive. Just be happy in who you are.
I'm a 12. Also very curvy. When I was 29 I weighed 111. I guess with age comes a fuller figure!
U R PERFECT ====DIANE====
nice pic
+Diane Schaefer : For some people, it just is how they are. It isn't just a "young girl" thing. My father is 55 and still very thin and perfectly fit. It's not always something that comes with age.
+Rachel Ying : I was the very same. I couldn't break 100 until I had almost graduated high school (I'm talking like, the month before LOL). Good for you.
+Cara Cilione haha, yeah. 2 babies later I'm holding at 105.. I'm on the "no low-calorie food diet" nothing low-fat allowed, no celery, and no water (only whole milk and juice) its not really any easier than being overweight, imho. Not a lot of products for weight gain out there. Trying to teach myself to be happy with the body God gave me..
Just for the record, I'm not dissing +Lynette Young for posting this or Katya (the model, whom I have seen before this article, and who is gorgeous) just making a much needed point.
+Rachel Ying Agreed!
After thinking about this I have a clarification to make. Women of ANY size or shape are NORMAL. So long as whatever size you are is healthy and you are happy.
I have a dear friend whom I love very very much that is large (she would say fat). She is healthy and gets exercise. She eats well. She looks AMAZING. Her view on herself is something she calls "body acceptance". She accepts how she is made and works towards being healthy to keep up with her spitfire daughter and works even harder to set a healthy example for her. Yes, it is possible to be large and healthy at the same time. It is possible to be swing too thin or too heavy due to genetics or medical issues. It is what it is.
We need to be happy about the bodies we live in and stop giving a rat's a$$ about others that try to judge or belittle us just to make themselves feel better.
PS – You ladies ROCK!!
+Lynette Young : I'd also like to state that my remark was nothing aimed toward your writing. I completely agree with all that you've said. Many times, people just don't realize that thinner women often fight the exact battles that larger women face, just on the opposite scale. I appreciate the article you linked, and think that there should be more media recognition to such affect (and I personally have no problem with the nudity, it's natural, why should we try to conceal our bodies?) ! All women of all sizes are beautiful in what they were blessed to show the world. We should never be hateful toward other women's sizes and our own bodies as well.
I think +Lynette Young and the article's concept of being happy with the skin your in is grand but the obsession is one of numbers…numbers in lbs or kgs on a scale, bmi on a chart, inches on a tape measure. When it is all you hear day in and day out by the people closest to you, by the television, by schoolmates, by doctors and society at large…it all skews what the brain sees in the mirror at the end of the day. ds to be fixed….
Obsession with numbers… .true. I WAS obsessed with my weight / BMI until I stopped looking. I weigh 190 pounds at at 5'5" my BMI shows me as (almost) obese. I'm healthy, I don't care anymore with what the numbers read, but it took a lot of soul searching to get that way. I am also not subjected to media's version of an attractive woman because I never watch TV (or their ads) and never read magazines (or their ads). If it's possible to isolate yourself from all that garbage changing your self-image is a bit easier.
Regards to numbers: very true. According to "numbers", I am significantly below the "underweight" line, almost to malnourished due to my tall height and light weight at 105. And yet, any blood tests done all come back perfect (as I just had my yearly checks 2 months ago), and I eat decently healthy. I am thankful every day for my wonderful doctor who says that it doesn't matter as long as I don't drop any significant amount in a short time-span!
+Lynette Young WOW, props to you!! I try to never watch TV, magazines, and news as well, but still wind up within those media some. Although, it's mostly either ESPN for my husband or Food Network for me LOL!
wow,,,
very nic style butt
its very sexy
Anyone care for a male perspective? Since you brought up BMI +Lynette Young, I can tell you that this is different for every person. Any person you ask that knows my exercise level would expect me to be healthy, yet to BMI I am overweight. However, taking into account body fat percentage, I'm in excellent health. My petite wife is just the opposite; she has a much higher body fat % but her BMI consistently reports a healthy size and weight (guess which measure each of us prefers to go by). She also exercises regularly and has birthed two children; I think a little extra fluff there is perfectly normal. Bottom line, there are many measures when it comes to determining a person's health and we should try to glean as many of them as possible in order to come to a conclusion. Try to live a healthy lifestyle and be happy with who you are.
Oh, and the media/fashion industry is garbage.