One Small Step for Womenkind

In class we have talked about how the media plays a role in setting the standards of how we think. Most of the time we don’t even realize or question what the media says in these regards because it is so engrained in us to just listen. So instead, I am stopping to asking questions. There has been a lot of chatter during the last few days about Sports Illustrated magazine because they are featuring, for the first time ever, a plus size model.

This is monumental for their swimsuit issue without a doubt but I think people are still missing something. All this coverage and the spotlight of this plus size model who has made history is supposed to make women feel more empowered to be confident in their own bodies and not starve themselves to look like twig sized models. But has anyone stopped to notice anything about this plus sized model, or others that appear in the modeling industry? Lets look the cover.

She is beautiful and her body is beautiful and since she is the first plus sized model everyone is simply in awe. But lets talk about what is missing here. Yes, she is a “bigger” sized woman but where are her stretch marks? Where are her pores? Where is her little tummy pooch? Where is her belly button? She is seamless. Seamless is not reality.

While this is a win for the plus size modeling industry, is it really a win for women? It is undoubtedly a step in the right direction but can we really call it a win?

Plus size models have regulations just like “regular” models. Although they are a set of models who wear bigger sizes, they can only be in the range of sizes 10/12-14/16 and have to be 6 ft tall. This category of “plus size” models does allow for a more realistic body type, but it still only accepts a small percentage of women who are the perfect formula of what the industry says “plus size” is. Plus size models, like regular models, must have good skin, teeth, hair, and nails. They can’t have tattoos, piercings, and must have natural colored hair.

There are companies who are making the effort to take the next step: using real, un-photoshopped women. Aerie, the lingerie brand of American Eagle, has started "The Real You" campaign with a vow that they will no longer photoshop or supermodels. 

That is inspiring. Seeing these real girls makes me feel good and confident about my appearance. I feel more empowered in my own skin and realize that its ok to have a little stomach pooch and that their thighs look bigger when they are sitting down too. Because that is how human bodies are built. I don't feel bad when I try on their lingerie in the store anymore because I am not surrounded by images of an unachievable goal. 

A few years ago, I was an avid reader of Glamour magazine and I bought the issue that featured a picture of “the woman on p.194” (without knowing that was part of the issue). The issue came out in 2009, which means I was about 14 years old. At the time I wasn’t really interested in articles beyond makeup and fashion advice so I’m not sure if I even actually read the article that went with the picture but I remember seeing the picture as I flipped to another story in the magazine and I remember thinking that the picture must definitely have been part of a story and not an ad because no company would put her on an add. I didn’t mean that in a rude way, I just knew, even at age 14, that that woman could never be a model for something because she didn’t fit the “perfect” mold. 

At 14 I knew that I didn’t want to look like that woman because she wasn’t skinny. Now, I’m a 20-year-old college student and that picture speaks volumes to me. She is beautiful. Not “model” beautiful, but real life beautiful. She has little rolls and normal sized thighs and most importantly, she looks unbelievably happy. That is what I want and what I want for my younger sister and my friends and our future children. I want the women of the world to find happiness and joy in their bodies. I hope that these movements are just the beginning and that the next generation of girls wont have to starve themselves to feel good in their skin.