Like many people is today's culture, I have heard the mantra of body image, body shaming, thin is in, etcetera, etcetera. The other day, I read something where the author refers to Genevieve Morton as a plus size model. Who's she? Never heard of her. I google some pictures and my jaw drops. She's a plus size? You are kidding me. Then who's size zero? Some heroin chic waif who looks like a boy? I've never forgotten when Twiggy became famous as the ideal all women should strive for. Geesh, was this supposed to bring out the latent homosexuality in all us guys? Was I supposed to be interested in pubescent girls? Are you trying to turn me into a paedophile? Sorry, this man wants a woman.
I have heard many say we live in a beauty obsessed society. Maybe so, but just where did this ideal of beauty come from? Size zero? Get out of here! I found a web site Body Measurements which gives "Celebrity measurements, bra size, height, weight and breast implants". Okay, just who is size zero? (I have no idea of the accuracy of these numbers.)
Genevieve Morton
Dress size = 2
Height = 5’8″ (173 cm)
Weight = 125 pounds (57 kg)
Christina Hendricks
Dress size = 8
Height = 5’8″ (173 cm)
Weight = 154 lbs (70 kg)
Kate Upton
Dress size = 2
Height = 5’8″ (173 cm)
Weight = 125 pounds (57 kg)
Kim Kardashian
Dress size = 8
Height = 5’3″ (160cm)
Weight = 134.5 pounds (61 kg)
Jennifer Lawrence
Dress size = 6
Height = 5’8” (172 cm)
Weight = 137 lbs (62 kg)
Genevieve Morton is size 2 and somebody refers to her as a plus size? Geesh, what does that make Jennifer Lawrence at size 6, a blimp? I have to shake my head. Are we truly that beauty obsessed? Has somebody somewhere set size zero as some sort of unattainable goal not realising that beauty is not a single number but a range? Besides, beauty is far more than just the visible. Then again, I can say that until I'm blue in the face, but that doesn't mean the little gremlin of self-doubt isn't eating away at every woman's confidence. As I've said many a time, we live in a culture where messages are pounded into our heads twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week via television, magazines, movies, billboard advertisements, etc. and the subliminal memes are floating around in our consciousness. Beauty obsessed? Does a goldfish know it's living in a fishbowl?
I was laughing the other week when newspapers were writing about how Hillary Clinton looked: her hair and her wardrobe. What? Would they write such pabulum if the politician was a man? I doubt it. And as an interested reader of current events, I want to hear Hillary's take on the issues; I don't want an analysis of her hairstyle. Do the editors who dictate the front page headlines think that I'm an idiot? Do they think women are idiots? And now for the latest on the Middle-East peace process and how Hillary's hotness factor has gone up a notch thanks to Infallible Le Rouge Forever Fuchsia by L'Oréal Paris. Oh for cryin' out loud.
Size zero? The percentage of people who would be that size must be the exception to the rule. So, who are the rest of the people? Who are measuring up to size two, three, or going up to ten, fourteen, sixteen or ever higher? Are these people sitting at home alone or are they living wonderful lives?
"Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful."
- Sophia Loren US (Italian-born) movie actress (1934 – )
I ran across the following article and this woman seems like an extraordinary personality.
xojane - Jan 9/2014 via Wayback Machine (wayback.archive.org)
I'm Fat, Forty And Single And I'm Having No Problems Getting Laid All The Time By Christine Whelan
I should note that when I tell you I'm fat, I really mean it. I'm not just slightly chubby and complaining about those last 15 pounds. I'm rather short and weigh almost precisely 300 lbs. I wear size 28 clothing. Unless you think such things are mutually exclusive, I would describe myself as reasonably pretty, in a natural, low-maintenance, naughty librarian kind of way. I am fiercely intelligent, deeply hilarious, casually stylish, utterly unselfconscious and really, genuinely nice. I am also an absolute riot in the sack. And I've been getting laid like crazy.
You must read the entire article. Ms. Whelan sounds like an amazing woman. And she's size 28. 28!?! And we're here talking about size zero? Get serious! Zero is about as far from "real life" as you can get.
Final Word
Ladies, please throw out your magazines and stop letting some unknown fashionista dictate size zero as being an ideal goal. As a man, I don't want to hug skin and bones. As a man, I am attracted to confidence. And as a man, I am going to less concerned about what you've got and more concerned with how you use it. At night, all cats are grey. For every beautiful woman in the world, there's a guy tired of her. Pretty packages do indeed attract the eye, but it's the contents which keep somebody coming back.
Are you the most beautiful woman in the world? What's important is that you are most beautiful woman in your world.
References
Wikipedia: Size Zero
Size zero or 0 is a women's clothing size in the US catalog sizes system. Size 0 and 00 were invented due to the changing of clothing sizes over time (referred to as vanity sizing or size inflation), which has caused the adoption of lower numbers. Modern size 0 clothing, depending on brand and style, fits measurements of chest-stomach-hips from 30-22-32 inches (76-56-81 cm) to 33-25-35 inches (84-64-89 cm). Size 00 can be anywhere from 0.5 to 2 inches (1 to 5 cm) smaller than size 0. Size zero often refers to extremely thin individuals (especially women and adolescent girls), or trends associated with them.
my blog: Body Image: Being comfortable about yourself - July 19/2013
I do not believe that any one of us truly appreciates the effect society, media, and our peer groups have on us. When I say we are the sum total of our experiences, those include a myriad of outside influences. Whether it is friends or colleagues, TV or the Internet, news or entertainment, we are constantly bombarded by a slew of messages which influence how we think and how we behave.
About.Com: Women's Fashion
What Size Does She Wear? By Cynthia Nellis
Although many celebrities do wear small sizes, they are not all size 0. In fact, some of the hottest celebs wear a size 6, 8 and beyond. But keep in mind that not all size 4s are equal: some celebs are taller, others are shorter. So we've included heights to get a better indicator of how your faves stack up. Find out what size Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, even Adele wears.
2014-01-22
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1 comment:
It shows a certain sickness in me that I felt positively gleeful when I saw that my measurements/weight and Jennifer Lawrence's are approximately the same. (She's 1/2 or 1 inch taller....but I am 21 years older.)
Ahem. I do not think that was the point of your post.
Confidence is attractive, in both men and women, and can come in many sizes. When we shame one another about our bodies, well, that's terrible. Women are the worst offenders, pointing out the flaws in other women, and that is truly tragic.
Thanks for this dialogue.
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