This is the "Ana Rexia" Halloween costume. Seriously, that's what it's called.
I'm totally disgusted.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Ashley Falcon: Big Girl in a Skinny World
http://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/trends/articles/ashley-falcon-plus-size-stylist#comments
Meet Ashley Falcon, proof that fashionistas come in all shapes and sizes.
I'm the most stylish among my friends. Growing up in Miami's tight-knit Cuban community, I was the girl everyone sought out for fashion advice, the one who transformed boring outfits into head-turning looks with the flick of a collar or the cinch of a belt. Of course, it surprised no one that I decided to pursue a career as a fashion stylist—though at 5'2" and 220 pounds, I'd need an elaborate pulley system and a can of Crisco to shimmy into the clothes I dress models in. Instead, I'm relegated to the plus-size racks, where trendy usually translates into "when's your due date" empire waists and cinch-sack drawstrings. It's not easy being chic, but it's an epic struggle when you're a big girl.
EMAIL HER: Click here to contact Ashley Falcon
Case in point: Not long ago, while interning at a fashion trade publication, I scored a last-minute invitation to an industry cocktail party. I was giddy with anticipation—I can't believe I get to mingle with Marc Jacobs! But my joy quickly turned to dread when I realized that I was wearing boyfriend jeans and an oversize blazer, hardly appropriate for this Stoli-and-stilettos mixer. As I stood in the fashion closet, scanning the sparkly numbers that would barely make it up my thigh, I frantically weighed my options. There wasn't enough time to run home and change, and dashing over to the nearby Banana Republic was out of the question—their XLs are typically available only online. With literally nothing to wear, I bagged the event and spent much of the evening sulking on my couch.
I've struggled with weight—and how to camouflage it—my whole life. The skinniest I've ever been was in high school, when I weighed 150 pounds and subsisted on nothing but undressed salads. I long ago made peace with the fact that I'll never look good in a slinky dress or pleated paper-bag-waist pants, even if Coco Chanel herself came back from the dead to hand-stitch them for me. So I stick to cuts that always flatter—even in a size 18—like wrap dresses and pencil skirts. Then I'll style up dowdy items with high-end accessories, like the staggeringly awesome Louboutins I scored for Christmas or the YSL bag I recently got on sale. Big girls love accessories—they always fit, no size tags required.
My most persistent, most daunting wardrobe challenge is finding that perfect, all-occasion pair of slimming, lengthening, ass-hugging jeans. Let's face it, it's a maddening task for girls even half my size, but I go through at least a few pairs of jeans every year, routinely wearing holes in the area where my thighs rub together. My requirements: no muffin top, butt crack, or camel toe. That's a tricky set of demands considering that most jeans for the size-14-and-up set are either woefully ill-fitting or designed like industrial coveralls—solely to hide the body, style be damned. I suspect that's why so many big girls squeeze into sizes far too small for their ample builds. At least sausages have shape, right?
Still, I won't settle when it comes to jeans and insist on buying only those pairs that make me feel comfortable, sexy, and confident. They must work for my body. Which is why I've spent untold hours in countless fitting rooms squeezing into hundreds of pairs of relaxed fits, boot-cuts, straight-legs, and low-rises.
Ladies, I've road tested them all.
CLICK HERE FOR ASHLEY'S PICKS FOR THE BEST JEANS FOR CURVY GIRLS
Big Girl in a Skinny World
Meet Ashley Falcon, proof that fashionistas come in all shapes and sizes.
CLICK HERE FOR ASHLEY'S PICKS FOR THE BEST JEANS FOR CURVY GIRLS
By Ashley Falcon
Photo Credit: Greg Kessler
Special Offer
EMAIL HER: Click here to contact Ashley Falcon
Case in point: Not long ago, while interning at a fashion trade publication, I scored a last-minute invitation to an industry cocktail party. I was giddy with anticipation—I can't believe I get to mingle with Marc Jacobs! But my joy quickly turned to dread when I realized that I was wearing boyfriend jeans and an oversize blazer, hardly appropriate for this Stoli-and-stilettos mixer. As I stood in the fashion closet, scanning the sparkly numbers that would barely make it up my thigh, I frantically weighed my options. There wasn't enough time to run home and change, and dashing over to the nearby Banana Republic was out of the question—their XLs are typically available only online. With literally nothing to wear, I bagged the event and spent much of the evening sulking on my couch.
I've struggled with weight—and how to camouflage it—my whole life. The skinniest I've ever been was in high school, when I weighed 150 pounds and subsisted on nothing but undressed salads. I long ago made peace with the fact that I'll never look good in a slinky dress or pleated paper-bag-waist pants, even if Coco Chanel herself came back from the dead to hand-stitch them for me. So I stick to cuts that always flatter—even in a size 18—like wrap dresses and pencil skirts. Then I'll style up dowdy items with high-end accessories, like the staggeringly awesome Louboutins I scored for Christmas or the YSL bag I recently got on sale. Big girls love accessories—they always fit, no size tags required.
My most persistent, most daunting wardrobe challenge is finding that perfect, all-occasion pair of slimming, lengthening, ass-hugging jeans. Let's face it, it's a maddening task for girls even half my size, but I go through at least a few pairs of jeans every year, routinely wearing holes in the area where my thighs rub together. My requirements: no muffin top, butt crack, or camel toe. That's a tricky set of demands considering that most jeans for the size-14-and-up set are either woefully ill-fitting or designed like industrial coveralls—solely to hide the body, style be damned. I suspect that's why so many big girls squeeze into sizes far too small for their ample builds. At least sausages have shape, right?
Still, I won't settle when it comes to jeans and insist on buying only those pairs that make me feel comfortable, sexy, and confident. They must work for my body. Which is why I've spent untold hours in countless fitting rooms squeezing into hundreds of pairs of relaxed fits, boot-cuts, straight-legs, and low-rises.
Ladies, I've road tested them all.
CLICK HERE FOR ASHLEY'S PICKS FOR THE BEST JEANS FOR CURVY GIRLS
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Well, this is appalling...
" A must-have for any mother with young children considering plastic surgery"
BUT SERIOUSLY?! This is the message you want to send your kids? Not, "oh honey, you are beautiful the way you are, looks aren't everything," yadda yadda...its "you need plastic surgery to feel good about yourself." Oh that's great. Our little kiddies don't have enough problems already. The first page directly under the title page is the most heartbreaking I could find. How confused must that kid be? I am not even going to attempt the self-esteem rant right now because I am sure you are all thinking it and I just still cant even believe this is real.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Jezebel: Even Plus-Size Models Lower Self-Esteem
Since I recently posted about plus-size model Crystal Renn....Check out this article posted by Jezebel (click on title to go to their blog)
Study: Even Plus-Size Models Lower Self-Esteem
According to a new study, overweight women feel worse about themselves after looking at photos of models, whether those models are skinny or not. Underweight women, however, show an increase in self-esteem. So what's going on here?David DiSalvo of True/Slant offers this explanation:
Presumably this is because underweight women compare themselves equally to thin models and favorably to overweight models, but overweight women compare themselves unfavorably to thin models and find their similarity to overweight models depressing.But this sounds a little simplistic to me. Must it be that "overweight" woman look at plus size models and think, "Gross! I look like that? How depressing!" Or might it be that, as Kate wrote,
[P]lus models are still models. They're still tall, well-proportioned, clear-skinned, shiny-haired, able-bodied and usually white, on top of only being "fat" relative to size 0s. The standard is basically the same as it always was, just notched up to a somewhat more common range of dress sizes - which is to say, the standard is still impossible for most of us to meet.(note: Don't forget that plus size models never have cellulite...I think that might have something to do with it, too)
When the whole beauty-industrial complex is basically designed to exscript them, and the few models who are supposed to represent them just look like that complex's ideal "notched up" a little bit, it's no surprise that plus-size women might feel just as bad looking at Crystal Renn as they do at Kate Moss. This isn't to say that including more models like Renn and Lizzi Miller on magazine pages isn't a good thing — it is. But it doesn't magically make these magazines friendly to all shapes and sizes, or make fat women forget that lots of other cultural forces are still conspiring to devalue them.
The study's finding about underweight women is interesting too. The idea that underweight women actually feel better after looking at models contradicts an earlier study that showed all women felt worse about themselves after viewing skinny ladies in ads. It's a little hard for me to believe that underweight women compare themselves "equally" to models any more than overweight women do — like Kate said, they're still models. They're still closer to the beauty ideal than most women, regardless of weight, and they still get help from the powerful forces of hair, makeup, and airbrushing. It would be interesting to learn what percentage of the underweight women in the study were eating-disordered, and how that affected their response to the images. I'd also like to know what was going on in the underweight subjects' minds during the study — whether they actually thought, "yes! This model looks just like me," or whether they got a more modest boost from seeing a woman of similar size presented as an ideal, even if that woman was different in other ways. Perhaps this boost is easier to get if you are of privileged (ie. thin) size — although the study did find that overweight and underweight women had similar self-esteem at the outset of the experiment.
Ever since Lizzie Miller was in Glamour, the inclusion of plus size models has been trumpeted as a way to make magazines more friendly to all women. But it's clear that this might not be enough. Internalized fat prejudice goes deep, and just showing women a few bigger models isn't going to erase it. The fact is, images whose purpose is to sell women shit — whether those images look more or less like them — are probably never going to be on the forefront of social change. Including plus-size women in ads and fashion spreads is an important step not just for social good, but for aesthetic value — magazines would be more interesting if they contained a greater diversity of models. But they wouldn't magically make overweight women feel perfect about themselves, or erase all the other influences making them feel bad.
Women's Self-esteem Affected By Magazines [UPI.com]
Warning: If You're Overweight, Don't Read Women's Magazines [True/Slant]
Earlier: Memo To Women's Magazine Editors: White Women Hate Themselves After Reading Your Magazines
Contact information for this author is not available.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Filippa Hamilton Debacle
“I think they owe American women an apology, a big apology; I’m very proud of what I look like, and I think a role model should look healthy.”-Filippa Hamilton
Filippa Hamilton is the model in the notorious photoshopped Ralph Lauren ads. After Ralph Lauren apologized for "a very distorted image of a woman’s body," in the first photo they fired Filippa Hamilton (who has been with Ralph Lauren since 2002) "as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract with us." Filippa is 5'10' and 120 pounds and her measurements are 33-24-35 (US), roughly a size 6. Most are considering that she was fired for being too big.
What a world, ay?
Barbie has cankles
So says shoe guru Louboutin. You know what else Barbie has? a 39" bust, 18" waist and 33" hips (if she were human, of course)
Barf. CBS news article below. I don't even know where to begin.
NEW YORK, Oct. 14, 2009
Barbie has Cankles? Fashion Guru Thinks So
French Shoe Designer Christian Louboutin, Whose Known for his Five-Inch Stilettos, Says Barbie's Ankles Are Too Thick
(CBS) Everyone's favorite doll, Barbie turned 50 this year and by all accounts, she's still got the body of a teenager.
But one big name in fashion is calling Barbie's physique into question.
CBS NewsCorrespondent Michelle Miller stopped by The Early Show on Wednesday, to share the latest Barbie controversy.
The man known for five-inch stilettos, French shoe designer Christian Louboutin, is now reportedly taking on an 11 1/2-inch doll, saying that Barbie needs a little work, before she can get into a pair of his shoes.
After suffering decades of ridicule for having the perfect body, in human dimensions 39, (bust) 18' (waist) and 33'(hips), Barbie may have met her toughest critic in Louboutin.
The stiletto king made news this week in Women's Wear Daily when his spokesperson was quoted as saying that Louboutin found Barbie's ankles to be "fat."
Rumors swirled that Louboutin, who is designing three special collection Barbies, due out early next year, is reshaping Barbie's gams to slim down their appearance.
"She really doesn't have a full curve to the calf and it goes straight down to the ankle," said Dr. Michelle Copeland, a Board certified plastic surgeon, whose specialty is cankles. "In Barbie's situation there might be something that on the inner side that we might be able to improve, but Barbie looks pretty good."
The company said that it was just a misunderstanding and released a statement, saying: "My dear friend, Christian loves my ankles. It was my arch that he wanted to give a little lift to, so I can rock those high heels."
Apparently even a fifty-year-old doll is dying to get her heels a pair of red-soled shoes.
"Barbie was quick to point out that her ankles are only 22 millimeters around, so it's pretty hard to say that she needs some work in that area," Miller added.
Meanwhile Christian Louboutin told CBS that he adored designing for Barbie, and his camp pointed out that maybe the original comment was taken out of context and a little lost in translation.
But one big name in fashion is calling Barbie's physique into question.
CBS NewsCorrespondent Michelle Miller stopped by The Early Show on Wednesday, to share the latest Barbie controversy.
The man known for five-inch stilettos, French shoe designer Christian Louboutin, is now reportedly taking on an 11 1/2-inch doll, saying that Barbie needs a little work, before she can get into a pair of his shoes.
After suffering decades of ridicule for having the perfect body, in human dimensions 39, (bust) 18' (waist) and 33'(hips), Barbie may have met her toughest critic in Louboutin.
The stiletto king made news this week in Women's Wear Daily when his spokesperson was quoted as saying that Louboutin found Barbie's ankles to be "fat."
Rumors swirled that Louboutin, who is designing three special collection Barbies, due out early next year, is reshaping Barbie's gams to slim down their appearance.
"She really doesn't have a full curve to the calf and it goes straight down to the ankle," said Dr. Michelle Copeland, a Board certified plastic surgeon, whose specialty is cankles. "In Barbie's situation there might be something that on the inner side that we might be able to improve, but Barbie looks pretty good."
The company said that it was just a misunderstanding and released a statement, saying: "My dear friend, Christian loves my ankles. It was my arch that he wanted to give a little lift to, so I can rock those high heels."
Apparently even a fifty-year-old doll is dying to get her heels a pair of red-soled shoes.
"Barbie was quick to point out that her ankles are only 22 millimeters around, so it's pretty hard to say that she needs some work in that area," Miller added.
Meanwhile Christian Louboutin told CBS that he adored designing for Barbie, and his camp pointed out that maybe the original comment was taken out of context and a little lost in translation.
The "Real Women Have Curves" Argument
We have heard this a million times...real women have curves...its the name of a movie starring Ugly Betty's America Ferrara, its the name of a blog http://www.realwomenhavecurvesblog.com/ and its the title of countless articles. But is this mantra really helpful? Sure it can be empowering, but by saying that real women have curves we are implying that thin women are in fact, "not real"...essentially we are attempting to invalidate the attractiveness of thin women. Isn't that what overly thin models and weight loss commercials are doing to curvaceous women? Invalidating the attractiveness of non-thin women? Its a classic mistake. Using the argument I am trying to dispell to make my own case. My prerogative for this blog is not to imply that curvy women are in any way superior to other women. Attractiveness is subjective and it is ridiculous to imply that one body type is more attractive than another (in the real world of course...in the media there is clearly some disparity). Lets be accepting of ourselves and of our friends. Instead of pitting different shapes or sizes against one another we should be affirming of one another.
Now, this brings up a very controversial caveat. Sometimes "real women have curves" is used as justification for unhealthy body sizes. Yes, there is such a thing as thyroid problems, being big boned and just naturally large body sizes...but there is also such a thing as overwhelming obesity rates in America which are due specifically to lack of exercise and unhealthy diets. It's a thin line..being affirming of the wide range of body sizes but still encouraging folks to be healthy. I don't really have an answer for it, and I am sure I have already been offensive. You're might be saying "oh, so you're saying we should be affirming of all body sizes..just not THOSE sizes" and all I can say is no..I just want people to be healthy. And healthy comes in a lot of different sizes. Large and small alike.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Hungry
By now I hope you have heard about Crystal Renn...former anorexic model, current happy plus size model. I am naturally skeptical of the feel-goodery that this book must contain but I suppose I should read it before I make a judgment on it. Regardless, it is another step towards the whole curvy-girls-be-proud movement. And I gotta support that. I plan on reading this so I am sure there will be a more detailed post in the future, but if anyone is looking for an addition to there reading list this might be an interesting one.
Just to indulge your curiosities (I know you're wondering) here is a pic of Renn pre-body image enlightenment and after. Judge for yourself. I am sure you know which one I'd chose.
Lovin' the pin up girl fashion trends
Can I just say how thrilled I am that pin up girl/ 1950's fashion is currently popular? Why do I love it? Because according to some (possibly inaccurate) googling I have found that the average woman in the 1950's was 5ft3, 130lb with measurements 36-28-38. Not only was this the average woman, but the average woman was depicted in the media slightly closer to reality than they are now (hello Marylin Monroe). So to highlight how it has actually been bearable to buy clothing lately, I give you my new favorite outfit....
Cardigan: Forever 21 Dotted Sweater Cardigan, 19.80 (shown in black and white, but I personally dig the red and navy..which doesn't show up on the website well)
The sweater hits right below the natural waist which accents the curves very well. Obviously since this sweater is shorter (which was the style), wearing a tank underneath works well...and if it hits below the hip it is also slimming. I've generally learned that wearing tops that stop right at the top of your jeans or just below it tends to widen a bit...hence a longer top. Now I know the pants may be a bit of a challenge...they are practically leggings..but because of the stretch they don't cut off your hips thus giving you those lovely side bulges. I am the first person to wax on about how much I hate my thighs, but I actually love wearing these very tight pants. Finish it off with a little ballet flat and you're good to go.
If you like this stuff I encourage you to check out Baby Girl Boutique if you have some spare cash. Lots of cute pin-up girl (and other) fashions...And if you cant afford that (cough* me * cough) these styles are become easier to find, as you can see above, at places like Forever 21.
Generally this blog won't be focused on fashion but I like to share the wisdom when I come across clothes that I actually like and fit well. If it makes shopping even a little bit easier for one person I'll feel like it was worth sharing.
Monday, October 12, 2009
"Ideal" Body Sizes according to UK mag Fabulous
I saw this picture floating around Facebook last week so I decided to track down the source. Apparently it is from a survey by UK fashion magazine, Fabulous. Now before we go any further lets make note that this means that the data is more indicative of UK standards which may vary somewhat from American standards. Also important to note that these are UK sizes- which are essentially one size larger than America (size 12=size 10, size 8=size 6 and size 14=size 12). The folks over at Sociological Images do a great job of trying to assess the validity of this study with very limited information on anything about it.
Regardless it is an interesting note into how women perceive what they want to be (and i assume this is based on their perception of what men want) versus what they actually are and what these "men" desire.
*I apologize now for the heteronormative stance this post takes. It is unfortunate that so much of the data we get on people and their sexual desires is based on heterosexual desires. I am always on the lookout for info on desires from every spot on the gender and sexuality spectrum.*
This may just be another one of those pop culture pieces aimed at reassuring women that they should feel better about their body weight...and really...with all the negative messages we receive is that really such a bad thing? My point here is that so often attractiveness has to do with confidence, with how you carry yourself, so if this piece is helping women walk a little taller, I am totally OK with it being statistically invalid.
That being said...lets all take it a bit easier on ourselves, ay?
"Karl Lagerfeld weighs in on skinny models debate"
So here it is: the final straw. The impetus for the creation of this blog. Sick with the unattainable standards of beauty imposed by the media blah blah blah and my actually relatively healthy body image I decided a platform was needed to call attention to these issues. Sure, plenty of attention has already been given, and will continue to be given but a personal account of a curvy woman living a normal life might be helpful to some. Even as I write those words I feel the need to go back and correct myself...a personal account of a white curvy woman living a normal, privileged middle class life...
Fashion | 12.10.2009
Karl Lagerfeld weighs in on skinny models debate
Lagerfeld also said that the current backlash against skinny models was being fuelled by overweight women who resent being reminded of their weight issues.
"These are fat moms sitting with their bags of chips in front of the TV and saying that thin models are ugly," Lagerfeld said.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Karl LagerfeldThe head designer for Chanel made the comments in Monday's edition of German news magazine Focus. He was responding to a decision announced last week by top-selling German women's magazine Brigitte to forgo thin professional models. Instead, Brigitte's editors plan to feature real women they say represent more relatable ideals of beauty.
Lagerfeld slammed the idea as "absurd," arguing that the world of fashion is supposed to be about "dreams and illusions."
From 2001 to 2002, Lagerfeld displayed an iron will as he whittled some 40 kilos (90 pounds) off his frame in just 13 months. Since then, he has been outspoken when it comes to the correlation between fashion and size. In 2004, for example, he announced his irritation over a decision by Swedish retailer H&M to make his designs for a one-off collection available in larger sizes.
"What I created was fashion for slim, slender people," he said then, vowing never to work with the company again.
Debate has become hysterical, designer says
Fellow German designer John Ribbe was also quoted in Focus, saying the current debate about too-skinny models had become hysterical. "That's another one of those cliches, like saying that all models take drugs and get drunk at sex orgies," Ribbe said. "Ninety percent are totally normal, well-proportioned girls with less fat and more muscle, but who also eat pizza and burgers."
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Starting in January, Brigitte will feature "real women" instead of modelsAccording to Brigitte editor Andreas Lebert, the average catwalk model today weighs some 23 percent less than the average woman on the street.
A few designers, however, are realizing that not all professional models have to be a size zero. A case in point is US model Crystal Renn, who recently released a book entitled "Hungry," in which she details her struggle to meet the demands of agents who told her to lose weight if she wanted to work.
Renn became anorexic in her pursuit to fit into the typical fashion mould before deciding that her health was more important. Now a voluptuous US size 12, her modelling career is taking off. She has been featured in fashion Bible Vogue magazine six times and walked the runway for designers such as JeanPaul Gaultier.
Renn is using her newfound stardom to plead for the world of fashion to recognize a multitude of beauty ideals - including women who are naturally a size two.
"All women bring something different to the table and we have to appreciate them all," she said.
dc/AP/AFP
Editor: Nancy Isenson
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