Posts tagged annoyances

We all know about this media-frenzied hype for American women to be as thin as they can possibly be, right? I personally find this “standard” to be disgusting and appalling, not only because of the negative impact it has on women’s self-esteem, but also because, get this folks, the majority of the images we see in magazines are simply NOT REAL.

The photographs have been manipulated, edited, and airbrushed. Thighs have been toned. Cellulite has been erased. Hips have been narrowed. Where are the REAL WOMEN? You know, those of us who don’t look like our bodies are DIGESTING THEMSELVES from starvation. Here is an awesome story I found with pictures detailing just how far the photo manipulations can go.

And I’m not putting uber skinny women down at all. Sometimes it’s genetic, but other times, their desire for mega-thinness is fueled by the desire to be like the models they see in magazines, on billboards, and in commercials. Take Isabelle Caro’s story, for example. She was a model who had been anorexic since she was 13 years old, weighing a mere 55 pounds in many of her photo shoots. After falling into a coma because of her weight, she has finally sought help. It’s still a long road for her, and she says it’s hard for her to get food into her stomach without her body simply wanting to reject it. But she’s finally brought herself up to over 60 pounds. (Click here to watch Isabelle tell her story to Jessica Simpson.) And speaking of Jessica Simpson, remember the brouhaha about her so-called Mom Jeans? Remember how the media called her fat? According to an interview she recently had with Oprah, SHE WAS A SIZE 4 IN THOSE MOM JEANS, Y’ALL.

A FREAKING SIZE 4.

I can’t even get my LEFT PINKIE TOE into a size 4.

Geez. Can someone say BULLIES?

So yeah, anyway, the media sets such a high standard for their version of beauty. And the media’s version DOES NOT EXIST. I’d like to see more real women… not women whose pictures have been digitally liposuctioned. Many times without the model’s knowledge!

It’s sickening. No wonder eating disorders are so prevalent in young girls. But the media isn’t going to change their definition of beauty until we the public, the people who buy their product, do something about it. If skinniness no longer equals sexy and no longer sells the product, then I can guarantee you the media will switch to another method.

Preferably, their advertisements will be more believable.

More real.

And so beauty will no longer be unattainable.