This post over at Fat Lot of Good alerted me to this news piece.
Apparently, backed by The Butterfly Foundation - an Australian organisation helping those with eating disorders – Miss Universe (Jennifer Hawkins) will be our pin-up for February 2010, un-retouched and naked.
Now, Hawkins is a beautiful woman. A naturally beautiful woman, there is no denying that. However, is the submission of a naturally slender and sociotypical “beautiful person” really the way to promote positive body-image?
Bear in mind that she is posing for one of the many fashion magazines which showcases celebrities at their worst, drawing attention to a minor slip of a nipple poking out, a “spare tyre” when they bend down, an undignified face when they’re caught off-guard by a photographer during lunch. Things that happen to all of us, being ridiculed.
The truth is, she is not the average woman, if she were I would highly doubt she would have risen to her Miss Universe role. Hawkins is 5″9′ and weighs 57kg with well-defined yet soft features – her retouched images hardly look different from her un-retouched image. So surely the “average” woman (I say “average,” we are all different and individual, of course,) who is 5″4′ and 75kg would still feel slightly disheartened at the sentiment of, “be happy with who you are, but you’re not me and you never will be. I can even pose without having to have my images retouched.”
She was quoted saying, “I would have been worried about what people thought, whether it was the right decision – a thousand different things… But over the past year and a half I’ve grown into myself, and I’m more confident and comfortable within the modelling industry. I did it for the experience… It felt quite sensual and sexy. I felt empowered.” Good for her, I’m genuinely happy that she feels that way. However how does that apply to “normal” people? Both men and women, we don’t all belong to an industry where slender beauty is key and having someone as well-known for her good looks as Hawkins appear as a role-model for positive body-image dampens the sentiment a little.
I for one would rather have someone, well, “normal”; it’s not a case of weight or size, everyone should feel good about themselves from the smallest to the largest. However, celebrities take on an almost ethereal un-human aura. These people make up less than 0.001% of the human experience, what about the rest of us?
One of FLG’s commenters has summed it up better than I could; “It flabbergasts me that in order to show us all that our bodies are perfect just the way they are, they go out of their way to choose someone with an exceptional body.” - Twistie, FLG commenter.
Compare the above with this image from Adipositivity:
Which makes you feel more body-image positive?
2 Comments
Although I agree with the sentiment of your post, this part is not true at all:
“Bear in mind that she is posing for one of the many fashion magazines which showcases celebrities at their worst, drawing attention to a minor slip of a nipple poking out, a “spare tyre” when they bend down, an undignified face when they’re caught off-guard by a photographer during lunch. Things that happen to all of us, being ridiculed.”
Marie Clare Australia is a high-end fashion magazine that also includes substantial articles written by high profile journalists – not the sort of papparazzi rag that you are referring to. While I think Jennifer Hawkins for the cover may be a poor choice for a feature on body image, it’s also worthwhile considering that a) athletic figures like hers are not uncommon in Australia and b) the magazine regularly does body-image related features that include photos of women across a range of sizes (including plus sizes). I applaud Marie Clare for trying to take a high end fashion mag and making it accessible for women of all sizes, even if the fashion isn’t.
Just thought I’d let you know.
Thank you for your comment, I appreciate your point of view and have learnt something :D It is much appreciated to get a substancial reply like yours.