The Body Revolution

If you’ve been following this blog for a while you know that body image is a topic I write about often and something I struggle with in my life. As I strive to accept my body, which is currently a size 10, and focus on being healthy instead of skinny, I hope to encourage other women to do the same and I don’t hesitate to bitch about media bombarding us with images that imply a waif-like look should be every woman’s ideal. 


I’m happy to say that in 2009 this cause really started getting the attention it deserves. My favorite mainstream magazine, Glamour made huge strides in what I call “The Body Revolution.” Glamour editors, in a way, stumbled to the front lines in the fall with a small photo of a nearly-naked woman in the September issue of the magazine. That woman was plus-size model Lizzie Miller and her photo, which showed off her little belly pooch, inspired legions of readers who were so happy to open a magazine and see a woman whose body actually looked like theirs. 


When I wrote about the photo on this blog, the post received one of the most thoughtful comments I’ve read on GeorgiaMae.com. Emily wrote:


I really liked this photo. I think it makes us more comfortable with what we are, in the present. And for just a minute, we can sit back, and be okay with what we look like. I think the lady in the picture is very attractive tummy and all. If she can be attractive, tummy and all, then I probably am too. Tomorrow, I will get back on the treadmill, but for today, maybe I am not so bad.




After getting such an overwhelming positive response from readers, Glamour decided to do more, rolling out a gorgeous photo (pictured below) of seven nude plus-size models in its November issue and vowing to include a wide range of body types and racial diversity in fashion and beauty stories.

Crystal Renn’s memoir, Hungry (which I’m reading now and plan to blog about soon) has also brought the topic of healthy body image and the fashion industry to the forefront. Renn, pictured on the far bottom left in the photograph above, is one of today’s top plus-size models, has starred in campaigns as diverse as Dolce & Gabbana and Lane Bryant, and is certainly a soldier in this body revolution.


The Revolution Will Not Be Televised


In 2009 we also saw a trend in what has been called “Plus-Size TV,” but I can’t say I was quite as happy about this. Shows like “Dance Your Ass Off” were designed to make weight loss fun, but seemed to instead make fun of weight loss, and “More to Love,” which I wrote about in July, made it seem that  full-figured women all sit home alone eating pork chops and daydreaming of their first date.


I never saw “Drop Dead Diva,” an hour-long drama that featured a full-figured female lead, but Jessica Weiner, author of Life Doesn’t Begin 5 Pounds From Now, said in an interview she felt it was a step in the right direction. She added, however, that “only when we have a full-figured version of “Sex and the City,” and weight is never mentioned, will we know we’ve arrived.”


Amen. 


A firm believer in the saying “the personal is political,” I know that this body revolution we see in the media will mean nothing in my life if I don’t change my attitude toward my own body. It’s hard. Some days I love my curves. Other days I miss wearing a size 4. 


If I treat my body right it will be the size it’s meant to be — whether that’s a 2 or a 12. This year I will truly focus on adopting healthful diet and a realistic exercise regimen, not the numbers on the scale or in the tags of my clothing. 


I hope you’ll join me.