Finally Some Real Women

By Miss Adventure

I have to applaud the fact that Lane Bryant created a commercial for their lingerie and used a plus size model. I have to kind of snicker at the term "plus size models". It simply means that these girls fit the average size of American women. The model being used was a size 12, 5 ft. 9 in., and 150 lbs. I am over four inches shorter than she is and I weigh less, but when you take the height differences into account that would make us around the same body mass index, which is within the healthy range. (Check out Crystal Renn and see what she looks like)

I also appreciate that in Glamour magazine, they have begun to showcase more and more women who also fit in the "plus size" category. They showed a picture of a woman who was pretty much naked (posed so that you didn't see too much). There was actually a roll at her stomach! I thought, wow, that looks like my stomach! Another woman had a larger derriere, and on it I thought I saw some faint stretch marks... stretch marks are another unpleasant thing to which I can relate.

The response to all of these models has been overwhelmingly in favor of using more of those who reflect the real woman versus the gaunt looking, paper thin models you see on a regular basis. When I think about the Victoria's Secret models, I wonder how much of a real woman I am seeing? How much is airbrushed out? If she is that thin, can she really have breasts that size naturally?

I love the Dove campaign commercials, too, that celebrate real women. They have a great video showing how they take a model, apply the make-up, do the hair, take the pictures, then change many of her features on the computer. This is what society wants to believe a women should look like? Does society really think that? I have to question this since we see the reactions toward these real models - how they are supported and celebrated by so many.

Of course, then I look at how I view myself. For many years of my life - the most formative years of self-esteem in my teens, I was a size 14. I was always critical of the way I looked and felt others were too. Were they? I'm sure some were, but I think it was definitely more molded by the media and comparing myself to what their distorted standard of beauty was than it was by people's real view of me. Then, in my mid 20's, I lost weight due to a month long backpacking trip in Europe as well as a real low point in my life during which I lost my appetite all together. I was finally closer to what I thought was the right weight and I felt much better about myself.

Here's the catch - I am healthier now than I was then. That's good! As a society we have a problem with obesity - it is an epidemic. We don't want to encourage unhealthiness - either being underweight or overweight. Diabetes is growing at an enormous rate and it's in my family. I need to be careful and watch it, but I love my sweets! As a society, how do we put pressure on remaining healthy but not be so vain and shallow to judge people on their size?

Even in my relationships I believe that two of my serious boyfriends would not have looked at me twice when I was a size 14, but they did when I was a 6/8. Still, I felt like that was the biggest I could be and still be acceptable to them. I stressed about my weight and their view of me - would they love me for inside more than the outside? I am a little heavier now than I was when I was dating them, but probably the healthiest I've ever been in regards to the amount of exercise I do today. Do we want health or do we want looks? Why can't we have both and celebrate healthy women? Look at all the paintings of the past! I remember being so surprised in my art history class my senior year when I saw art considered to be the greatest the world has seen and the women are voluptuous! No skinny, scrawny women; women with curves and softness that were celebrated and adorned! My friends and I would joke that we would have made great models back then!

When I see that Lane Bryant ad, it reminds me much more of the models of art past than the models of high fashion today. I applaud them for bringing it back and celebrating real women!