You know what just irks me? Women’s magazine articles, where they talk about how ghastly and anti-women’s-empowermentish it is to not have more plus size models in women’s magazines. It’s like they have forgotten they are a women’s magazine, that really doesn’t hire many, if any, plus size models for their shoots!
Honestly, it’s like when Mel and Koshi on the Seven Network’s Sunrise rabbit on about the poor behaviour of “The Media” – the dreadful media – bringing light to some issue or another that really shouldn’t be given attention.
“Oh no, I just can’t believe The Media frenzy about this thing that’s happening that The Media should just shut up about. Seriously, this thing happened and everyone in The Media are talking…. and critics say they shouldn’t be talking about this thing that I’m talking about right now, because it’s so immoral,” they say. Dude! You are The Media and you are immorally talking about it! Squint and murmur empathetic hums all you like, Mel, you’re still a hypocrite.
This is on my radar because the new Cleo Magazine is out, and features an article about how there are heaps of stunning plus size models in Australia, but they don’t get much work here. (Uh – Cleo, you know you could always put your hand in your pocket and hire one of these girls for your fashion spread instead of just using their publicity shots to fill a few editorial pages…)
The way they carry on, it’s tantamount to holding a dinner party and bringing along a token homeless person, who you stand at the head of the table, pointing out to all of your super rich friends how incredibly charitable you’ve been to invite her along only to boot her out before dessert.
So at the end of the article, you turn a few pages and whaddya know – size 6 or 8 model, slapping you in the face. And wouldn’t you know it, the rest of the pages – fashion, editorial, beauty, health and fitness… ALL SKINNY MODELS.
Now, I feel I must point out to you that I have nothing against the skinny models, they certainly have their place in the magazine world as well. My beef is with the magazines themselves touting all this rubbish about empowering women and representing all sizes, and yet they only ever do when they are specifically talking about plus size models. Isn’t the point that we’re supposed to be making it appear natural that a plus size model would be as welcome in the pages of women’s fashion as the size 6s? If you’re blatantly pointing out, “Look at us! We put a plus size model in our magazine, aren’t we fabulous!” you’re completely missing the point.
