Manuel Pfister, the writer of the article I linked above, calls it 'enabling' and I think he's right. Ads like this might be doing more harm than good; the model is gorgeous, but she's not really very healthily-sized! Hello, she's 2 large pizzas away from being really fat! Why couldn't they get someone who's large, yes, but fit? Or a normal-sized woman? That ad, while condemning excessive skinniness, is actually condoning fatness. And in an era where obesity levels are skyrocketing, THIS. IS. ENABLING. We are telling all those people with triple chins and dimpled knees that 'Hey! It's great to be fat! It's beautiful! Eat more fast food and chuck that gross-looking salad!' Sure, some models are scarily thin to the point of being unhealthy, and anorexia is a very real disease that can eventually kill. I completely agree, we shouldn't be advocating photoshopped, fake standards of beauty and idealising disproportionate bodies (super skinny women with DD boobs? Hello back problems, wtf). But saying 'no' to an overly-glossed woman who looks 30 pounds lighter in her picture than she does in real life is NOT the same as saying 'yes' to obesity and clogged arteries! Are we being cruel by being kind? Is it not better to tell your friend
"Ok, you might be a little overweight, but it's not the end of the world! Dump the burgers and go for a jog"
rather than
"You're not fat, those skinny bitches look like starved, rabid dogs"? Of course, this only applies if you like your friend and want her to have a longer lifespan. If you hate your obese friend's guts, then by all means buy her another Quarter Pounder, extra cheese.
This is unhealthy...
But the more socially-accepted end of the spectrum is just as bad! Say no to both!
That being said, there are people who find it a struggle to lose weight and keep it off, even while eating healthy and exercising, AND they feel unattractive because they're larger in comparison to the average XXS covergirl (aren't we all, lol). Personally, I think this can be fixed by there being more pictures of healthy role-models, minus the slimming effects of that miracle weight-loss product Photoshop, after all, if you're already eating healthy and regularly exercising how fat CAN you be? Not really fat at all, IMO.
 |
| Normal-weight woman. I see cellulite! |
About the fake representations of beauty in the media: I don't really get why it's so hard to tread middle ground in the mass media's arena: Why is it either skinny or fat? Fuck the extremes, how about pictures of normal humans? How about a nice picture of Kim K without excessive Ps-ing? Issues aside, her body is pretty damn hot even if her boobs look fake (hey, at least they're proportionate). She's fit, sits squarely in the middle of the weight spectrum, and has an ass to die for. Let's be shallow and advocate her solely for her body. All in favour say aye!
AYE!
