PLUS Model Mag Promotes Size Acceptance, But Are Their Photos Really Body Positive?

Recently, Plus Model Magazine ran a photo spread of a “plus” (size 12) model holding another woman, who is a “standard” size for modeling.  The photos are fascinating on their own, but this article takes a critical look at how even the “plus” size model’s body is unrealistic and that the original magazine article promotes the idea that all slender women are unhealthy and anorexic.

Ashley Judd Slaps Media in the Face for Speculation Over Her ‘Puffy’ Appearance

POWERFUL article from actress Ashley Judd in reaction to media outlets reporting on her weight gain and supposed plastic surgery.  From the article:

If this conversation about me is going to be had, I will do my part to insist that it is a feminist one, because it has been misogynistic from the start. Who makes the fantastic leap from being sick, or gaining some weight over the winter, to a conclusion of plastic surgery? Our culture, that’s who. The insanity has to stop, because as focused on me as it appears to have been, it is about all girls and women. In fact, it’s about boys and men, too, who are equally objectified and ridiculed, according to heteronormative definitions of masculinity that deny the full and dynamic range of their personhood. It affects each and every one of us, in multiple and nefarious ways: our self-image, how we show up in our relationships and at work, our sense of our worth, value, and potential as human beings. Join in—and help change—the Conversation.

10-year-old Vogue model: Pretty or pretty weird?

The December/January issue of French Vogue ignited controversy in 2011 when they featured a 10-year-old girl with a sultry look, plunging neckline, full make-up and spike heels on the cover.  The picture on this link has been cropped.  If you want to see the entire picture, click on the article link below about government bans on this type of picture.

This article discusses how France, Britian, and other countries have worked to ban underage, sexualized models or child beauty pageants.  This article features the full picture of the French Vogue cover referenced in first article.

Sex, lies and media: New wave of activists challenge notions of beauty

Click here for an interesting article about activists challenging unhealthy norms of physical appearance for women and men through documentaries and social media. From the article:

Here’s the fantasy: A half-naked woman lies across a couch, lips pouty and cleavage prominent as her sultry gaze implores you to buy this bottle of perfume.

The reality: Women make up 51% of the United States yet only 17% of seats in the House of Representatives. They’re 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs and 7% of directors in the top 250 grossing films.

 What’s the connection? We live in a sexualized society where the gap between fantasy and reality is vast and harmful.