Does Size Matter?
Magazine covers like this one make me angry. See how Kate Winslet is talking about how she doesn’t worry about weight anymore? At the same time, see how the biggest word on the cover is DIET? Do you think Kate would approve? I don’t. I think she would be resigned to it, and know that women’s magazines generally have diet articles and how to make a cake articles and so on. I glanced at the interview with the divine Ms. Winslet (otherwise known as Autumn’s future step-mom), and she talks about eating, not dieting, being healthy, having more important things to think about than numbers on a scale, etc. I don’t think she meant that these things would only apply to her, and the rest of us need to find a ‘no hunger diet’ or something. I suspect that she meant, the world needs to chill on this obsessive need to be skinny. Not thin, skinny. What do you think the message is, that Good Housekeeping is putting out there? (And they’re not alone…I can’t count how many times I’ve seen a magazine cover talking about how this person or that person is giving up dieting, working for a more healthy body, and yet the cover also has diet tips right next to it…)
The other thing is, Ms. Winslet seems to be one of the fortunate ones who can no longer worry about her weight, and still get jobs in Hollywood. Why would that be? Well, part of it is her natural body type, which is by no means large. She’s probably a size 4, as opposed to the rest of the model thin size zero actresses out there. She does say she suffered teasing as a teen, that she was called fat by her classmates, so perhaps she wasn’t always as small as she is now, but if she can honestly look like that without worrying about her weight, then it is her body’s natural size and shape now. The other reason she can do this is because she’s a pretty amazing actress, and beautiful to boot. I don’t know if she worried about weight and being super thin when she was getting her start or not…I know there are many Winslet fans out there who could fill me in on that one.
Seeing this cover, after reading Beenzzz’s post about how Norah Jones had to lose weight for a roll in the upcoming film, My Blueberry Nights, has me upset. Once again, an actress’s natural body weight and type is secondary to the pressure to be super thin. And what of the designers who say that they don’t tell the models to starve themselves, sometimes to death, for their clothes. “It’s just that the clothes look better on a size zero body”. Um, hello, if your clothes only look good on a size zero, how many people are buying them, you big butt head? I’d like to see those stupid designers fit into their own size zero clothes.
I’ve shared my opinions on this obsession before, but I’ll reiterate here. There are so many natural body types out there, and so many ways for a person to be healthy and strong. One person may be perfectly healthy at a size 0, while for another, a perfectly healthy size would be 14. And all kinds of numbers in between, and beyond. We don’t all expect to be the same height, or color, or have the same color of eyes, or like the same movies, so why do we all think we can, or should, be the same size of clothing? We need to all accept our natural body type. We need to teach our children, and sometimes ourselves, that our body is where our brain and our heart, our feelings, our hopes and our fears all live. Be kind to your body, give it exercise and healthy food. Treat it well. Don’t try to look like Kate Moss if you’re built like Kate Winslet.
17 Comments
Ml
The modeling industry, hollywood, magazines, etc. have always puts out those messages that being stick thin is the way to go. They put out the message “you’ll never get anywhere if you’re not skinny” It amazes me how many people give in to that type of thinking. They go ahead and lose the weight anyway, many times going WAY too far. With that kind of crap going on, no wonder so many people are out there trying to look and be something they’re not. It’s in your face all day every day – reading material, TV, movies, fashion shows…
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and I wonder what would happen if everybody told the modeling world or hollywood to “BITE ME” Wouldn’t their industry go down the toilet?
Beenzzz’s post about Nora Jones dropped my jaw (I think Nora is perfect and adorable just the way she is). What I really, really hoped was Nora would tell them to take a flying leap. She, like Kate Winslet, is already famous. I hoped that people like Nora and Kate are in a position to set a new standard instead of conforming to the stupid bullshit that’s out there in our faces.
Beenzzz
This topic drives me insane. On one hand, I feel that hollywood and the modeling world is to blame. On the other hand, I think we as parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, and friends are to blame. We tend to coddle this sickness that is bulimia or anorexia. It needs to stop. Many of us positively reinforce negative behaviors, which in turn, fuels the fire for even more negative behavior. I think tough love might be the answer. Zoe watched the red carpet show on E with me lastnight. We learned about all the plastic surgery, waxing, and tanning that these women have done. Did you know that they have spray tans that can enhance the appearance of your bust or make you look like you have a six pack? We need to make sure our impressionable loved ones know that it is all an illusion, a farse. Noone really looks like that naturally. If you ask any man, any day of the week, he will say he prefers a healthy women with curves.
As for Nora Jones and Kate Winslet, I believe they are great role models. They look HEALTHY! I think Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson are wonderful as well.
Please, please, please women, STOP letting the media rule your minds. Your bodies are precious. Treat them with love and stop torturing yourselves. It won’t bring you happiness, just further misery and extreme insecurity.
Autumn's Mom
I admire woman like Kate Winslet. If only there were more outspoken on the subject like her. I’m not going to blame the fashion industry but they do have a part in this sickness. They could make sweeping change though, by increasing their sample sizes back to size 4 like they used to be. A size 4. A size that in my life I will never wear. It’s amazing that I would consider that normal.
Gina
Kate Winslet rocks! I think she is far more gorgeous than most of those stick-thin actresses out there- Keira Knightly, anyone?
Although Salon had an interesting article on how the “size zero” actress seems to not hold in the minority community, and they wondered why that was. Like Queen Latifah, Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson. I think it was Broadsheet?
J
I saw that, too, Gina. I remember reading maybe 15 years ago about anorexia, and how it is mostly white women who suffer, and minority women aren’t as susceptible, because the men like curves. Um, don’t white men like curves? I think there’s more to it than that. But I’m not sure why the pressure falls so much more heavily upon white women, even white actresses. You don’t see many white actresses above a size 2 (there are a few, but not many), unless they’re older and thus ‘no longer sexy’. Another problem there, huh?
Heidi
I like what Beenzz said. I love to believe that men do like curvey women, because I am VERY curvey. It sucks that I sometimes feel like I want to be able to wear cool sexy things that are impossible. Maybe it’s cheesy, but kudos to the “dove” ad campaign featuring beautiful real women of all ages and sizes. It takes some of us half a lifetime to come to terms with our bodies. Childbirth helped me a little with that but I have a bit of a journey to full acceptance. Plus, I really like pizza.
Donna
I love Hollywood women like Kate Winslet, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifa, etc who embrace and love who they are and aren’t afraid to let the world see they are real women and proud of it – work those curves!
Right now, I am a slave to the scale for about 8 more pounds. Once I’m done with that test, it’s back to what I consider ‘my scale’. How I feel and how I look in my clothes – no matter what size. While I’ll still have the weight loss number goal, I’ll know when I’ve reached my goal when I feel healthy and whole again, not when the scale tells me.
Black Belt Mama
People are so obsessed with body size and surface beauty. I’ve been watching American Idol and everytime the girl singers stink, Paula or Randy says, “You’re a drop dead gorgeous girl” or something else equally not having anything to do with singing ability. It’s so annoying. I love Kate Winslet and love that she’s so outspoken about not conforming. It’s so hard to raise girls in this world right now. I’m not looking forward to the teen years.
Amy
A few weeks ago I was watching CSI-NY and the actress who played the first victim easily weighed less than 100 lbs. And she was probably 5’6″ at the least. Her weight (or lack thereof) was even more apparent because before her death on the show, she was parading around in panties and a bra, and her ribcage was entirely visible. When she turned around, her spine protruded from her back. It was horrifying. And, by the way, not even remotely sexy. I did send CBS an email complaining, but of course I haven’t heard anything back. The actress obviously had an eating disorder. I just wonder, were there no other actresses in NY–maybe a size 2!–that could have played the part? Give me a break.
Maya's Granny
The industry that makes the most out of this fad is the weight loss industry. Several years ago I read that they were making $66 billion a year! Now there are ads on TV for lapband surgery, totally ignoring the fact that WLS has more deaths on the table than quadruple bypass.
Nor do they bother to tell you that the more you diet, the worse you mess up your metabolism, and the larger you get. The magazines publish a diet every month, and every month more women become fatter and the weight loss industry grows ever richer.
Ginger
I had the same thought when I saw that. I subscribe to this magazine and in general enjoy it very much. I think they have stuff like that on the cover because “Diet” is what is selling right now. I noticed in the article that Kate Winslet is 5’6″ and is a size 6 or 8. Well, I wouldn’t worry about weight either!
Starshine
I’ve heard through the years that Kate Winslet has been given grief for her body type, but she’s always looked fantastic to me!
How boring would this world be if we all looked the same shape?
Wendy
Amen, J! This topic pisses me off to no end, as well… I really hope this trend of size obsession is going to go over a big cliff – It is so unhealthy and all we are doing is sending horrendous signals to young girls…so sad..
Py Korry
Boy, this topic really stuck a chord! But you’re right, these magazines can make women schizoid with the kind of articles they print.
ally bean
We live in a society where a woman’s looks are given more credit than her mind and character. So when our society tells us that we have to be reed thin to be declared pretty– and by extension powerful– we go along with this idea.
If, as Kate Winslet suggests, we could just be who we are supposed to be from a health point of view, we’d all be okay. But our society will have nothing to do with that idea, so we are trapped by the media of our society into thinking that if we want to be powerful we must be very thin.
Susan in Italy
There are only a precious few women’s magazines that don’t have an undercurrent of “how to fix what’s wrong with you”.
Sophisticated Writer
I think Kate Winslet is just lovely and has a wonderful body. Skinny has become a sickness, an obsession and if you don’t fit “in”, oh well, you’re “out”.
Pathetic. And by the way it’s not just in Hollywood anymore. And yes, it’s all about body types and being healthy.