Tag Archives: body image

Frisky Rant: Family Members Should STFU About Weight Gain

Jessica WakemanNovember 2, 2009 //

I don’t know about you folks, but for me, a weekend with the rents is always fraught with tension. Is Mom going to pester me about brushing my hair? Is Dad going to ask me how much money I’m saving? Will they bristle if my boyfriend and I sleep in the same bed?

But I didn’t see Sunday morning’s battle royale coming at all.

Mom and I were hanging out in her bedroom; she was smoking a cigarette and I was scratching my cat behind the ears. Then Mom furrowed her brow, scrunched up her face and examined my pajamas-clad body. “You know, Jess,” she remarked, “you’ve put on some weight.”

My eyes bulged. Fire was breathed. Thunder boomed. Lightening crackled. The cat cowered in fear under the bed. Keep reading »

Huffington Post Delivers Celebs’ Pores And Pimples Up Close

Jessica WakemanOctober 29, 2009 //

The Huffington Post recently introduced a new entertainment feature called The Big Picture, starring “unedited celebrity photos, blown up,” ostensibly so visitors can inspect the size of Lindsay Lohan, Elizabeth Hurley and Sting’s pores and comment on who could use a facial or plastic surgery. (Disclosure: I used to work at HuffPo.) “[The Big Picture is] a playful spin on our culture’s ongoing fascination with celebrity images,” a spokesperson told Portfolio.com. “Two days in, reader reaction has been largely positive.” Something tells me that reaction refers to a positive increase in website traffic for HuffPo, not positive commentary on body image. That’s a value Arianna Huffington appears to have hypocritically lauded in the very first chapter (“Fearless About The Body”) in her self-help book, On Becoming Fearless. Yes, airbrushing celebs and models is out of control, but zeroing in on “flaws” is no way to ease up on body-hating in our culture. But sadly, this isn’t new for HuffPo. [Portfolio] Keep reading »

Nicole Eggert Makes Fun Of Being “Fat” For Funny Or Die

Susannah BreslinOctober 9, 2009 //


In this Funny or Die video, former “Baywatch” babe Nicole Eggert tackles the subject of her weight gain, leading Salon’s Broadsheet to wonder: empowering or embarrassing? In the skit, Eggert bounds across the sand to save two young men pretending to drown to get some hot female lifeguard action. When they see Eggert has put on a few pounds, they pass on her life-saving techniques. “Is this because I’m fat?” Eggert asks. Suffice to say, the boys’ superficial response generates its own karmic punishment in the end. Salon’s Julia Furlan can’t figure out if this is a “you go, girl” moment or a sad mockery of plus-sized women. Since Eggert is slated to star in the next season of VH1′s “Celebrity Fit Club,” the former “Baywatch”-er has already put the subject of her size on the table for discussion. What do you think: a clever spin on anti-fat acceptance or a sad way for a woman to have to get publicity? [Broadsheet] Keep reading »

German Women’s Magazine Bans Models From Its Pages

Catherine StrawnOctober 5, 2009 //

German models might soon find themselves out of work. Today, the country’s most popular women’s magazine announced that it’s banning professional models in favor of real people. Starting next year, the bi-monthly Brigitte will feature a mix of prominent women and regular readers in photos dealing with content from fashion to fitness in an attempt to fight unhealthy beauty standards and please readers who are sick of seeing models with “protruding bones,” said Andreas Lebert, the magazine’s editor-in-chief. Keep reading »

Frisky Q&A: Crystal Renn Is America’s Next Top Plus-Size Model (And Author)

Jessica WakemanOctober 2, 2009 //
Crystal Renn Hungry photo

Kind of ironic, huh? A book called Hungry that I just ate right up as quickly as I could. But model Crystal Renn‘s autobiography is that good. Seriously, I could not put down Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves for two days straight.

In her incredible memoir, written with former Sassy health editor Marjorie Ingall, Crystal shares how she was just a teen girl living with her grandmother in Clinton, Mississippi, when a modeling scout changed her life. The scout approached her at a charm school class and said Crystal could be just like Gisele Bundchen if she wanted to—meaning, she had to take off a lot of weight. Over the next several months, a 165-pound Crystal became anorexic, starving herself so she could drop 70 pounds and become a “straight-size” model. Keep reading »

What’s Next In Modeling? The Full-Figured, The Octogenarian, And The Unshaved!

Susannah BreslinSeptember 25, 2009 //

Does this look like a runway model to you? Maybe! Sick of looking at runways overcrowded by blond, Caucasian, skinny models? Pipeline has a terrific post on the latest trends in fashion model looks. The new professional coat hangers are girls with way more curves, men and women in their sixth, seventh, and eighth decades of life, burly dudes with body hair, and boys who aren’t afraid to wear dresses. Pipeline says: “From scary, hairy, husky dudes (thanks Vivienne Westwood!) to buxom gals in super-short minis (à la Mark Fast), this new model trend is sure keeping the typical shows a lot more interesting!” We love all the diversity. Check out the rest! [Pipeline] Keep reading »

Another Quote Of The Day: Lara Stone Doesn’t Want To Be The Fat Girl Anymore

Susannah BreslinSeptember 23, 2009 //

“I don’t want to be the fat one anymore.”

– Model Lara Stone to ELLEuk.com [Via Fashionologie] Keep reading »

Quote Of The Day: Drew Barrymore And Ellen Page Are Smooching Besties

Amelia McDonell-ParrySeptember 10, 2009 //

“Ellen has such a beautiful body, and I personally battled with my own body image for years. I used to tell myself, You can’t wearing anything sleeveless or strapless. And all of a sudden I was like, What if I just didn’t send such negative messages to my brain and said, wear it and enjoy it? And now I’m more comfortable in clothes than ever …. [Ellen] was in her frickin’ bra with an open jacket and hot pink shorts, skating around the rink with red lips and … she was sexy as a mother … a feral creature. It was great.”

– Drew Barrymore discussing body image issues with “Whip It!” star Ellen Page and Marie Claire Keep reading »

Anorexic And Bulimic Woman Says Beauty Pageant Changed Her Life For The Better

Jessica WakemanAugust 6, 2009 //

You know those articles where a woman writes that something that’s generally considered to be shady is really friggin’ fantastic? Yeah, us Frisky ladies tend to be skeptical. Maybe being a mail-order bride really did turn out well for that woman featured in Marie Claire last month! But don’t kid yourself that you’re not an exception to the rule.

We’ve got similar “meh” feelings for the way Terri Graham, a member of More.com’s reader community, confronted her anorexia, bulimia and body dysmorphic disorder: competing in “countless” beauty pageants and strutting across the stage in a swimsuit and heels caused Graham to stop hating her body. [More.com] Keep reading »

Should Airbrushing Come With Warning Labels?

Jessica WakemanAugust 5, 2009 //

Even though she’s a mom, Victoria Beckham‘s taut and toned body in the new Armani ad released today is utterly devoid of wrinkles and jiggly bits. Gisele’s pregnant belly was flattened in the London Fog ads. Beth Ditto got fattened up on the cover of Love. Kim Kardashian appeared slimmed and lightened in Complex. Jeez Louise, the Photoshop-wielding warlocks should win big fat trophies for all their Great Moments In Airbrushing humdingers this year.

Or maybe airbrushed ads should get warning labels, says one British politician. Jo Swinson, a Liberal Democrat in the U.K., said that airbrushing should be banned on advertising intended for viewing by children younger than 16 and all other airbrushed images should carry labels that say what’s been altered.

It’s an absolutely brilliant idea. But unfortunately, it will never happen. Keep reading »

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