The online scientific journal Perception just published findings that claim young men rate women with healthy BMI’s (between 18.5-25) as “the most attractive and healthy looking,” as opposed to thinner ladies. Shocking, we know. Additionally, women were also more into guys with average builds, and both sexes were not turned on by the overweight either, which may be attributed to the fact that they were perceived as unhealthy. A professor associated with the study had this to say: “A take home message for young people is that maintaining a normal weight benefits current health and will improve good looks.” Uh-huh. While none of this information is the slightest bit revelatory, given the current model debate raging on and on, here’s some more conclusive evidence for the advertisers and editors that insist (extreme) thin is in. (Evidently, it’s not and never has been?) [Daily Mail]

Despite expressing dismay that the previous ad—featuring an extremely whittled-down Filippa Hamilton—had made it to print and that it didn’t represent their “image,” it’s not the only example of Ralph Lauren execs being a bit overzealous with Photoshop. Check out this ad from a Ralph Lauren window display in Sydney. Mmm, doesn’t she look hungry and chic? [Photoshop Disasters]

On Friday we told you about the controversy surrounding a Ralph Lauren print ad which featured a photograph of a model that was Photoshopped to s**t, whittling her waist to bizarre thinness. Ralph Lauren reps have since said the photo was an accident and doesn’t represent their brand ideals. Well, that model, Filippa Hamilton, appeared on “Today” this morning to blow up Ralph’s spot even more, claiming the brand fired her for being too heavy and not being able to “fit” in the clothes anymore. Check out her interview, above.

When I watched our own Kiki T. on “Tyra” yesterday I noticed something quite different from the last time I watched the show nearly year ago: Tyra was one skinny bitch! Huh, I thought, When did that happen? Didn’t she famously tell everyone to kiss her fat ass not too long ago? I thought she said she liked being curvy. This morning, new photos of the 5’10” Tyra flaunting her new size-8 figure on a shoot around New York City have hit newspapers and blogs. Joining the ranks of Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and countless other female celebs who publicly claim to love their fuller figures only to then drop a bunch of weight, Tyra has recently lost 30 lbs. and is excited to show off her smaller frame. She especially likes showing it off nekkid: “I might be doing a little TMI — I always feel great when I don’t have clothes on.”

When my jeans start feeling tight I usually blame the dryer. And while I don’t believe the dryer is entirely to blame, at least I can comfort myself with the fact that I am not alone. According to a study by Weight Watchers, 72 percent of women own clothes that no longer fit them. In fact, the average gal has over $400 worth of threads in her closet that she’s just, well, too big for.

I’ve written here before about how Joan Holloway makes me feel better about myself. With her flame hair, pale skin and curvy figure, she and I could be sisters. It’s been a real boost to my confidence to see someone who looks like me get so much positive attention for her appearance. It’s been especially gratifying to watch Christina Hendricks, the actress who plays Joan, really own her curves in an industry that preys on insecurities and exploits anything that differs from the norm (in this case, stick-thin figures). So I was a little confused when I read an article in the Daily Mail this morning that accuses Hendricks of succumbing to pressures of the “body fascists” by losing weight. As proof of her drastic weight loss, the paper presents a photo of Hendricks taken at last week’s Emmy Awards where she looks, to me, just as curvy and lovely as ever. “She’d lost weight from her face, arms and bottom,” Hendricks’ weight-watcher accuses, “and her glorious hourglass shape had changed into something dangerously close to the typical Hollywood lolly-stick with breasts.” Wha?? Was the author seeing the same photo that I am? If Hendricks is “dangerously close to typical Hollywood,” then I’m lunching at the Ivy and giving crotch-shots to the paparazzi swarming outside my limo.

“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

Good news for a lot of us: having thunder thighs may actually prolong our lives ! A study, published in the British Medical Journal, followed several hundred men and women in Denmark for more than 10 years and discovered that “those with the smallest thighs - below 55cm (about 22 inches) - had twice the risk of early death or serious health problems.” Researchers found that the risk was “more highly related to thigh circumference than to waist circumference” and believe that the risk could be associated with too little muscle mass, which can lead to the body not responding to insulin properly, thus increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, responded to the published study, saying: “This is a very interesting and slightly counter-intuitive piece of work but it has to be respected because of the numbers looked at and the duration of the research. This must be great news for people with larger thighs.” Well, not quite as great as finding perfect-fitting jeans on sale, but I’ll take it. [via BBC News]

We told you all about how much positive response Glamour magazine has received from readers for the image of a nude plus-size model featured in the September issue. Lizzie Miller has since appeared on “Today” and copies of the magazine are selling out. Catherine wondered whether the overwhelmingly positive response would result in magazines, and the fashion industry, finally recognizing that beauty comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and that they would start featuring more models like Miller on a regular basis. The Sartorialist’s Scott Schuman wrote on his blog, “When I am shooting on the street older women and larger size women often say ‘no’ to my request to shoot them…. I think they have a real suspicion about how the image will be used. I also think there continues to be a growing disconnect between the fashion community and ‘average’ women in general.”

If a recent blog post from “style expert and bon vivant” Adrien Field is any indication, we still have a long way to go.

You’ll never see a dude turn to another dude and ask, “Do I look fat in these pants?” But that doesn’t mean men are invulnerable to insecurities, no matter how much we’d like to think so. Women are upfront about their fears, doubts, and self-esteem. I used to think it was just compulsive gabbiness, a quirk of the fairer sex. But, in fact, it is an admirable coping mechanism that’s even a little bit courageous. That said, I’ll sack up and admit that I’ve spent a lot of my life feeling like a fatty, a chubasaurus, half-man and half-marshmallow.

Julia Allison, former dating columnist, occasional “It’s On With Alexa Chung” guest, and subject of snark from yours truly, is issuing herself a fitness challenge! The challenge: to lose 10 pounds in 30 days. She’ll be documenting the whole process on her “lifecast” so that the accountability she feels towards her readers will guilt-trip her into accomplishing her goal. To kick-start it, she did the Presidential Fitness Assessment at Equinox and posted her measurements on her blog. [“I’m 5’4” 1/2, 137 pounds, with a bust of 33, waist of 26 1/2 and hips of 36, butt of 40, and a BMI of 23.8 percent.”] She got the following email from a reader as a result:

“I don’t think it’s smart to post your measurements (including weight) on your lifecast. It could be insensitive to those struggling with these issues.  Although you may not mean it, it can come across as though those numbers are important markers of being ‘pretty’, ‘successful’ etc. — you catch my drift!  I see that you have struggled with bulimia; so, there could be many others too. Well, there are.  Just a thought!”

Model Jade McSorely is one of three finalists on “Britain’s Next Top Model,” but some peeps are pissed because they think she’s very unhealthy looking and has anorexia. They think she shouldn’t be allowed on the show, but judge Lisa Snowdon says it’s totally okay. In the most insensitive and untrue statement ever, Snowdon said, “It’s not like the modeling industry has had this effect on her. She came into it with this eating disorder…” Lisa thinks the competition is helping the model’s self esteem, although she admits that Jade should be a “tiny bit” bigger. Tell us what you think! Should Jade be allowed to compete or is she setting a bad example? [Metro UK]

What’s the antidote to a culture that tells women, in a multitude of ways, “thin is better?” Marianne Kirby, 31, and Gabrielle Gregg, 22, who were interviewed by ABC News, both have felt the pressure to be thin, but have become the faces of the “fat acceptance movement,” which seeks to assure women that your appearance has nothing to do with your self-worth. This is certainly an attitude I can get behind, especially because there are many negative and untrue stereotypes made about people who are overweight. However, just as there is an obviously negative side to celebrating thinness, I believe the same danger exists in telling people who are very overweight that “fat is beautiful.”

Meghan McCain, daughter of John McCain and current Daily Beast columnist, has a new piece up on the website about the recent attacks on her weight by conservative pundit Laura Ingraham. Ingraham is Ann Coulter-esque—blond, rabidly conservative, c**ty—and she and McCain have been engaging in a war of words over the future of the Republican party. Meghan, who is socially liberal and fiscally conservative like many young people who vote Republican, has blogged and made TV appearances since the election, talking about how the party needs to get back to their core ideals and get with the times when it comes to social issues like gay marriage. Ingraham response to Meghan’s thoughtful perspective? “[She’s] just another Valley Girl gone awry,” she said on MSNBC, and, in a mocking faux-Valley Girl voice, Ingraham made fun of McCain’s body, joking that she didn’t get a “role in the Real World” because “they don’t like plus-sized models.” Even still, McCain, who is half of Ingraham’s age, refused to stoop to her level. Check out her response to the attack, after the jump…