There have been a lot of odd things on my mind. First off, I know I've mentioned that I'm a fan of the film America the Beautiful. Recently, they spearheaded a boycott against Ralph Lauren and the distorted imagery they've been using in their campaigns. In particular, this image if Filippa Hamilton caused a major stir. (Yeah. There is something wrong when someone's hips are smaller than the size of that same someone's head. Seriously Ralph, what were you thinking?!) Oddly enough, Hamilton was fired from Ralph Lauren recently because at 5'10" and 120#, she was told that she could no longer fit into their clothing. Bleh. I recommend that you all check out Darryl Roberts's blog (the director of America the Beautiful blog for updates on these issues.I know Darryl Roberts has become a major advocate of improving media imagery for women. This weekend CNN did a story about the Ralph Lauren boycott and media imagery. Here is the clip:
I find it amazing that in both France and England, they are considering legislation that limits re-touching or asks that disclaimers be printed on photos that have been re-touched. I'm not sure where this is going to take us or how this will impact American media imagery. I will say that these are interesting developments. In England, an Oil of Olay ad caused a ruckus when former supermodel Twiggy (the model who started the whole uber-thin look that just never went away) was shown with absolutely no wrinkles. She's fifty-nine!Sigh. I miss the days when pin-up girls were the thing. Ahem. Not that I was alive then. I just imagine the era of the pin-up girl being fabulous. Actually, I just wish I lived in a time where it was okay for a woman to have a little meat on her bones. Period. fathlete confession: Yes. I still have my body issues. Sue me. I'm not trying to hate on women who are thin. If that's your thing, that's your thing. I just hate that your thing has to be mine. As said before, it's always about health for me.
So Freddy just announced the Look Better Naked Challenge. A food challenge is always good. It's definitely the kick in the pants I need to get into better eating habits. Here are some of the rules:
The Look Better Naked Challenge is six weeks long. Cost to enter the challenge is $30. On the first day, all participants are photographed. There is a full body frontal shot, a full body back shot, and a full body profile shot. Men are photographed in shorts. Women are photographed in shorts and a sports bra. On the last day of the challenge, each participant is photographed again. All the participants in the challenge look at all the before and after photographs. There is a confidential vote and the man and woman with the most votes wins the challenge! You may participate in the challenge and not have your photos voted on (you just can’t win any prizes).
But. Er. Um. Here's the thing.... I'm so not good about being naked or even semi-naked. Can I just tell you that my stomach nearly turned when I read that we had to be photographed in sportbras and shorts?! In fact, I'm still on the verge of throwing up in my mouth. Hmph. I don't know what I'm going to do about the challenge now.
Actually, I've been feeling like a little bit of a CrossFit loser lately. My shoulders and upper body are still recovering from last week's workouts. They're starting the new level I and level II classes soon and though I know the technique for the level II classes, I'm nowhere near as fit as I need to be to get to level II. I'm okay at level I, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel like a loser for it.
And now the food challenge, which I'm looking forward to. But the photo thing just isn't my cup of tea. Bleh.
On an up note, I just wanted to give some mad props to CrossFit Parker in Colorado. It looks like I'm not the only one who loves the pin-up girl era. I found this on some random affiliate blog where they were asking for opinions on the logo. I'm the first to admit that CrossFit is definitely not about waif-like women. However, I do think that in advocating lean bodies, there tends to be some anti-fat sentiment. This is why I was completely taken aback by this logo and it's fuller, curvier, softer woman representing their box. Love it!
4 comments:
It might be because I'm an artist and now studying graphic design, but the thing about that Hamilton photo that pisses me off so much is that the editor who approved that image must have been so STUPID.
Look at that body anatomy, absolutely everything about it is wrong. She has been lazily photoshopped into some sort of giant-headed freak with long gangly arms and little tiny hips which have been shrunk so badly it looks like her spine is awkwardly twisted. Her torso is unnaturally long, but not as long as those arms! It looks like if she straightened her arm, it would touch her knees.
When you start messing around with the sizes of waists in photos you'll almost instantly knock everything else out of wack and end up with some kind of alien model. The body was genetically designed in a certain way and that is what looks natural.
Great point! Darryl Roberts just sent an email from someone who works at a photo shop "house." She explained the various stages that these images have to go through (alteration, approval, etc.). Sadly, a lot of people actually ok'd this image before it hit their catalogs and websites and such. It's just bad planning all together.
Hey girl!
I was completely disgusted when I saw the photo in the news a while back. I too am a graphics person. There is no excuse for this.
I don't believe that it's bad planning that made the model look like a freaky alien. I think the modeling industry has a completely skewed idea of what today's woman should look like. Either the women look like freaky aliens or they look like whores. That is the main reason I stopped buying the magazines.
Love your posts!
I'm with you Maria. I try to avoid buying women's magazines as much as possible. The unfortunate thing is that it's part of my research. Bleh.
Yes, the media powers that be have some really screwed up ideas on what the everyday woman looks like. They also have have no clue as to what we truly desire. The dumbest thing I heard recently was that fashion folks create fantasy (e.g. screwed up images) in order to give the everyday woman something to aspire to.
Um. Last time I checked, looking like a small, almost dead child was not on my list of goals. But that's just me....
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