Calling All 'Real Women': Discussing the Modeling Industry Pound by Pound
Picture this: You walk into your local newsagent and you buy your favorite magazine. On the front cover is your best friend looking her usual fabulous self, in the beauty column is your mother and favorite aunt wearing the makeup of Mac, L’Oreal and I-Iman. As you continue flicking through you come across the must buy section, and there is a generous two page spread and your sister is modeling clothes that only last week had you thinking, ‘if only they were in my size,’ then you suddenly remember that you regularly borrow your sister’s clothes…
This could be the future as IPC Media’s monthly magazine Essentials launched their first model and air brush free issue in October last year. Ten women were selected in a competition advertised through the site’s forum and social media campaign asking readers to submit a photo accompanied with a few lines explaining why they are amazing. Deemed such a success, the magazine has decided to do away with unattainable glamor, choosing to permanently to feature their loyal readers on their covers, so what prompted this sudden change?
Their website proudly boasts,’ Over 70% of our readers told us they prefer to see real women on the front. So from our October issue we’re featuring our fantastic readers on the cover of every issue,’ and what of the mystery 30% so… are they anti- ‘real’? Hopefully not. Could it really be that there are some out there that appreciate the air brushing and the slim line models as a form of escapist glamor, who doesn’t want just a little bit more bang for their buck? Could it all be a big risk for a magazine that reported a 12.9% circulation year on year increase?
By no means is this an attempt to dismiss the magazine’s efforts. In an ever growing trend of societal woes, such as our country’s deficit, mounting political uncertainty or being told we are just too fat a nation, it is wonderful that it tries to convey the message that ‘ it’s alright to look like this ’. However, let’s just look at this from another angle, has the term ‘real woman’ been mangled and turned into just another catchphrase like ‘credit crunch’ and ‘going green,’ what about the naturally slimmer woman? You know the type, she could be your best friend or even your sister. She eats just as much as you do and probably more but just doesn’t put on a single pound. She may even, to the discovery of a surprised few, have an underlying insecurity about it – is she no longer considered real? In the same way as some people are smarter than others, can we seriously penalize those who are just blessed with good genetics? New Zealander blogger Zoe Walker comments on the issue, ‘I’m the same size as some [...] models, sometimes smaller, and the last time that I checked, I was a “real woman” .Of course, if a model does have an eating disorder or is looking unhealthily thin, then magazines and designers should not book her; she should be encouraged to get help.
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