So I came across this Bust Magazine article while browsing Facebook tonight. Basically, Healthy Is The New Skinny is launching the Love Campaign and I have a few things to say about it... Okay, okay, I get the concept and I think it's a great idea done with the best of intentions... Seeing the too skinny Victoria's Secret models juxtaposed to the models with more realistic and healthy body types really makes you realize how truly skinny the VS models are.
Though I think the concept is a beautiful idea and a wonderful way to help encourage young women to foster a more positive body image, I can't help but notice that none of the models are over a size 12. The media really perpetuates this unrealistic idea of beauty and health using size 0 models who usually pose suggestively and hey, if you're a healthy size 0 more power to you! Statistically speaking, the average size of women in the US alone is between a size 12 and a size 16. So one has to wonder, why no models over a size 12 in this campaign?
I'll let them explain it all in their own words below but let me just say this... I know that being overweight is unhealthy, I am overweight and literally working my butt off to get in shape so I can be healthy. If the concept of this ad were to inspire girls to get in shape, this ad would make more sense. That's not the purpose of the Love Campaign though... Considering the fact that the entire campaign is supposed to make young women feel beautiful at any size, I think that they could have included at least one model that was larger than a size 12. Just being honest here, if I were a size 12 right now and I plan on reaching that size by summer.... I'd be super duper happy. Yes, it's healthy to not be overweight but as this campaign is strictly about body image, I think that they somewhat missed the mark. Anyone who is misconstruing this post as something about skinny vs fat, it's not.
This post is merely about the fact that on the premise Healthy is the New Skinny states that the Love Campaign is meant to empower all young women to feel good about their bodies. I don't know about you but if I were a teen girl who is bigger than a size 12, this campaign wouldn't make me feel all that good. ALSO, I wish I could say how wonderful it is to show "real" girls in their natural state but all the photos are retouched by photoshop and airbrushing, albeit the Dove campaign has much less airbrushing than the others, they all have retouching. Just sayin'. To my skinny ladies out there, I have NOTHING but love for ya!! I'm not attacking or cutting you down either. I know quite a few naturally skinny girls who want more curves. Body image is always such an issue with young women, we always want what the other has and always feel inadequate no matter how gorgeous or thin we are. Let's build each other up and show each other some love!!
What are your thoughts? More info about the purpose, premise and how this ad came to be... (Any views expressed beyond this sentence are those of the Healthy is the New Skinny campaign and Bust Magazine and not my own).
It all started with a simple Facebook posting placing the slim Victoria’s Secret models side by side with the women featured in Dove’s Real Beauty campaign.“We just posted that photo to show how small the Victoria’s Secret models were because the Dove models are average-size,” Halchishick told us.But the post received thousands of comments, many of them trashing the bodies of these ladies. Case in point:“We were shocked to read how many people called the Dove models fat and ugly and said the most horrible things about these women,” Halchishick explained. “Then, others would claim that the Victoria’s Secret models were gross and looked like they were starving.”And who loses? We all do. In their lacy panties and sexy poses, the Victoria’s Secret models are meant to exude sex appeal. But if you haven’t already noticed, all seven models have very similar body types. The underlying message: You can look and feel like your best self, but only if you’re sample size.Meanwhile, in the Dove campaign, average-size women are featured in plain white bras and underwear. They’re beaming and beautiful, but if you ask teen girls who they’d rather look like, I’m banking on them picking the Victoria’s Secret models.“There has been a push for more ‘real women’ in the media, but what does that mean?” Halchishick asked. “The Dove campaign is attempting to show ‘real women’, but being compared to the Victoria’s Secret campaign, it sends the message that this is less-than and not as attractive or desirable. Clearly, people want to have the discussion of size diversity, but it is not a fair comparison. That is why we created the Love Campaign. We want people to realize that you can use various body types and still have the glamour and appeal like the Victoria’s Secret models while presenting more realistic bodies to the girls who idolize them.”You can check out the new HNS campaign video here. Are you feeling the love?Images courtesy of Healthy is the New Skinny
