I've been wanting to write about these travesties for awhile now, and while this particular post might seem to sway from my intended topic about alopecia, it is actually getting to the root (pun intended) of why alopecians struggle with their disease: self-image and what society considers normal. Normal is a vague interpretation by one or a collection of individuals. It is different in every society and the only thing normal about families, are that each is abnormal. However, the fashion/beauty world likes to twist the minds of young women to think what should be normal. A small minority of people who have no idea what normal is if it smacked them in their pompous, botox-injected faces.
Ralph Lauren made headlines recently when they distorted a pictured of model Filippa Hamilton (a young girl of only 23 and a size 4) into a double zero model in need of a serious cheesburger. Then they fired her, for what she claims as being too fat for their label. Ralph Lauren of course denies it, but are her accusations really unfounded? The fashion and media industry have been pushing for thin since Twiggy, causing a multitude of unhealthy eating disorders, so girls can look like "perfection." Tabloids are the worst in scrutinizing celebrities about their weight, calling them fat one day and then too skinny the next, accusing them of eating disorders and drug problems. For fashion though no one is too skinny for them, and as designer Karl Lagerfeld insists "No one wants to see curvy women" in reaction to Brigette magazine's decision to only feature "ordinary, realistic" women in its spreads. He also called us realistic women "fat mummies" who don't like to be reminded of our weight issues. Sweet, isn't he? Unfortunately, Mr. Lagerfeld is right in that no one over a size 2 will be walking down the runway in high fashion, unless you want to be deemed the "plus-sized" model. With the average American woman as a size 10-14, albeit some of it is due to the obesity epidemic, average equals normal. Even Barbie, who has gotten a lot of flack for being too perfect and detrimental to self-image, has finally been criticized negatively for her body by *gasp* shoe label Louboutin, claiming her arches are too fat. Well, if Barbie is going to be deemed as the doll with cankels on the next People magazine, what hope is left for the rest of us "realistic" women? Plus, men's primal instinct is to desire women with wider hips because they are supposed to have healthier babies. So eat up women, healthily of course!
In the Hungary the idea of beauty is getting even more distorted. The country has recently crowned its Miss Plastic 2009! A beauty contest, with girls that had nothing done less than a boob and nose job, was held to promote plastic surgery. Plastic surgery in Hungary used to have a stigma against it, and is finally seeing the light into obtaining perfection. Forget that it is serious surgery...let's all get a boob job and forget about those pesky dangers! Why settle for that cute, button nose you were born with when you can have Angelina Jolie's!? You don't see Bernini and Michaelangelo sculptures and paintings as stick thin figures with double Ds because curves and realistic breasts were and still are considered beautiful! How are women supposed to feel good about their natural beauty when you have jackasses saying "...it's time for Hungarian women to care about their appearance. They are the most beautiful in Europe."? If they are so beautiful, then why do they need plastic surgery? Isn't he essentially saying they are only caring about their appearance and can only be beautiful if they have plastic surgery? I think I'm going to schedule for an expensive teeth whitening tomorrow just so I can show men I care about my appearance...kiss my ass Hungary.
The reason why I bring these articles up is because of the serious affect it has on what people view as normal and as beautiful in today's society. Young women all over the world are being forced to fit into these seemingly perfect molds, but we are letting the minority askew what really is normal. Natural beauty and a natural body is not a bad thing, and I thank the few that have taken a stand in the fashion/beauty world to promote that message, but we still have a long way to go. As for me, I skip over the magazine articles that describe how to get the luxurious, silky locks and wish I could do all the neat hairstyles they feature. I struggle with my own idea of beauty because normal is having hair while bald is never "in." I can no sooner strut into a room without my wig as a chubby 14-year-old girl tries to feel like a model in skinny jeans. Yes, I have my own long way to go on self-image, but couldn't the media make it a little easier on us?
Ralph Lauren made headlines recently when they distorted a pictured of model Filippa Hamilton (a young girl of only 23 and a size 4) into a double zero model in need of a serious cheesburger. Then they fired her, for what she claims as being too fat for their label. Ralph Lauren of course denies it, but are her accusations really unfounded? The fashion and media industry have been pushing for thin since Twiggy, causing a multitude of unhealthy eating disorders, so girls can look like "perfection." Tabloids are the worst in scrutinizing celebrities about their weight, calling them fat one day and then too skinny the next, accusing them of eating disorders and drug problems. For fashion though no one is too skinny for them, and as designer Karl Lagerfeld insists "No one wants to see curvy women" in reaction to Brigette magazine's decision to only feature "ordinary, realistic" women in its spreads. He also called us realistic women "fat mummies" who don't like to be reminded of our weight issues. Sweet, isn't he? Unfortunately, Mr. Lagerfeld is right in that no one over a size 2 will be walking down the runway in high fashion, unless you want to be deemed the "plus-sized" model. With the average American woman as a size 10-14, albeit some of it is due to the obesity epidemic, average equals normal. Even Barbie, who has gotten a lot of flack for being too perfect and detrimental to self-image, has finally been criticized negatively for her body by *gasp* shoe label Louboutin, claiming her arches are too fat. Well, if Barbie is going to be deemed as the doll with cankels on the next People magazine, what hope is left for the rest of us "realistic" women? Plus, men's primal instinct is to desire women with wider hips because they are supposed to have healthier babies. So eat up women, healthily of course!
In the Hungary the idea of beauty is getting even more distorted. The country has recently crowned its Miss Plastic 2009! A beauty contest, with girls that had nothing done less than a boob and nose job, was held to promote plastic surgery. Plastic surgery in Hungary used to have a stigma against it, and is finally seeing the light into obtaining perfection. Forget that it is serious surgery...let's all get a boob job and forget about those pesky dangers! Why settle for that cute, button nose you were born with when you can have Angelina Jolie's!? You don't see Bernini and Michaelangelo sculptures and paintings as stick thin figures with double Ds because curves and realistic breasts were and still are considered beautiful! How are women supposed to feel good about their natural beauty when you have jackasses saying "...it's time for Hungarian women to care about their appearance. They are the most beautiful in Europe."? If they are so beautiful, then why do they need plastic surgery? Isn't he essentially saying they are only caring about their appearance and can only be beautiful if they have plastic surgery? I think I'm going to schedule for an expensive teeth whitening tomorrow just so I can show men I care about my appearance...kiss my ass Hungary.
The reason why I bring these articles up is because of the serious affect it has on what people view as normal and as beautiful in today's society. Young women all over the world are being forced to fit into these seemingly perfect molds, but we are letting the minority askew what really is normal. Natural beauty and a natural body is not a bad thing, and I thank the few that have taken a stand in the fashion/beauty world to promote that message, but we still have a long way to go. As for me, I skip over the magazine articles that describe how to get the luxurious, silky locks and wish I could do all the neat hairstyles they feature. I struggle with my own idea of beauty because normal is having hair while bald is never "in." I can no sooner strut into a room without my wig as a chubby 14-year-old girl tries to feel like a model in skinny jeans. Yes, I have my own long way to go on self-image, but couldn't the media make it a little easier on us?
This is good writing, Sheen. You should't ever give up on it. Love you.
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