How fat isn't sexy (at least according to fashion magazines)

www.sexwithsue.com

related topics: lizzie miller, glamour magazine, plus sized models

Do you think this woman is fat and unattractive?  Apparently she's too fat to model even the plus size clothes (plus size models are size 8-10, and she's a 12-14 – which is average in North America).

Her name is Lizzie Miller, the 20-year-old model in question, agrees that it's astonishing that, at 5ft 11in and 12.5 stone she's considered a "plus size" model. "It's sad," she says. "In the industry anything over size six is considered a plus-size." Miller, who is around a US size 12-14 (that is, slightly below average) lost about 60lb when she was 13 but today she is considered too large to model for plus-size lines Marina Rinaldi (she says, "they like girls who are an 8). She says that the overwhelming reaction to the tiny photograph, buried on page 194 of Glamour magazine "shows that the world is hungry to see pictures of normal women."

An 8? That is less than my skinniest size and that is considered plus? Argh! It makes me mad that our bodies have to be seen as one of my patient calls "skinny, stick, spinny skanks" in order to be attractive.

I'm doing a bunch of work with women for whom body image is a major problem. I had one today showing me the bruises on her arms from being injected with vitamins on a 400 calorie "Medical" diet. She says she's feeling "foggy", and is having trouble working she's so hungry, but feels unattractive.

My friend C says she wants to start a website about size discrimination."Would you tell a young girl: "You have such a pretty face, too bad you are black.."? No, but people feel free to say stuff like: "you have such a pretty face, too bad you are fat/overweight/plump etc ."

We need to vote with our wallets, buy Dove soap and ask the modelling agencies and clothing manufacturers to display clothes on real women. Time to say "if we are fit and healthy it's okay to be fed." grrrrr.