Carry On
Anne sends along this rant about the supposedly "zaftig" model from last night's episode of Project Runway.
"If a size FOUR model with a TWENTY-FOUR inch waist is “zaftig” and “plus size,” then what are all the normal women walking around America right now? Never mind those of us who actually ARE plus size... A model with a 24-inch waist might as well go hit up Krispy Kreme right now, because she’s about to be banished to a life of modeling for Lane Bryant and Catherine’s. Well, Project Runway, Tim Gunn, Details magazine and all your cohorts have done your industry proud. You’ve officially made women everywhere feel like total crap, and isn’t that the point of fashion?"
I think the real crime here is that they eliminated... the person they eliminated. Who I loved. I wonder if all the "bigger model" stuff wasn't regarding her height? Is she one of the taller models? Other than that, I'm stumped.
"If a size FOUR model with a TWENTY-FOUR inch waist is “zaftig” and “plus size,” then what are all the normal women walking around America right now? Never mind those of us who actually ARE plus size... A model with a 24-inch waist might as well go hit up Krispy Kreme right now, because she’s about to be banished to a life of modeling for Lane Bryant and Catherine’s. Well, Project Runway, Tim Gunn, Details magazine and all your cohorts have done your industry proud. You’ve officially made women everywhere feel like total crap, and isn’t that the point of fashion?"
I think the real crime here is that they eliminated... the person they eliminated. Who I loved. I wonder if all the "bigger model" stuff wasn't regarding her height? Is she one of the taller models? Other than that, I'm stumped.
posted by mo pie at 10:31 AM
9 Comments:
Thoughts on this:
1) Is "zaftig" really equal to plus sized or overweight? I always just thought it means that you were sort of soft and female looking, not all sharp edges and ribs and collarbones. A small bit of babyfat, perhaps. And I think you can still be VERY thin and still have babyfat.
2) Am I the only person who JUST DOESN"T CARE? I don't like the insinuation that this makes "every woman" feel like crap. It doesn't make ME feel like crap! I've never looked at fashion magazines and been depressed aftewards. I've never longed to look like a skinny supermodel. Granted, I've been plenty unhappy about my weight and done a lot to chnage it, but my goal was never to look like them. Nor did their looks make me feel worse about my own. What's with the constant comparison?
I think the only issue was that Alison needed to design with the model's size in mind; she needed to make sure the dress would be fitted to the model and that she could get it on and it wouldn't be just a little too small. That model is bigger than the other rails on the show, so I think that was the only issue.
Frankly it didn't bother me at all. And I thought Alison's outfit was much cuter than Vincents...grrr.
JessiferSeabs - I too have never felt pressure to look like models in magazines, but I find it disturbing that ideas like this exist in our society. Do you like living in a world where there are people who call a girl with a size 24" waist fat? I don't. Similarly, being a white girl I've never been a victim of a racist comment or made to feel bad about my race. But when I see it happen to someone else, it pisses me off and makes me wish we lived in a more accepting world. When such wrong-headed, narrow-minded ideas are being perpetuated on a popular TV show, it makes the world a little less pleasant of a place to live.
I am addicted to Project Runway and I was quite taken aback with several of Heidi's offhand comments about the whole "fat" thing. ESPECIALLY SINCE THE BIZNATCH IN QUESTION is far from fat. That dress didn't make her look FAT.
Her hair-bow was goofy as hell, though.
I also don't want to live in a world where someone with a 34" bust is considered "Zaftig". Because that would make ME something along the lines of "Zeppelin", and I'm not feelin' that.
I was also utterly disgusted by that Details thing which I saw elsewhere yesterday. "PLATE SCRAPERS" What the FLIPPIN' FUCK!? I would kill for a bod like Rose McGowan. In what world is she fat?
Also, I'm mighty sick of the whole fat=ugly thing. Fat is just fat. Ugly is a whole other ball of wax.
What I loved was that Heidi "basically" said she'd rather not be able to walk (like vinnie's model) than look fat like Alison's model. Hmmmm.... priorities?
Laura Bora said,
"I was also utterly disgusted by that Details thing which I saw elsewhere yesterday. "PLATE SCRAPERS" ...In what world is she fat? [ed. for brevity]"
I try to take refuge in the snarky -- ergot, you gotta remember that Details-reading mouth breathers live to do little but stare at women's bodies and are probably not the world's most enlightened target demographic. . .
"Also, I'm mighty sick of the whole fat=ugly thing."
... and are also generally not the most critical thinkers. Black-white simplistic equivalencies make everything so much easier for those types. If they think too hard, their brains are in danger of exploding.
Okay, watched the episode last night and now actually have an idea of what I'm talkign about. ;-)
I don't think he called her fat though. I don't think anybody in her right mind would call her fat. But I do agree that she is bigger than the other models - and perhaps than typical models - and she didn't design with the particular model's body in mind (in fact, even my boyfriend who was watching the show with me said, "I really like that outfit, but it doesn't look good on that model.")
Anyway. I agree that of course we shouldn't endorse the idea of a size 4 being considered plus sized, but I don't think that's really what his point was. A verbal mis-step for sure, but I agree with what his point was. The outfit made the already-not-model-skinny model look bigger than she is.
"Zaftig" is Yiddish, honey. I've been hearing (and using) it all my life.
i dont mean to offend anyone at all but what i consider to be heavy
is 170 and up(like a size 16-up) by no means is a size 4(a rather small size) or even a 5 a 6 fat! fat is having a waist of ya know 50inches or bigger get real.there a difference between anorexic and thin(thin in a healthy way)i mean im in a 3-4 and it really bothers me that that is considered a bad size(i mean im not anorexic but i can see my ribs)and have a small wasit fyi real women have hips,breasts,and a nice butt.And also for ur information all women are beautiful in there own way,dont kill urself to be impossibly thin,peace
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