Lizzi Miller is an American model and in a small photo in the US mag Glamour, she’s pictured with what looks to me like a very small roll of fat on her stomach. (Update: we now have permission to use it – so here it is.)It’s causing a storm online, and makes me wonder if this is progress or just a sign of how far women have to go. What’s interesting me is that people are arguing it’s important for totally different reasons. And even those who say it’s irrelevant, become impassioned about how women are reacting to it. The debate appears to fall into three camps at the moment…
It’s had some women hailing the progress this signifies and praising the magazine for showing ‘bigger’ women. Others though point out she’s still looks in very good shape and this is hardly the real picture for most women. And then the third response, is ‘I don’t want to see real women naked in magazines, I want to see the best looking girls’. What do you think?
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whats that suppose to mean,for how much is she doing that?that was not a pleasant sight at all.
so don’t look. – or remember a photo of you might not be pleasant to some people either.
yeah, I am not putting ugly photos of myself in the magazine.
She doesn’t look overweight, but the belly roll is creepy folded over like that. It doesn’t seem to fit in with the shape the rest of her body is in.
@ Halima
Gotta agree with you. But… forgive me if I sound rude: if you didnt like what “jesse” said…”dont’ read”. (going by your logic). We all cant agree on this. I feel she needs to shed those extra pounds for her health’s sake. But, my gf finds her cute just the way she is & could care about the health angle!
She’s beautiful. Look again if you don’t think so. I think that it’s great to see a beautiful woman willing to expose her “flaws”. Great job Glamor mag!
what flaws !!
Flaws? Sure?
I’m thin – a size 2. I just sat naked in front of my mirror in the same position that she is in. I had a roll too! People need to be able to bend! I can’t believe that people are criticizing her for being overweight. She’s not overweight! Most women would still aspire to looking like her if photographed naked in a sitting position.
I also don’t like how people say “She doesn’t need to be perfect” — Why is “thin” thought of as the perfect body? If she is healthy and fit, then she has a great body. A healthy, fit body is what we should strive for.
I think this discussion is absurd (not that you are covering it, but that it is a debate at all). This woman is clearly NOT obese or fat. Just because she is not anorexic does not mean she is promoting obesity. I am a very healthy person. I weigh about 138, 5’7”, i eat very healthy and run about 15 miles a week on top of other exercise (yoga, weights, etc) and I have that SAME roll around my belly.
This photo does not make me want to go to McDonalds or lay around for days, but it does make me feel like i do not have to go to drastic measures to get rid of that little roll just to feel beautiful. This model is clearly happy and healthy and comfortable with her body, which should really be the goal.
I think context has a lot to with it, as the photo wasn’t floating in mid-air. It went with an article on feeling good about the skin you’re in — http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/2009/08/what-everyone-but-you-sees-about-your-body?currentPage=1 — in a woman’s magazine called “Glamour,” and so it seems appropriate to have someone who is not pencil thin, which is the body image that is so oppressive to many. On the other hand, the model still seems pretty glamorous to me, with flawless skin, a beautiful face with even tones and classic features, and a professionally “relaxed” ‘do.
I check out the link…And, this photo is NOT a big deal…So, what this lady has a “bit” of a roll around her tummy….
=Dennis Junior=
Just the fact that someone feels the need to compare a nude photograph of a woman to a photograph of a car is a pretty sad statement about how we have been taught to think of the role of a woman in general.
Julie in Indiana
Well, the little roll of fat aside, her legs seem to be disproportionate to her upper body, as almost it might be in illness, but i don’t know. It wouldn’t cause any stir here among us students in germany. If you posted a picture like this in Berlin, well, it would just be as any other picture, maybe with a bit of admiration, because she showed herself in a less than perfect manner. That takes courage.
You might be surprised, conditioned as you are to photoshoped images of glamour models, that a very high porportion of people are not so symmetrically perfect as those models.
She looks fine. A tiny amount of fat like that is simply out of fashion, but has nothing to do with “beauty”. Look at paintings of nudes from the 17th century!
now that i look at it again, you’re right. i just had my laptop screen tilted in a wrong angle.
Oh my God, in some parts of the world a photo of a female super-model with a small roll of fat around her stomach is causing a huge fuss, while in other parts of the world people would argue about for e.g. “Why don’t we have ‘national’ electricity in our neighbourhood for almost a week now?!”… Anyway, as for the poor female super-model, I’d say to her : “As a med student, I can tell you with complete confidence that central obesity does some pretty nasty stuff to our health, so get up and start some tummy thining excercises right away OK ?! :)”… With my love… Yours forever, Lubna in Baghdad (a part of the world that couldn’t care less about this photo!)…
Absolutely Lubna! As someone with a tad too much “central obesity” hanging around, I’m not jealous of this model’s mini-roll, but how can we call this any kind of deal – big or otherwise? And as for being “a step forward” for women (as the blog mentioned earlier today), the sooner we stop agonising about super mdels and no-talent celebs, the better, Maybe then real women’s issues (education, career prospects, health, access to contraception and abortion, unequal rights within marriage, domestic violence etc. etc.) may get a bit more media attention.
Well said girl!
Linda
Thanks a million Linda ! :)… And let me further expand your point by saying that shouldn’t the real progress for women on this planet be considering the woman as a dignified and honoured beautiful human being, not as a glamourous naked body posed on the covers of magazines (even if that glamourous naked body has a small roll of fat around the stomach)?! Doesn’t that turn women into “things” rather than “human beings”?! With my love… Yours forever, Lubna…
Lubna;
I am in complete agreement with about the overblown nature of this story…..
=Dennis Junior=
😉
Just found this round-up of what the British papers are saying.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinemonitor/2009/09/paper_monitor_767.shtml
I think it’s not just the roll of fat that’s causing a sensation.
It’s the over all nudity……that is the real cause of senstaionalism.
If that fat on tummy only was displayed with the rest of body clothed….this picture would have disappeared without a whimper.
a_D in Kuwait
Oh come on people, it is a beautiful photo, and as an American citizen, where 2/3 of all adults are obese, I’m fairly certain that many women would envy her figure. People in this day and age, especially my fellow Americans, are WAY too hung up on the naked human form. Luckily, I was raised to value the body, in whatever shape, and to not be ashamed of nudity. Is there controversy when someone like Carmen Electra poses in a similar fashion? No, and there is your answer!
To me a woman’s body is an absolute work of art.
Lizzie Miller’s picture is no exception.
Her picture reflects what we all, who take care of ourselves and no matter how much we excercise and eat well, will develop unwanted rolls.
Her picture is as much as a work of art as is the tanned and harbodies of Playboy.
She looks happy, healthy, and comfortable in her own skin. I wish we’d photograph our women that way more often instead of starving them until they’re nothing but miserable waif-types.
Verena
23/US
Re:”I don’t want to see real women naked in magazines, I want to see the best looking girls’”
Well, there you go! Obviously, most women in magazines are the “best looking” because they are not “real”. 😀 Real women come in all sizes, shapes, and colors.
I do not think this photo is a big deal. If this woman wants to pose for a photo and it is displayed in a magazine let her. If you don’t like it, just don’t look.
Wow, must be a really slow news day. There’s got to be something more newsworthy than this!
Finally!!! I am sick and tired of seeing models in magazines with what is called “the perfect body”. Most of them (if not all) have been carefully photographed, airbrushed and edited in the computer; on top of having plastic surgery.
This is a normal woman, photographed “al natural”. Yes, she has a little roll of fat in her stomach (if she is a mother, kudos for having that figure!), but she looks beautiful and very happy.
The impossible standards that some women impose on themselves, taking as reference women with “super bodies”, are taking a toll in their health. I am not against taking care of your body, eating right and doing regular exercise, but trying to look like a skinny teenager with fake boobs is too much.
I know that the listeners set the agenda and that sometimes we need a break from all the tragedy, pain and suffering; but Ros REALLY, a show about a model and her belly???? Even if there’s a bigger issue…women’s views of their bodies…this issue is older than all of us combined. I have to wonder if the men at WHYS are running the show today while the women of the BBC sit back and check for belly fat!!!
I would be surprised and upset if the model had many rolls of fat on her frame…Then we would have the right to be upset…..
=Dennis Junior=
Reality – for all its worth, is far better then fakery.
Good lord. She is not even close to being fat. To the doctor above stating “central obesity” — REALLY? If medical professionals think that woman is obese for 1 inch of skin flap there is something seriously wrong.
This whole subject is so just–ARGH!–I can’t even form words about it. The controversy shows that women have gotten nowhere, both with themselves, each other, and men.
Hi Kelly… Of course Lizzie the super-model isn’t suffering from “central obesity”, I was only joking, and trying at the same time to concentrate on the fact is that there’s a huge difference between a “weight health problem” that’ll have some pretty serious consequences on our health in the future and some kilograms that are either xtra or missing… I mean if you’re totally healthy, then who cares about how much you weigh or whether you have or do not have a small roll of fat around your stomach, however I still stand by my opinion that Lizzie the super-model should get up on her feet and start some tummy thining excercises right away, even if those excercises won’t melt the fat around her stomach, she won’t lose anything at all by practicing them will she ?! :). With my love. Yours forever, Lubna (a part of the world in which people couldn’t care less about that photo!).
Honestly, to me it looks like what someone who has had a kid looks like about 3 weeks out. She isn’t fat by any stretch of the imagination. It reminds me of the Dove commercials here in the US that began showing “real” women. Those were inspirational and the fact that Lizzie Miller is willing to fight against airbrushing that out, or whatever happened may indicate that “normal” women can be beautiful too.
I don’t think there is anything actually wrong with Lizzie Miller’s body in the photo. That she is not air-brushed to some doll-like concept of perfection challenges expectations, as is evident from the comments. But I’m guessing there are women with similar ‘flaws’ who are relieved that Miller, whom I am assuming has some public persona, else who’d bother to put her nude photo in Glamour Magazine, shows her whole self without any evident self-consciousness,in fact with an aspect of comfort with herself. Not with her flaws, with her self.
So in that light, perhaps the photo does represent progress. Compare it to a photo of the actress Jamie Lee Curtis that was in a magazine some years ago, all air-brushed and lighted to make her look fabulous. There was a companion piece within the magazine on whose cover Ms. Curtis was featured, showing what had been done to make her look great. However, that companion piece was written as though the striving for laquered, unpleated, unflawed and thus inhuman perfection was the goal. It was a look behind the curtain, but the curtain was drawn nonetheless.
Kudos, then, Ms. Miller, et al. Young women need to see that humanity is not synonymous with ‘imperfection.’
This photo is a huge deal. As an American woman who is overweight I was very excited her picture was printed. Being overweight is much more complicated than just doing some crunches and eating a little less. Emotional and medical causes are the root issues, obesity is a symptom. We are overwhelmed on a daily basis by what society considers beautiful. As someone who is a size 16 being surrounded by media that says I am ugly and not worthy of love or attention because I am not a size 2 can be very damaging. People should be taught to love themselves and be healthy not just a certain size. Lizzie is a beautiful woman who should have her picture printed. The fact that we are all ok with emaciated models having their pictures printed is the problem, not Lizzie’s tummy.
Women, like men come in all shapes and sizes and the sooner we stop torturing ourselves with bizarre unrealitic notions of what we should look like (as defined by the fashion and beauty industry), the sooner we can start feeling good about ourselves and avoid dreadful eating disorders.
Obesity is a health issue but it is perfectly natural for any woman to have some tummy fat, especially once she has had children.
Those who don’t like pictures like this always seem to forget that they can simply not look.
why are we subjected to sex in absolutely everything in our lives. can’t people just keep their clothes on. marketers use sex to sell absolutely everything. men are lured by sex not the products. it would be such a blessing for us if the ad agencies would use normal people, yes overweight people, also, to market their products. but please let’s have some clothes on them!
I weigh 327 pounds, is any one interested in seeing MY SMALL ROLL of belly fat.
What ther hell’s BBC stooping to?
This is the reason I gave uip watching tele.
I’m sure, really sure, there are bigger issues than which Model’s gotten fat.
Are you bored, really bored?
This an an embarresment from the BBC.
Call Jerry Springer, BBC’s got some airtime.
Whoa!! This discussion reminds me of a book I read, called ‘The Beauty Myth’ by Naomi Wolf! Its insane how women (and men) worldwide still have these issues about beauty and body-image. As a feminist, I don’t know if I would call it a step in the positive direction and applaud the magazine for ‘having the guts’ to portray ‘real woman’, but yeah… it concerns me. The picture and the reactions it has received raises a lot of questions about us as a society, a collective and the gender stereotypes that continue to plague us.
I think the photo is lovely, tasteful and a fair representation of the true, not airbrushed body of an adult woman. The pictures seen in fashion magazines are either very young girls (like under 17) or airbrushed. The model is beautiful and not anywhere close to what I would consider “obese”.
The “roll of fat” is transformed into a somewhat flat belly, once she is flat on her back. Looking at the picture, I thought of a perfect French expression, referring to the “roll”, i.e. “les reignes d’amour”, that’s exactly what it is, and the lady should be definitely “proud” to have it, moreover if the roll is used whenever she likes and in the manner, described by the thoughtful life-experienced French in the phrase above. Envious.
Oh, yeah – I can see the headlines now – U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS IN EMERGENCY SESSION TO DISCUSS MODEL’S BELLY ROLL.
Seriously… this is controversial? If I were a single man and she was sitting like that in my living room I can guarantee the LAST thing I would notice is an extra pound or two on her tummy.
This is, sadly, a big deal for the modeling/advertising world. The truth is that while obsity has many proven negative effects on health, so does the near starvation that we see on our “normal” models. It seems significantly preferable to have an average sized woman for our young ladies to look up to and our young men to desire than the lollipop shaped girls, with stick thin bodies and too-big heads, that we normally see in adverts. For the rest of the world, though, I’ll agree with one of the earlier posters who mentioned that perhaps we can focus on things of more import.
I may have my membership in the “chattering classes” revoked for saying this, but that photo means nothing. The next issue will still feature painfully skinny models and the general population will continue to get more obese.
Ho hum.
Glamour Magazine is about nothing but superficial appearances and the continued
objectification of women. The photo, per se, is unimportant, the reaction to it is.
What’s in Lizzie’s head? There are any number of smooth teenagers to fill those magazines, how many women are there who make a profound difference in people’s lives? I don’t care to see Vandana Shiva or Wangari Maathai
naked, but those are two transcendently beautiful women.
Given that society is getting larger and larger, and I’m not just talking population growth, but growth in obesity and overweight people, I guess it does make sense that those that market fashion should actually market to the people who wear the clothes, which unfortunately means to people with weight to lose, instead of the ultra skinny types that the clothing designers use. I still don’t think this should be an excuse to justify being overweight, and when they manipulate clothing sizes to make people feel like they aren’t gaining weight, it’s just sad.
I don’t believe in this “impossible” standards thing, every girlfriend I’ve had has been a lot thinner than that, and they are normal people. They just exercise. Maybe if you met someone rockclimbing you’d be likely to be around other in shape people.. All you have to do is eat a limited amount of food, not whatever you feel like, and exercise. People are just so lazy these days. Remember, it’s not just asthetics, with obesity and overweight people comes the extreme medical costs.
If it were that easy 2/3 of the US would not be overweight and I would have lost all the weight I have been struggling with years ago. Being lazy has nothing to do with it.
@Lubna
We care about these things because the ills and social injustice of the world can never be fixed and constantly worrying about it will make you crazy.
So we live our lives and try to make life just a bit better as America tried to do for Iraq.
Thanks a million for the good laugh Dan, I did really need it ! :):):):).
Some parts of women’s bodies do not instantly stop moving just because they stop dancing to the music. Ah, just as it should be.
g
I don’t get why this is a big deal. If you like the photo, fine. If not, turn the page. Is this really worthy of discussion?
I understand the picture as a trigger that ignited different discussion about dormant unresolved issues in (western) society. The speed of the diffusion throughout society is an indicator of how important this topic – the image and representation of the human body in public and society – is to individuals.
I don’t think the publication of the picture is progress per se. It’s just one incident so far. But it reignites and opens this discussion to a broader audience again. The discussion will lead to progress and change of all those who participated, and not just women.
And last a cynical thought: If Glamour really wanted to change its image they wouldn’t do it gradually and without a PR-campaign. The topic is very delicate. And if they did it right they could make a lot more money if they announced in all the media to create a hype.
This debate fortifies the view that how women look are more important than their achievements, personalities or just simply who they are. Very sad!
@Kate
Go to your local strip mall. Watch people drive from one store to the other rather than walk across the strip mall. People are unbelievably lazy these days, and do absolutely no exercise, they refuse any opportunity, such as taking the stairs, walking up an escalator. Thank god the Segway never cought on, though you see a lot of those in DC.
People used to be in shape, people never were this overweight. Is it something in the water, or is it perhaps lifestyle changes (ie laziness and eating unhealthy foods) that is the problem?
Let me say that I agree to a point. Society has gotten lazy and the most readily available food is unhealthy. However not every overweight person sits around eating cheeseburgers all day, I know I don’t. There are other factors that contribute to weight gain that have to be taken into account. Only when we get to the root cause and then resolve it can someone make the change for good.
What’s the fuss about?
Pretty face, out of shape bod, would make a perfect ad for a gym. She obviously needs to make herself sweat some. Nothing that situps, pushups, and some jogging can’t cure. Move move move.
Aside from that, it was tastefully done, so I see no reason for any global commotion.
As I once told a young girl who I really liked, when she worried about a few excess pounds.
The more of you that there is, the more of you there is to love. She liked that, and laughed.
Years later she really became quite thin….she was a ballarena for her country.
Anyway, she looked much more desirable with some additional weight on her, but the real essense of her was her mysterious personality and spirit.
troop
Oregon coast
Interesting…people wondering why they would choose this subject for the show – maybe because it is only 7:30am in Portland, Oregon and there are already 35+ comments. I’ve seen shows that were well in progress that didn’t have that response.
My view on the photo: She’s looks happy, comfortable and beautiful, the shot is a candid, tasteful shot that isn’t vamped up. I would assume that the photographer was not having her pose he just looked over – saw the beauty of the moment and took the shot.
I think it is a step forward that Glamour decided to publish it….but it is a very very very tiny step forward.
@Bert
I’m don’t see anything that needs to be ‘cured’ in the picture. She’s a woman, she’s got curves. I don’t see ‘illness’ in the photo, this is the unfortunate view of needing to change or ‘cure’ a little belly softness that needs to lighten up in society.
I agree with Lubna above.
There are far too many issues around for me to be worrying about who has got a roll of fat on her stomach. Roll of fat or no, I think WHYS should be fair to bloggers by saying the photo is nude just so they know what to expect.
The picture is no big deal for me. Those who think it is @not nice” to look at have been living in a fantasy world. Many obviously hate how they look. The reality is that most people the age of Ms. Miller do have “a roll of fat around there”. I congratulate the model for displaying her real self around the midriff. May she will start a trend and people can stop pretending to be what they are not.
Ye just jump on the band-wagon,sour heads.
bjay
@ steve
I totally agree with you. Is this the most important thing in the news at the moment?
Side Note: I think she looks HOT!!! I love when a woman has a little roll. It’s very cute. I could get more graphic as to more reasons why they are hot, but if I will have this post erased.
I say, KEEP IT UP!!!
-Anthony, LA, CA
For all those who think our fascination with physical appearance is an unimportant issue, please consider reading this in WSJ
In Jan 1986, a WSJ reporter went on a survey of handful of schools in Chicago to ask 100 fourth-grade girls about their dieting habits. The amazing responses were
• “I just want to be skinny so no one will tease me,” explained one 4th grader
•”Boys expect girls to be perfect and beautiful,” said another. “And skinny.”
•”Fat girls aren’t like regular girls,” one boy (4th grader) told me. “They aren’t attractive.”
•Models look like popsicle sticks,” another 4th grader told me
In 1986, when I was growing up and in the 4th grade and the only thing I cared about was getting out of school to go play with my friends. But a lot has changed since then.
Parental fixations on weight, children’s urges toward perfectionism, family conflicts, and a $40 billion-a-year dieting industry can blind anyone with the obsession of physically beauty
Probably, next time when we use the word “model” or “hero” for these “beautiful” people, we should take a moment and think if these are really the kind of people you or your kid would like to emulate!
Article Link
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204731804574386822245731710.html
In a glamour magazine you don’t want to see anything that isn’t the ideal. You don’t showcase cars with dents and worn paintwork! Food magazines don’t show mouldy dishes and so on. But on another point just because you are comfortable with your body does not mean others are, or want to see it, nor does it mean that it is a healthy alternative. Excess body fat is not a good thing from a health point of view. I have often believed that those who say, “I am confortable with my body” when they are overweight are either too lazy to make an effort to regain their fitness or to ready to accept the problems they will face because of it. I think it sends the wrong message to people, be accepting of what you are regardles? What about self-improvement? That can occur without being irrational or self-harming, but to just give and say it’s OK, well that isn’t right either.
The woman in the photo looks beautiful, healthy and happy. A small roll of fat around her, just like many women have, especially after having kids. So, what’s the fuss, what’s the big deal? There certainly are bigger things than this to worry about in the world…
Julia in Portland, sorry to disagree. But I do disagree. I find it distressing that we have become so mired in political correctness that we refuse to see what is plainly in front of our faces.
Not that I’d call the model “obese,” but certainly overweight, and this is now becoming a global epidemic. Why is it that people are so eager to latch onto the global warming hysteria, and not to this weight epidemic? Talk about health care costs. The problem needs to be addressed, not pretended away.
Let me answer my own question. What makes global warming a great cause is that we can wax poetic, congratulate ourselves for being virtuous with words, and yet not do a darned thing about it. Here instead is something that people can actually DO, so we prefer to absolve ourselves of any responsibility by pretending it away.
@Andrew in Australia
WOW!! Are you equating women who are not your ‘ideal’ with dented, worn out cars and moldy food?
That says more about you then it will ever say about real women. I’m sad for you.
The photo is lovely because she is smiling and charmingly intimate with the project of showing women as they are. She is using her hard won fame to give voice to her view on her workplace, the fashion industry. She is addressing job related and broader social issues about body image. She is saying that it is rediculous that she is considered plus size. She is telling millions of women who lose a lot of weight or have a baby that they do not need a tummy tuck to be beautiful.
Fashion is a huge industry and the bigger paychecks come with near starvation. Why belittle a topic that represents a chunk of the economy and how it is run?
Oh, and that tummy flap was used in some US factories in Latin America to exclude mothers from jobs in the 20th century.
This “debate” only serves to illustrate just how vacuous Western society has become! The photo is not “gross”, rather it reflects true reality, unlike so many “realty” tv shows. For it is far past the time for putting vain cosmetic surgery behind us all.
Not only is it a big deal, but based on what I see out in the street, it’s getting bigger every day. Take a look at old pictures online from the US (or the country of your choice) in the 1960’s and compare them with the people around you today.
Something is definitely wrong here. Is it too much beer? Fast food? Laziness? Lack of self-control? Food pushers increasing the fat content of food to increase sales?
I contend that it’s all of the above, and that societal acceptance of fat “roll” models is a sign of decadence, hedonism, and surrender, and wrongly conditions our children for guilt-free lives of obesity and poor health.
Now everybody get out there and do ten laps!
There was a time in history when being seen as fat was a sign of wealth, thus the old paintings of immensely fat Burghers and their wives. And being thin like the Haute Couture models of today was a sign of poverty, of not being wealthy enough to get enough to eat..
And I’d bet that there are many people in this old world today who would love to have enough to eat so that they could look like her.
She looks happy, that’s what jumps out at me.
And as to the nudity:
“If mankind were meant to be nude he would have been born that way”. Oscar Wilde
Here here! I agree completely. The first thing I see when I look at this photograph is that I am aware of the fact that she is nude and the second thing (and most important) is her radiant smile. Noticing a small bit of extra skin is something that I have been both socially conditioned and culturally educated to feel justified in judging. This gentleman is completely correct. Our current standard of what is “beautiful” is 100 percent a cultural construction relevant to our time. I choose to acknowledge the current culturally accepted standard and reject it outright. This woman is radiant. Beauty is subjective, but contrary to current social beliefs subjectivity does not give one the right to judge another. This woman is beautiful. Period.
Julie in Indiana
On one hand I think people make too much of having the perfect body. Most of us do not . However, I think this may attempt to let people think it’s okay to be fat. It’s okay to not have a perfect body, but it’s not okay to be fat. It’s not healthy. But a lot of young women have fat bellies and wear short shirts exposing their bellies. That’s really an unpleasant thing to see and it shouldn’t be fashion chic.
The debate is irrelevant. If you don’t like what you see, someone else would. As a man, I see nothing unusual with her and such a tummy is not uncommon in most women. She is just a natural human being with characteristics of common in her gender.
There is a difference between men and women. Women tummies are not that elastic whereas most men can recover shape quickly. Finally, the most important thing is how she feels about herself and probably she radiates an attractive personality to associate with.
So what’s wrong in a simple comment that I agree with a poster’s POV.
Twice my comment has been deleted.
Who is carrying a grudge against me and why WHYS
^Hello,
That also is a questioned to be answered and not merely published…after deleting the comment twice “that I agree with Andrew of Australia”
Is this photo a big deal?
Yes especially since most photos these days are touched up by programmes such as Adobe Photoshop.
WHYS is straying into “Does my bum look big in this”:Diary of an insecure woman by Arabella Weir territory.
Given that people all over the world are leading more sedentary urbanised lives of course weight gain will follow when energy expended is less than energy in.
This is truly “Much Ado About Nothing.” She’s a beautiful woman, period. Too many people are hyper-critical about womens’ bodies. They’re also hypo-critical, as the first message to women is that she must have a perfect body and face to have any value and the second tells them if they get raped it’s their own fault because they asked for it by not covering her beautiful self from head to toe.
Hard to believe some of the stupidities out there.
First of all let me say I am a feminist and realise
that objectifying women in this way is degrading and body image and weight issues are used to undermine and cynically control women worldwide so as to then sell them products to make them look and seel “normal”whatever that is.
Even though I am a person of size myself,if I am honest with myself I did find the photo instinctively “gross” and disgusting.
Could be generous and say it is puppy fat.
“she is a fat bottomed girl who makes the rocking world go round”pear shaped,bottom heavy my guess of English/German extraction.
I am stunned by how many men (and some women) on the blog have made a big deal about a tummy. Thanks, WHYS.
I vaguely remember an old joke from a “Sylvia” cartoon–a feminist-leaning script semi-popular in the U.S. in the 1980s. In one, a self satisfied man is featured in the first frame and says, “Come on, ladies–can you even imagine a world without men?” Sylvia, the decidedly heterosexual heroine of the cartoon, who is a hard-smoking, chubby, middle-aged woman, responds, “No war, no crime, and lots of happy, fat women.”
This womens picture makes people think fat is O.K. well its Not one of the good things about the people in magazines is that they set an unachieveable goal for you to try for. (when they are air brushed.) but there are alot of women who do it naturally and don’t get air brushed…
then lazy women who do not want to work hard enough to get into better shape say “its an unrealistic image of a woman.” so the answer is un attainable? Well she did it! It is not O.K. to be over weight.
If we don’t set goals that are high we will never be challenged and just become fat and lazy. It brings to mind the expression, “Aim for the stars and if you don’t make it you will land on the moon.”
I am a male and I work my butt off to stay in shape. Is it too much to ask that a woman do the same?
Women come in all shapes and form. Exposed female flesh has always tittilated men. But it is imperative that women are happy with their own physical state rather than pandering to men’s desires . A well-toned body pays rich health dividends. So for that reason alone women should be encouraged to stay slim and cut down on fatty food. Human beings love a pretty face and a perfect body. Of course a slender body enhances a woman’s appearance. If she is well endowed physically, she would get a lot of postive attention which would be good for her public relations and for all the different interviews in her life.In this century of emancpation and equality, women should use their physical attributes intelligently. They should never allow men to get the upper hand. Instead they should insist on their rights and basic freedoms.
“while in other parts of the world people would argue about for e.g. “Why don’t we have ‘national’ electricity in our neighbourhood for almost a week now?!”
Absolutely right Lubna.
It must be a slow news day.
This is controversial? Come on, WHYS, you phoned this one in.
I say, let Lizzie have her roll. If she wants to show it off, that’s fine too, just warn us first.
Almost everyone of you ladies fall into the BBC woman presenter of WHYS and discuss the mid-rif and legs of a woman model.
Is this worthy of a world renowned broadcaster such as BBC ?
Why not discuss :
‘Why every religion refuse equal status to women ?
Why Pope denies use condom to prevent ”Spread of HIV?AIDS ?
Why women are prevented from terminating unwanted pregnancies ?
Oh come on ladies are these not burning questions instead of a happy model in her natural state of being a beauty.
Beauty is a joy for ever, in the eye of the beholder.
Don’t you know fat is the new Thin.
America is more with it than Paris now:)
But seriously it’s great to be natural, way better than that horrible breast implants that are way to big.
Steve in Oregon seems to miss the point. The model was an obese child, worked out and is now a healthy model with a healthy paycheck. Only surgery, not work out will take away highly stretched female belly fat.
We should not require women who breed or who overcame obesity to have cosmetic surgery to get a job modelling clothes.
I am toned and fit and wear petite sizes, but three kids stretch that flap. Why should we all look like virgins?
@Julia
I am making a point, a valid point. By denying my opinion and finding the need to put me down instead says more about how people cannot face up to the question and just point fingers at others. I trust you read the whole comment to follow that train of thought? It seems that in this wrap everything up in cotton wool world no one is allowed to say anything or state the obvious especially if it grates on sensibilities. The fact remains we are just being to lazy to face reality and accepting things instead of questioning them and improving the situation we face. But that is too much work I fear for the majority. Steve made a good point earlier and I refer others to read that also.
GORGEOUS!
It’s not that bad really.. Plus, look at the position she’s posing in. I don’t think even the skiniest model would have a little something going on there..
It’s only a little roll of fat and doesn’t give me pause for a second. What I do find objectionable is the normalizing of obesity in the North American media with images of overweight people been touted as the new reality. I find this “acceptance” of an unhealthy medical condition very alarming considering the recent links made between cancer and obesity.
I spent many months a few years ago at a cancer clinic with my late wife and every patient there was either overweight or obese. It shocked me to my core and I swore I would never have a roll of fat and cancer around my waist.
All it takes is a little activity…
She looks fine, because she looks REAL! She’s not “perfect”, which no real person is anyway, so this photo is no big deal. Why do we have to see ANYONE naked anyway?
She isn’t fat or overweight at all. Some are hailing this as progress – but the thing is she isn’t “fat”!!! It’s the same as when people were going crazy about Rene Zewellger gaining a “ton” of weight to play Bridget Jones and I believe that she was actually a size 10 in the movie. Size 10 is a normal size. When you are inundated with images of actresses and models who are size 0 and 2, as a woman it is refreshing to be reminded of what a normal body looks like!
She looks absolutely beautiful. It’s our misconception of beauty which needs to change.
People ought to stop being manipulated by the images and expectations of media sources which do not care about reality and attempt to define beauty as anorexic or unrealisticly thin.
This is a stunningly beautiful woman, who was courageous enough to step outside of the expectations of society. I hope this image causes us to open our minds.
There is a thin read line between being pleasantly (and healthily) plump, and overweight. While I am all for one loving one’s body, I do not support the idea of telling anyone that it’s “ok to be fat” because it isn’t. This specific picture however does not imply that. This woman is gorgeous, and happy, and not obese. She isn’t a size 2, no, but why should she be? It’s a really hard balance to arrive at when you talk about weight, but if everyone just thinks about what is healthy, we can avoid the overweight (and the underweight).
She is definitely NOT fat, NOR overweight, but she is NOT perfect either…FINALLY, a magazine that shows us for who most of us truly are, imperfect. Kudos!
update.. I mean WOULDN’T have something goin on down there..
I personally think she’s beautiful but it depends on what purpose of the advertisement. This would be a great skin care advertisement but then does it give us unreal expectations on how blemish free or soft our skin should be?
Ye gods, aren’t we at war somewhere in the world? I think that would be more important that somebody showing a roll of fat.
I wish we in America would sort out whether we want to feel good about being fat and seeing fat people like us or if we should behave properly by being healthy, putting our nutrition on restaurant menus, thinking about intake, and using exercise as a regular part of our lives.
Our media spends equal parts celebrating the appearance of a “normal” person in a magazine and then falls all over itself in the following segment reporting about how unhealthy and obese we are as a country. The celebration of this image is sily. It sets back the health movement by promoting comfort in chubbiness.
I can’t believe people are having such a problem with this photo. It’s a nice photo that was done tastefully. She is beautiful and guess what people…she represents the body type of more American women than those skinny things that are normally plastered all over the magazines.
The US is so backwards when it comes to nudity compared to the rest of the world. The human body is a beautiful thing and should not have to be covered at every opportunity and/or criminalized.
I’m really dumfounded by this discussion, which sounds like it is based in immaturity. This “wow, she has a small gut, she must be human” is something I might have thought when I was 11, when I thought women were perfect, but then you learn from experience that they are human, just like everyone else is. I don’t care how good looking a woman looks, she can look bad, she goes to the bathroom, she does disgusting things. Why are people acting so shocked from this?
This really sounds like a maturity issue. Brad Pitt is a lot better looking than I am, but I don’t compare myself ot him, or aspire to be like him. I think women overrall have very low self esteem and base too much of their worth on appearance and attention. It’s time to stop caring so much, as it brings down even the people around you.
@ steve
“every girlfriend I’ve had has been a lot thinner than that”
“I think women overrall have very low self esteem and base too much of their worth on appearance and attention.”
I’m wondering if you can see the connection?
This isn’t a “fat” roll, it is the remains of a post pregnancy belly. FWIW
I think the fat and lazy need to stop blaming the media and start eating better and excersizing. I love how fat women immediately say those better looking than they are fake, photoshopped, airbrushed or starving. How about the truth? They are better looking than you, which is why they are models, and you are not.
Get over it. In magazines models need to be fit, and attractive or no one will buy the product/magazine.
@Andrew
I am not denying your opinion – I just don’t agree with it. The back and forth discussions are what make this show so much fun to listen to and to follow on the blog.
I apologize for putting you down. Don’t wrap it up in cotton and I won’t wrap it up in cotton, either. 🙂
@ Nora
So she was fat as a kid and is over weight still the point i am trying to make is to say women who look like that shouldn’t be in magazines becuase it makes people think that is ok. That picture sets a bad example for others as if to say over weight is ok. and surgery is not the only thing that will tighten that tummy up but that is not the only problem look at her thighs and cankles. I am not being rude to her if it was a Fat man i would be saying the same thing it just happens to be a woman in this picture. My sister in law has had 3 kids and her stomach recovered. Saying I had a baby or I overcame obeisity is an excuse.
I was in the car when this topic came up, and once I got home rushed to the laptop to see what the fuss was about. My first reaction to Lizzie’s picture… That woman is NOT fat. She looks great and NORMAL.
It’s about time we as a society started portraying real women rather than the airbrushed, photoshopped monstrosities that drive so many to anxiety and eating disorders.
And yes, if it were a picture of a man with a bit of a belly, no one would care. I’ll bet you could have a member of the WHYS staff run down to a news stand, buy a few tabloids, and find a few!
This whole topic is disgusting! That woman is not fat! She’s skinny and leaning forward sitting down! That isn’t a “roll” it’s just skin! If people are causing such a stir over a skinny girl like her in the magazine I would hate to here how they criticize Oprah exposing herself or any plus size woman.
Any men that post on this she’s disgusting, fat, or should get in shape need to look in the mirror and tell themselves that!!!
SO RUDE!
Most people in the western world need to work out a bit, so what? I like her smile, though! She looks pretty to me but thanks to mother nature men have different tastes. Ok, she might be big for a model but Buddha or Sumo fighters are considered beautiful in large parts of the world.
Hey Ros,
Look up men and their guts as a new fashion statement, especially around urban areas like New York. Science Friday on National Public Radio, or another NPR program if I recall correctly, mentioned that “fat was in” now. Basically its a reaction against the absolute dedication that is required to get “Six Pack Abs”. Its quite an interesting discussion – From low pants to extended guts!
What I love about this picture is that I can relate to this woman. She is not a plasticized, emaciated, airbrushed version of beauty, but a natural, realistic, healthy and clearly beautiful person. This photo doesn’t depress me, or make me mourn my body as it was before I had three children, or make me want to starve myself to lose the 10 pounds that keep me from being a size 2. This model is a much more positive representation of women, and I hope this trend continues.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this photograph. Anyone who thinks this woman is overweight is insane! Women have more fat on their bodies because our bodies are designed to carry children! Her body, others like hers as well, used to be considered beautiful–remember the painter Reubens? Look at his paintings–all the woman have tummies. A friend’s mother once said “you are not a woman unless you have a stomach.”
I have that same little roll after having a baby! It’s nice to know I’m not the only one.
I applaud the use of this photo. It helps to promote a healthy self image. Take for example Spain banning “skinny” mannequines. This is what needs to be done to change the way women (especially young girls) value themselves. That roll of fat does not make her fat for all we know its her post pregnancy tummy!!
Re: sexy men – we don’t care about gut or no gut – who are the sexy men? Elderly gents like Sean Connery, Jack Nicholson, and for a younger generation the likes of Liam Neeson – we don’t need to see all the ugly dangly bits to find a man attractive, it is MEN who impose this on us and we have fallen for it hook line and sinker.
Sisters wake up!!!!!,
… how about every guy featured in the new G.I. Joe movie? How about Ashton Kutcher, Brad Pitt, etc.? I agree that women have a harder time getting by with obesity, but men have expectations set upon them as well. Women aren’t expected to work out their arms, shoulders, and back several times a week. It’s differences between the sexes. And any woman who thinks it’s easy for a guy to have six-pack abs needs to reconsider. No matter how often a guy works his abs out, the smallest bit of fat will obscure any results.
If I recall correctly, the oldest known art object is a 35,000 year old carving of a woman who we would currently consider obese.
I think it was a respect for an adult woman rather than some skinny pre- or just post pubescent girl.
As a matter of fact if magazines stopped airbrushing images of stars and models people would see how normal these people look. and this is nothing to be ashamed of
Thanks for being brave enough to show off how comfortable you are in your skin; we’re one step closer to not being objectified based on our appearance.
Brovo Lizzi Miller! You have a gorgeous body.
the fact that women are bringing most of the objections shows the level of penetration that these ideas have devastated them for years. Men have successfully trained women to fit the mold or die trying. When will we accept ourselves and others for who we are? Fashion isn’t limited to the tiny but has a place for everyone.
Hey, I recognize that little roll….I am trying to walk mine down to that size….my goal…hope I get there…. trying to walk 5 miles a day…
I have not problem with this picture. It great that Lizzi Miller feels conformtable enought to show what her body. Now can we move to another topic such as equal pay or increasing the number of women in Science and Math etc….
The woman that is speaking said that she’s sad that we don’t think that this is progress. How is this any less objectifying then any other, mostly nude, image of a woman?
I am saddened, but not surprised, by the comments from men calling this woman fat. I can only assume that these men have never seen a real woman naked. When you form your idea of women’s bodies entirely from magazine photos, you might assume that it would be normal to be unhealthily skinny. I hope no woman is dumb enough to undress in front of these mentally unhealthy men.
Want to see fat women? Walk downtown…
Glamour should be an ideal to which ladies that want to be the best they can be.
PS. Roz, I am in Greece not in Uganda as you said the other day,,,,
PS she is NOT fat, even less obese, she has a glorious body, the sort of body-building horros that we see all the time now are just women trying to look like blokes – why????
I think it is good to show bodies, be they women or men, in an honest way, not airbrushed etc…
Society should not be disgusted by this or outraged it is only normal, we are bombarded with bodies that are soo overly perfect these days that a slight bulge is now considered wrong..Why? because we are not used to what is actually normal.?
Lizzie is not overweight or thin she is NORMAL.
sorry.. that should read glamour is an ideal women who want to be their best should aspire to
My first reaction was wow! this is great to have such a picture. On second look though, I had a strong internal reaction of being aghast. It just goes to show how conditioned we are by all we see in magazines or perceive by the rest of society.
I think she is beautiful. Just a normal woman with a smile! There is nothing sexual, profane or perverted. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the picture. This is what a normal woman looks like! Just Natural!
I would gladly use her as a model in a painting! Americas and every other country’s Next Top Model can keep walking down the runway! Let’s see people for what we are!
Regardless of Ms. Miller’s weight, the editor who ran the image is certainly deserving of a raise.
Miller looks healthy enough, and as long as she is eating well and exercising and following the advice of her physician, if she can share her image in Glamour more power to her.
There is nothing wrong with this picture. The woman has clearly had a baby. The so-called fat is loose skin from that experience. People go on and on about how beautiful pregnant women are but think the bodily aftermath ugly.
Then there’s your guest who keeps nattering on about women as objects. stop insisting we are and it will not be, dear.
I think it’s lovely Glamour has gotten real. REAL women have REAL bodies including the marks of pregnancy. Celebrate this, not naked little girl children with too much makeup and vapid expressions.
I think Lizzie hit it when she said it is about feeling beautiful on the inside.
Oh lord, because people are heavier now means average sizes and weights have gone up…. It’s also “normal” to have diabtetes these days. Doesn’t mean it’s good.
This woman is NOT overweight! She has a tummy. Look at most women who have given birth and you will see the same shape. This controversy points out how skewed our view has become as a result of starved (and often photoshopped) models and celebrities. She is beautiful and normal and in no way does this photo encourage people to be overweight. How many people does any one person know who looks like the images we have shoved down our throats ALL THE TIME???!
I really HATE this term “real woman”… Are you suggesting that my previous girlfriends, all who had flat stomachs, are not real women? Maybe the jogging and walking a lot every day had something to do with it?
Oh my Gawd. Where to begin. This issue has, over the years, turned into an unhealthy obsession. Look at the cover of any tabloid and you’ll see it. This woman is not fat, but I would suggest is more normal than the unrealistic shape that women are now expected to work towards becoming. This is STILL skinny. I’m now trying to get used to the notion that here in the States overweight and obesity should not be ridiculed (despite serious health issues connected to such physiques) but be seen as acceptable and okay. If THAT is a serious debate, which I question strongly, then there should be NO debate about this woman’s shape. Good Lord. We’re all nuts.
The only reason I don’t like this size is because I’m afraid there will be “backlash” against those of us who are naturally thinner. I think thin and larger models should be pictured because there is a wide range in which one can be considered “healthy” and “normal.”
I think we are forgetting that the “typical” model body type is often achieved by very unhealthy means. This model says she eats healthy and works out, and that’s more than a lot of size zero models can say who may be starving and smoking to stay “thin enough.”
OK, I AM obese, and ashamed, which is what some people want me to be. But an image like this gives me more hope that I can improve my HEALTHY size and attain “beauty” then dozens of images of the tiny figures normally seen in fashion.
If you look at Playboy magazine from the 60’s, the models bodies were varied– now, everyone looks the same. I’d like to see a return to photographs of people as they are. It’s more interesting to look at than the same old shapes and sizes all the time.
ROSS! it’s a roll of skin not fat, if you call if “fat” one more time I will fly to London and sit on you! 😛
The women I have met that I have the most respect for in the world are mothers and farmers in Southern Sudan that I worked with, whose bodies reflect the strength it takes to provide for their families in challenging circumstances. And they came in all shapes and sizes, but were all beautiful by any standards, because their bodies were honest reflections of an honest life.
Although I am a recovered anorexic, I now aspire to be as strong as these women, and they are my role models. It’s not about our bodies, it’s about our work in the world, and the minute we start measuring ourselves by the work of our hands, hearts, and heads as opposed to our bodies, the minute we will start giving ourselves the respect we deserve.
Thanks to this woman for doing her small part to change the dialogue.
It looks like she’s got some post-pregnancy fat. What’s the big deal? She doesn’t appear obese. Here in Oregon, more than 50% of the women are obese. There is a movement in the US to make female obesity acceptable, and perhaps even desirable. That’s the real problem. BTW — I’m a physician.
I am afraid that the ‘feminist’ argument that women feel the need to be skinny because men want themto is a bit too shortsighted. The ‘bodily narcissism’ is making its way to grab hold of men, too these days; the underlying issue is not only the status of women (or men) but also the need to please and to be worshipped. This is a ‘human’ need for which we all need to take responsibility – man or woman – and to blame society for one’s own tendency to feel the need to be skinny (or whatever one might feel others would like) takes self determination away from the individual.
Martin Gossmann Berlin
It’s a gimmick. I suppose it is a gimmick with good intentions however.
But models are meant to be the best examples of human beauty, whether we agree with that concept of beauty or not. This is not the best example of human beauty, even if it has good intentions.
Irrespective of the belly fat, she is not particularly beautiful, she is terribly conventional.
I don’t see there is anything wrong with her. She is healthy all american woman.
I don’t see why there is a big deal. I think the world gets to wrapped up in image and appearance.
I
If you look at classical renaissance paintings all of the women have round bellies and thighs. She is the classic beauty.
OMG she is beautiful…I can’t believe anyone would think this is promoting obesity…I think most of those comment were from men! She is a normal female body and now i feel really beautiful.. I had twins 23 years ago and have never gotten rid of that “little roll” and am a vegetarian and exercise daily.
Thank you for posing for sooo many women
Shannon
Portland OR USA
This is fat? I agree with another commenter that her stomach looks like the extra skin a woman transports after having children (which she has substantiated on-line by stating that she lost 60 pounds when much younger, but the stretched skin does recover so well as muscle that tones well with exercise). This is reality and my hat is off to Lizzie for pouring cold water on stereotyped “perfection”. This is progress… and it IS important. Healthy is who you are, not an impossible, air-brushed ideal conceived by fashion aficionados. Throw out the air-brushes and give us ONLY reality!
Tom in the US says:
This is a riot. When I heard about the picture of the “Obese/Fat” model I had an entirely different picture in my mind than the one I saw on this web site.
This woman is not fat. She is a normal/average person. Anyone who thinks she is fat is probably a candidate for Anorexia or Bulimia!
If my body looked this good I would wear only hills and thongs to work everyday. I am comfortable with my body but could stand to loose a few extra pounds. The picture is a work of art in my opinion.
I was thrilled to see the photo while reading Glamour magazine! It’s so refreshing to see someone with a normal body in a fashion magazine. I am a size 2, and I can sometimes fit into a size 0, and I too have a roll of fat around my stomach and slightly larger thighs. We are all self-conscious about our bodies and wish they were perfect, but Lizzi’s photo reminds us that nobody is perfect and we should feel comfortable with our bodies!
I’m 5’3″, 97 lb. I do yoga every morning, in relatively good shape. But when I sit, I also have a roll of fat. How can anybody say she’s fat??!
Hello objectification! I CANNOT BELIEVE that a man just referred to us in the same light as Cars in a CAR SHOW! OUTRAGEOUS!
Well… since everyone I see on a daily basis is perfect from head-to-toe Vogue material, I, personally, am very shocked by the audacity of Lizzi posing for this photo. I am completely outraged that I should have to be subjected to something so completely disturbing as a beautiful woman’s “fat roll.” Anyone who isn’t heading for the nearest waste-basket to hold off waves of nausea after seeing this picture needs to have their head examined.
Seriously? THIS is a big deal? Call me crazy, but I would hands-down rather see a real person model their real body any day. Is anyone even seeing the woman in this picture? Does her tummy make her any less stunning? I’m sorry, but I look at this photo, and I see beauty.
As a 32-year old man, I’ve been bombarded my entire life with fabricated images of what people who sell things would like me to believe beauty looks like, and while I wouldn’t call the Megan Foxes of the world ugly, it’s more than our bodies that make us who we are, and that is the most beautful thing of all. Lizzi, you are a goddess!
I would first like to say that as husband to a beautiful woman and mother of 2 who is a size 14. I think that in todays society the False impression that you have to be a size 2 to be healthy and look good is morely wrong. I must say that as we age our opinoins change due to the development of our own bodies.What we liked as a young adult doesn’t alweays stay with us. I am verry attracted to my wife and her body type and I think we need to let those models of the vuluptious kind as Lizzi should be seen and praised.These images are what we need today. I mean what % of women that read fashion magazines are actually a size 2-4. Moast magz. offer quick weight loss solutions and perscription drug adds. so my question is who really reads these? women who are in the size12-14 range anyway.
For me personally I have chosen a healthy lifestyle because I love feeling energetic and capable of anything, yet I’m aghast that anyone is calling this women overweight!!! The idea that a small belly is not okay degrades women’s natural form, motherhood, and clearly represents that corporations are winning in their ongoing program to sell women dangerous weight loss plans, elective life-threatening surgeries, and perhaps most egregiously, a smaller version of themselves (by which I am not simply referring to our bodies). Please read Naomi’s Wolf’s “The Beauty Myth”:: thanks to constant corporate pressure and patriarchal norms women now internalize the overt discrimination women fought so hard to overcome through censorship of their bodies. Anyway, this is woman is not an inanimate receptacle for your fears and biases–she’s a multi-faceted complex person who is not represented by the form she happened to take.
In general I find Americans’ excessive eating, increasing obesity and increasing eating disorders to be a symptom of our society’s schizophrenic relationship to food, which I think is thanks to extreme excess due to global greed, the plethora of pure pseudo-food crap pushed on us by corporations, and the misguided notion that there is a “perfect” form women should take exagerrated by magazines and cut-and-slice Hollywood stars.
Thank you Lizzy!!! I have a dream: that someday our daughters will not be having these discussions.
Dawn, Eating disorder for Americans, you say.
Kids live with one meal a day, says World Vision.
Mark Doyle of BBC is asking ”Why Africa is Poor ?”
And we ask ”Is there a possibility of balancing the eating habit of the world ?
We’ll truely see progress when this is not such a big deal. Beauty comes in all sizes, shapes, and colors. And its worth noting that she is very beautiful.
Promoting nudity is not something people should be doing. However, showing a budding belly bulge for heath purpose could be interesting as it could help some people be more careful about their body. What did the photo stand for? I am yet to understand.
She’s not fat!
American views on health and weight are so skewed-no wonder our girls are suffering with eating disorders and body image every day.
If we all agreed that cars with dents were the ideal, we would feature them in magazines. WE have created the so called “ideal” women’s body type, and the model body type is not the ideal for reproduction or health. There have been times in history in which Lissy Miller’s body type was considered ideal (ex; Greek).
I am troubled by the pessimism of the reporter earlier in this program, when he assumed that models who look like Ms. Miller were unlikely to be featured on the cover of any women’s magazine in the near future. As a historian, a feminist, and most of all, a woman who *does* read fashion magazines, i believe it is helpful to look at this issue with a long view. Standards of what is a “normal” or a “beautiful” woman’s body have changed over time, and will continue to change. For example, my round cheeks, high forehead, curly hair, and pale skin would qualify me as an ideal beauty in Elizabethan England; knowing that makes it less hurtful when I am teased for looking like a ghost in photographs and when i flip through magazines filled with glowing tans and pin-straight hairdos. Take a look at Renaissance art — it’s filled with beautiful nudes who look just like Ms. Miller. Current norms will change, but by being self-conscious about that fact, we can make them change faster and for the better.
Lizzie could have been the model for Le Grande Odalisque, the painting representing a woman from a harem.
She is just one of many body types. And a beautiful one it is! She is healthy and the smile reflects confidence. Being comfortable with one’s body IS much more attractive than self absorbtion. One picture cannot erase the social brainwashing we are all subject to.
You have got to be kidding!! This woman is hardly fat!! We have ridiculous expectations for women to be thin and perfect. Good for you Lizzie!!!! Marian
I am underweight for my age with a BMI < 20. When I sit I also have a skin roll on my tummy. The picture is displaying a common trait, that surely exists in size one models to different extents but is masked by the wonders of photography and airbrushing. This photo is not indicative of obesity because everybody's stomach bunches when they sit. The people insecure with this photo are surely ignorant to the physical characteristics of their own bodies!
This is a photograph of what a real woman looks like whether black or white! I am a black woman from Jamaica and it makes me feel comfortable and impressed to know that a woman is willing and able to display her ‘natural’ being. So all the impractical, unreal ‘perfectionist’ get real and accept the fact that this is what a normal, ‘real’ woman looks like.
I don’t think she’s fat, however, if you’d put glasses on her, she’d be ugly, right?
😉
It’s nice to finally see a picture in a women’s magazine that hasn’t been photoshopped to such an extreme extent that it lends younger women to believe that if you work hard enough that you can achieve waht you see int he magazine when even the models dont look like that.
I don’t see what the big deal is. She looks hot to me.
I also think that the super skinny mind-set actually works AGAINST health, in that people who are a bit bigger understand that they have no possible chance of achieving that “perfection” (not that I think it is perfect–I saw a bit of an America’s top Model last evening, and the girls were really kind of extreme.) Those larger people get discouraged, give up and just eat whatever. In this country we seem to be moving towards a dichotomous society of the very thin and the overweight. Where are all the just regular folks?
You know, if this photo of this beautiful and healthy woman won’t be allowed on the front page of Glamour, maybe it’s time we got rid of all the magazines like it…
Amen brother!
The question is one of diversity, very much related to skin color. The healthy segment of our society is not all white, nor is it all size two. I don’t believe we should celebrate obesity or anorexia in our fashion magazines. Instead, we should depict a variety of healthy individuals more reflective of the diversity thereof in society at large.
So are there going to be magazines for women that feature balding men who aren’t already celebrities? I don’t think so. It’s kinda funny how so many women view themselves are sacred cows that shouldn’t be “judged” but I remember looking at my mother’s magazines when I was growing up, and they had articles like “My husband is losing his hair, but I still love him” making it seem like they were the exception…
It’s nice not only to see the picture but to hear what she has to say. I lost over 100 pounds years ago and I also have some left-over skin. It’s inspiring to hear how Lizzi accepts her body.
Anyone saying that Ms. Lizzi Miller is unhealthy or fat needs to get their head examined!
She looks fabulous! Beautiful! Almost Voluptuous.
Three Cheers to Lizzie Miller.
OH MY GOD.. I CAN’T BELIEVE THEY PUT THIS PICTURE UP. THIS IS SO APPALLING!!!
Writing from Portland, Oregon- I think what she has done is incredibly brave and I commend Lizzie on representing so many of us women who are healthy and normal, yet still feel like we are never enough because of media and social conditioning. She is NOT fat, she looks healthy, normal and beautiful and we should have more and more women like her coming forward. There’s a huge difference between being fat and unhealthy, and having a bit of healthy meat on you. BRAVA Lizzie!
Have you ever seen the nude self portrait of Alice Neel at 80 years old. That’s a brave painting.
I find the picture interesting, because it isn’t something you would expect outside of publication focused on education rather than entertainment. I’m not sure people are starving for photos of “normal” figures. Any one of us could leave our houses and have our pick of the litter in observing average body types. People enjoy finding the rare and abnormal. Personally, finding a “perfect” body during my daily routine is very challenging, and it is fun to find those rare gems of bodies that just move you, and instill an excitement of finding something so rare. What is a perfect body to me? It isn’t a size 2, but someone with nice curves, hair, face…the whole package. I’m not a fan of skinny women. I applaud her for being so brave. I don’t think it will change society perceptions, but any time you can stir up debate, you’ve potentially started progress. As for the existence of the photo, I don’t think people go out of their way to see normalcy. I don’t see that changing. Stamp collectors, art collectors, music producers…wouldn’t exist by pursuing middle-of-the-road quality. Just think how boring a magazine called “Average” would be.
ok, first, as a red-blooded American guy, I can give you my judgement of this pic — she’s hot! nuff said there. 🙂
I’d like to mention though that the people complaining that women are treated differently regarding appearance than men seem to misunderstand reality.
Reality is that in most American cities you will find that almost no one is interested in the sexual attractiveness of men. Why? Because the majority of American men simply are NOT AT ALL sexually attractive. None of my female friends have ever rexpressed a purely physical attraction towards a man — not because they’re repressed, but rather because physically superb men are so rare here.
On the other hand those same friends frequently judge other women critically and even express attraction to them, simply because very attractive women are so numerous.
Face it — women are judged on physical appearance moreso than men are simply because it’s not useful to discriminate among men that way — we’re all a bit pudgy and funny-looking by comparison to the average woman. 🙂
Hahaha! I really liked your reply, trever.
I feel people in developed countries buy these kind of magazine and decide on how they NEED To look or not-look.
I feel PARENTS should be more influential like in under developed counties (like I am from India) – where PARENTS still tell what is good / not good for their children.
What about the Artistic paintings of the Renaissance. Fuller figures got celebrated back then.
I remember when I was college I heard about a study that was done with college aged males where they asked who would they rather date? A woman that is considered overweight or a woman that is suffering from Anorexia. I can’t remember the exact percentage but it was outrageously high like 85-90% would rather date someone that is anorexic.
I feel people in developed countries buy these kind of magazine and decide on how they NEED To look or not-look.
I feel PARENTS should be more influential like in under developed counties (like I am from India) – where PARENTS still tell what is good / not good for their children.
The fact that more women than men are up at arms about the photo just proves the point that we women have been conditioned to be disapproving of our bodies and to feel unattractive when the men in our lives (for those who are hetero) are perfectly happy with the way we are. Research shows that women’s ideal attractive body is even thinner than men’s ideal for women. So much unnecessary neuroticism and unhappiness…
Dear,
Lizzie looks perfectly natural…………I appreciate it, cause whatever your looks may be, you need to accept it the way you are……………bravo……..
I have similar ideas about myself as well and I am happy the way I am……….
I think the sad thing is that in this battle of ideas we are literally missing the broad diversity of beauty that is clearly shown in all women by squeezing it into so narrow a definition. I wish people in this modern day were a little more free thinking.
I’m shocked that anyone would find this photo anything but beautiful! She looks alive and — dare I say it?! — human. The negative reaction to this photo is disturbing and a sign that unrealistic images propagated by visual media have truly taken control of what we should find beautiful and healthy.
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that “Between 2000 and 2006, the percentage of girls who believe that they must be thin to be popular rose to 60% from 48%”
I’m glad that Lizzi is comfortable with her appearance. Hopefully, young girls will be able to pry themselves free of the “perfect woman” stereotype in the near future because of her.
My late wife, rest her soul, had a belly just like that, and I loved her for it. She never made a big deal of it, and neither will I.
Lizzi is a fine-looking woman, and she’s certainly no less “perfect” because of her stomach!
Hello Roz,
I never heard of that lady before. So I went browsing around and discover that she was 20. At first, I thought that she might just have given birth, which proves to be wrong.
So, to me, the photo was not an issue until the body that looks more like the one of a woman in her 30 is the one of a 20 yo one! Obese she is not, but she is already slightly overweighted. That is not too healthy.
At the end of the day, if she is fine as she is and she seems, I do not have any opinion other than the above. Just one thought. The USA is a male society where women are successful if at 100 they look like 18. Therefore, it is all about market and that is what Glamour is about. I wonder if that picture is just a marketing coup and if the lady is part of it (which she will not tell). By the way, if women buys such magazine is probably for the same one than men will buy undressed women magazine: dream! Otherwise just remember those men and women at the beach this summer.
Cheers
This photo is no big deal but… obesity is. Lizzi may have a roll of fat, but her health isn’t in danger. But the “I am who I am” crowd who wants people to “understand” that fat doesn’t make them bad people is missing one thing: A size 16 woman is going to have more health problems that a normal weight woman because of her weight but is not generally penalized with higher health insurance premiums. I don’t want to be the one to pay for your insulin, your dialysis or your lapband surgery. Your lack of consideration for your own health and the wretched excess that got you into that shape disgusts me.
Size 16 is hardly obese, Suzie! Last I checked, 16 was the “normal” size in the US!!
Models model clothes and almost any clothes will look good on a size zero. If only clothes were designed to flatter those of us with stomaches and thighs etc… If this will promote clothes that fit better it would be great.
A lot of people have already mentioned that this is really a silly debate since there are much more important things going on in the world, however I do agree that the imprinting of “beauty” into Western minds is really bizarre. Even though I’m only twenty, I’ve dated all kinds of women, from size 0s to the “voluptuous”. I’ve settled down with a woman whose shape can best be described as the standard 1950s housewife, and even she is often concerned about the shape of her body. I find this extremely odd because she’s as healthy as anyone else and she’s constantly being approached by men despite, and perhaps because of, the fact that shes got a little bit of pudge in the stomach and has an ample tush. It has always concerned me when any of my partners went far out of their way to break from their natural body type in order to fit into the concepts of beauty that are put into our minds, and I wish people (both men and women) were taught that they should be confident in what they naturally are, because that’s who they really are.
check out my friend’s blog about body image issues and women.
i can’t believe that this picture made anyone think twice.
Also, Glamour is not to be celebrated. One generous intelligent gesture does not make up for the constant attention to woman-as-object meant to be shaped and primped that this magazine espouses in every single issue!
This picture is gorgeous. This is a picture of a real body. Thank you, Lizzi! Women are expected to be perfect and artificial, and we’ve internalized those negative and damaging expectations for years. For a magazine like Glamour to choose to publish this will hopefully offset some of damaging effects.
What a beautiful image!! It is a wonderful day when a REAL female image is honored for it’s humanity (as in lack of perfection – thank goodness) rather than for continuing the fantasy of a platonic physical idea.
I am saddened by those who feel comfortable with themselves criticizing her beautiful body, she is most certainly NOT fat, she is real and human. How did we come to a place where bodies are a forum for criticism anyway?
this honest image is a brilliant success!
I love it and thank the model for sharing her beauty!
Thank you, thank you.
She appears quite healthy. I would, however, argue that we should encourage health in magazines (note again: I am saying this woman isn’t fat at all, she looks very healthy, and beautiful. I’m just reacting to the response). It is good to see any person happy in their own skin, whether they are athletic, fat, or thin.
However, just because the status quo is that Americans overeat and don’t take care of themselves doesn’t mean we should encourage it. If poor health and a lack of self-control becoming more common we should work harder to encourage better eating and exercise habits, not lower our standards. Just because we feel bad doesn’t mean we should coddle people. But I guess let’s just encourage smoking too, because we feel bad for the addicted? It’s no different.
Thanks to this picture of Lizzi, we can all now remove our clothes and stop buying magazines that promote anorexia.
Please get a more knowledgeable guest rather than that foolish feminist with her stock long disproved topical feminist notions of all the evils as being “patriarchical”. She just shows the levels of ignorance with the uneducated but literate class. Next time please get an evolutionary biologist there to set behavior in biological context.
Thanks
Aaron
Let’s be honest with ourselves. Women’s fashion magazines reflect the fact that women use fashion to compete with other women, in the workplace and for the attention of successful men.
Men seek out two types of women for two different reasons. Sucessful men choose thin women as a status symbol, as part of competition in business. But check out that sucessful man’s mistress. If his wife is a toothpick, he will invariably prefer women who have generous breasts and a curvy bottom.
Face it, women with a more generous figure are more sexy. Women with little body fat have lower hormone levels and have a lessened desire for sex. Obese women and men are not desirable, but a generous-figure curvy woman is universally desired by men in personal relations.
The fashion media’s perspective is skewed by the fashion designer’s preference to use models who are tall and young, and thus are thin. Ask a man to tell which body type he desires as a sex partner and you will learn that he prefers the figure that also carries some fat.
It’s true….I don’t believe any woman can be 100% comfortable all the time…that is perfection…it’s not happening.
I think she looks great. My wife is a professional dancer (flamenco and ballet) and is a very pretty and tiny 0-2, that doesnt meant I cant look at Lizzy and see a beautiful woman as well. Some people (myself included) can easily find beauty in a larger girl, She isnt fat by anymeans, she has great legs, a georgeous face and on air it seems a wonderful personality to match.
Great Job Lizzy!
I think the point is that women are more than ever seen as objects and expected to conform to very narrow standards of so-called “Beauty”. Being a female is still unfortunately for many people all about being desireable by the male sexual brain. Males are allowed to exist in many more dimensions.
By the wayt, that woman looks like someone who had a pregnancy or a cesarean and in now way does it say to me that she is “fat” or has done anything that she needs to be ashamed of.
This photo does not bother me at all. She looks like a healthy woman. We should be more appalled at the skeletons that pass for models in most fashion shoots.
Men don’t want women to be skinny, just look at Playboy or what you brits call the lads magazines, men like women with curves.
It seems to be women and gay men designers who call the shots in the fashion world who demand skinny models.
What a whole lot of nothin’! This was a story about feeling comfortable with body imperfections. Of course she’s imperfect in that her tummy and thigh are chubbier than the ideal; silly to argue that.
Thorsten Veblen said it years ago in “Theory of the Leisure Class.” In well-fed societies, being thin is fashionable. In undernourished societies (like India), chubbier is considered attractive.
Where people have to work in the sun all day, pale skin is cherished. If most people work indoors, a suntan suggests the ability to take a vacation.
In short, it’s always the status that stands out from the norm that constitutes the ideal.
Jonathan
San Francisco
I am a size zero but 5’3″, which is way too short in the modeling industry. Bottom line is this: live a healthy lifestyle and accept whatever results come of that. Someone somewhere will always find fault with the way you look. I live by this quote from Diane von Furstenburg, “You’re always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company.”
You have all these guests stating that it’s impossible for women to feel good in their own skin. This is a self imposed prison women put themselves. I’ve yet to meet a woman that actually has self esteem. Women are very competitive with each other, as Lizzie is even admitting as we speak. Women need to work on their self esteem and stop being so competitive with each other.
Steve,
This is, by no means, exclusively self-imposed. We all have a role in the imposition of this “prison” and we wont be able to address it in full if we persist viewing it as a women’s issue. This is a social issue and every member in society has a role in perpetuating it and has the power to contribute in the efforts to eliminate it.
Do I feel comfortable in my own skin? Yes, actually. I am not a size 2, I am not 14 years old, I am putting on a bit of weight from inactivity due to arthritis, I have a few lines due to age ( nearly fifty ) but in spite of it all I am quite comfrotable in my own skin even though the fashion industry has done its level best to make me feel ugly all of my life.
We are women not girls !
I don’t know if this was a reply to my comment, but I’ll respond. If you don’t want us men to compare ourselves to brad pitt or ryan reynolds, then maybe women can stop comparing themselves to angelina jolie :-). No one expects a post-menopausal woman to look like a flat-stomached 19 year old model with no fine lines, etc…I’m not sure why women are under the impression that men think like that.
In fact- my girlfriend is young, like me, and she’s got a teensy little belly, and I think it’s the cutest thing ever. Bellies are cute, on guys and girls, and big guts are not cute, on either guys or girls. It’s the difference between being healthy and unhealthy, basically. That’s what we look for in a mate, in general *shrug*
Some girls are too hard on their fellow women out of the insecurity that the commercial industry has indoctrinated in us. When you are insecure, you bully others to make yourself better.
We need people to strive to be perfect for the drive of perpetual betterment of themselves that is why models should be “perfect”
Again aim for the stars and if you fail you will land on the moon.
While body image of women is still an area targeted to perpetuate gender-based oppression against women, this is at the tip of an “iceberg” of a problem. This is a part of a larger pervasive issue that is painfully visible. Yet, most of the overwhelming size of this “iceberg” is under water, is not as visible and so complex that we rather talk about the smaller parts that are visible. Still, the discussion of body image doesn’t need to become a distraction but rather an opportunity to go deeper. In my view, any door that might give us access to the discussion of the rampant inequality women face every day is worth exploring.
I’m sure that, even as we speak, the marketing gurus have drawn their own conclusions from the discussions on this small trial balloon. My guess a regular “normal person of the month” feature on page 47.
I am an African-American female, size 12-14 and while I wish my thighs were thinner and my rump was smaller, I am confident in who I am – the photo on my blog was taken wearing size 12 jeans! I work out 4-5 times a week, I have a personal trainer. I eat well and drink lots of water, but at 44, I am who I am. The one thing to remember in all the conversation is you can have tremendous physical beauty but still be unattractive if you’re a jerk! Work on your outside, but nurture your inside!
Women often gang up and criticize each other often to draw attention away from their own faults. “I may be a total jerk, but at least I don’t have a poochy stomach like her!!”
If this small view of extra skin causes such a storm, imagine how women feel getting undressed in front of men (many of whom are “obese”).
Men have been programmed by world media to expect perfection, she’s better looking than the average woman, in my humble opinion. But I argue, the power of self esteem is a more potent attraction for a mate (female or male) by far. Where’s the discussion about intellect being sexy?
Thank god my boyfriend accepts me as beautiful the way I am.
Cheers,
Chase
It would be a breath of fresh air for a woman to aspire to want to invent something, rather than to want to be beautiful.
Steve, take a look at a scientific journal, or any professional journal, to find not just “women who aspire to want to invent something,” but women who really, and routinely, invent things and otherwise show themselves every bit the equal of men. “Glamour” magazine, however, is about being beautiful. Each in its place.
So much thought on models and beauty are way off. It seems so obvious, that it is odd you actually have to say it. Models are employed because of the way they look, fat or skinny. Some agent or other finds them pretty. It is a job, that if you wish to call it superficial, it almost seems beside the point. How could it not be superficial? That is the whole point. That is the very nature of the job. To suggest it should be something more is lunacy!
The requirement for the job is inherently about aesthetic beauty, nothing more—you do not create this beauty through intellect. Our talking and obsession of late, stating the obvious, that models are rare because they are so pretty, is like spending time obsessing over boxers being strong, it is pointless. There is nothing there. There is no concept to discuss. Models are a scapegoat for other ills we can’t reconcile in life and culture.
Lizzi is BEAUTIFUL. Let’s try to evolve as humans & start practicing what our parents and kindergarten teachers taught us… beauty comes from within. People are so much more than their outer appearance!
It’s not impossible to feel good about your body.
Sit with yourself and think the thoughts and feel the feelings you have about your body; then let them go.
With Love,
WJ
Just had a look at the photo: honestly, from wat people are saying on the rado I was thinking she was grotesquely fat! She’s got a bit of a tummy on her – so what? I wasslim all my life, just natually slim, I could eat whatever I wanted, I never even thougt about it. Never went on any kind of diet and couldn’t understand women who did, always seemed liked pointless torture to me that practically never worked. Now I am over 50 I have put weight on and it doesn’t concern me in the slightest. My friend’s 8 year old daughter was starving herself beause she wanted to look like some pop-star – that really does disturb me….
Hello!
This photo is not offensive at all. If she were to stand up her belly would look just fine!! Has she had a baby or two? If not, no big deal either. She’s lovely, as are all healthy women. The world really must get over judging people so harshly.
Cheers!
Charlotte Worcester
San Francisco, CA, USA
Hi
I’m an indian staying in Kuwait. I think Lizzie looks very pretty and here in the middle east, there are a lot of girls who are not “perfect” but are appreciated by everyone. You dont have to be thin to be pretty at all.
There is a wonderful psychological study in which women are asked their ideal body type, what they think men ideally want women’s bodies to be like, and what they think other women think is ideal. The majority choose a thinner body type as their own ideal and a larger body type as what they think men want, and again the thinner body type as what they think other women want. So, yes, women dress and diet to please other women.
Pleasing in the sense they want to make other women happy? Or, pleasing in the sense they think they will look better then other women—a competitive sense?
BBC – can I edit the above? It has countlesss mistakes…
I think she has a beautiful body. I do think they could have chosen a more flattering position though… I do think, though, that models should be skinny. Models are meant to show off cloths and act as more of a hanger. We need to stop fostering the idea that women aren’t strong enough emotionally to be happy and confident with themselves just because they don’t look like the models in magazines. We are more than that.
Ross,
I know that you guys say the audience chooses the topic
but this is ridiculous. Today’s discussion smelled suspiciously of
roast hot-button issue with a side of celebrity sauce.
Please don’t make a habit out of pandering to the rabble
who buy gossip magazines and those
silly weekly newspapers that are so popular in your country
and others.
You guys are better than this.
Have some standards for crying out loud.
How delightful to see BBC News reporting on a feature in Glamour Magazine. Journalism at it’s finest. I feel so informed.
The model herself stated that if she could be a thinner with a flat tummy that she would do it in a snap. That rests the conversation as to what women aspire to.
A
Beautifull…what else can you say.
This discussion is unbelievable! Lizzi is a beautiful woman, NOT fat at all! How anyone can call herself a feminist and then, in the next sentence, call Lizzi’s photo “gross,” is much more about what goes on in the mind of the poster (Vijay) than about Lizzi or any other healthy, fit woman.
A lot of this discussion is also about youth, and about how so many people equate youth with beauty. That might have an evolutionary advantage, but surely we value things today for other things besides their biological worth.
When I look at this photo the first thing I notice is what sets her apart from most other models – she has a genuine, unselfconscious smile on her face, which for me is far more appealing (and erotic!) than seeing a nude woman with a “perfect” body who looks like she doesn’t want to be there.
Male writing from Australia. she is dazzlingly beautiful. This is really big change for the skinny anorexic looking modeler and good role model for young girls. i feel good for her and for showing what she is and what p’ple should look as natural as we are. because i hate look those anorexic models. she is natural looking and beautifull. let her luv youself.
Do you think this woman is beautiful, happy, healthy, real? Its up to you to decide. Are you offended by the nudity (although all significant areas are not exposed)? That is your choice. Whether or not she is fit we cannot say simply from a photo. Realize that genetics and changing hormones determine body shape, proportions, fat deposition and storage, muscle tone and mass etc. Exercise and good nutrition (cut your carbs) can influence all these things in a beneficial way and everyone should live in a healthy way; but most people will never achieve a magazine cover look even if they are fit.
As far as the central fat issue goes, the real unhealthy culprit is internal body cavity fat, not the subcutaneous type shown in this picture.
When it comes to the critique of women’s bodies, I come to the BBC World Service. Because I just can’t get that anywhere else.
Hi, I’m a dress designer cutting into larger sizes. My first 30 mins consult with a client is about loving your body and shape, to have confidence because you are all women. I struggle to find very curvy models for photo shoots so that my clients can relate to. More media with Lizzi would make my life easier. GO GIRL YOU ROCK,
Caroline Guidi
Carlton Vic
Australia
For all the men (and women) who had negative comments about her body, I bet you’re no treat to look at naked in that position either.
Hasn’t anyone looked at classic paintings of beautiful women? Renoir’s paintings of Venus and The Laundress (the model for both was his wife) show a woman half again the size of the woman in the photo all this fuss is about. Ruebens and Titian both painted well-rounded women. Or look at Goya’s two paintings of the Dutchess of Alba, one clothed, the other nude. IIn this “controversial” photo, it’s the pose and not the flesh that’s wrong.
I grew up in Hollywood, and the Barbie doll was created for my generation, but I have never appreciated the standard of beauty presented by either. Obesity is neither healthy nor esthetically pleasing, but voluptuous curves are both. It’s time we stop letting the media and the toy companies set our standards of beauty.
I have to ask WHYS: is today THAT slow of a news day :)? In one sense it is a big deal because everyone knows that being fat is not healthy. Fat people can try and justify it all they want. But name one medical/psychological benefit from being overweight.
I’m just guessing here, that she has better cholesterol, better respiratory and cardio health than most people complaining about her looks.
Well, very creative work, I must say, by Glamour.
I had abdominal surgery years ago and try as I might can’t lose the roll of fat above the incision. It was very encouraging to me to see a beautiful lady with a similar “sweet-roll.” Thanks Lizzi for being so honest with your image.
l listened to the programme with my girl friend. we started contamplating how fat is the model.gudging by what am looking at and the fact that as an african naturaly we ,we do not admire so much skinny women, l think l can confidently say that she is not anywhere near obesity.
if anyone has doubt as to the african mans’ preference let them conduct some survey
and you will be shocked at how many men who do not like skinny women. please bbc do that research for me
Hi, the woman in the photo is obviously very beautiful and she looks confident, which is most important. We’d better stop trying to fit in other people’s categories (people we don’t even know) of what is ‘ideal’ (there is no such thing). Most women and girls, and most men, are certainly not ‘ideal’, and surely there’s a lot more to a human being than just skin and bone! When you have a good relationship with your partner, he or she feels alright to you, no matter how thick the role on his or her tummy may be. It’s a question of having positive feelings, of acceptance or – if not -of how narrow-minded and self-conscious you can be. To those whose norms for beauty are that strict, I can only say I pity you, as it must be a very hard life that way. This has nothing to do with a biassed appreciation of thin or thick (that’s categorising people), it is the scope that matters: can you like a rather slim body AND also a body with nice rounded curves and see the perfection of ‘a body’ in itself? Of course we also value a healthy lifestyle, so I am not talking about extremes, but the norm in the West nowadays is still unfriendly for woman and degrading for all humans. I hope more people will one day come to their senses!
Wow, what a beautiful smile! She looks very happy and relaxed.
I think that this entire photo, is being blown way out of control….But, I think that; At least this lady has a healthy outlook on her body image….
=Dennis Junior=
NOW FINALLY A REAL WOMAN ON THE NET, NOT A COMPUTER GENERATED IMPOSTER.
Now to all you men out there this is how most women look. They contain flaws so don’t be fooled by the “perfect” figures on tv.
I was reading that Britney Spears worked out five times a day to maintain her figure. She probably doesn’t have a job. Wow what a life.
A naked woman really generates alot of buzz. This is the most hits I have seen in such a short time on one topic on WHYS. I think I’ll have to rethink my career path in life.
What’s wrong with this world? She looks like she should….Lizzie, and she’s beautiful. Please….unhealthy? Give me a break. The people that are ranting about her ‘fat’ or ‘unhealthy’ body should take a snapshot of themselves….Bet they would look much less acceptable. Plus, a slight roll of ‘skin’, is hardly unfit.
Can I just say it bothers me anyone would find this offensive? I find it refreshing! Good for you Lizzie!
Katie
I am a waif-type petite , dressed to kill in rags designed by les lagerfelds, who do not have
women on their minds, I look a stunner.
In the nude, my ripcage sticks out. My ex called me skinny, he insisted on fattening me up,
I refused as it would have meant eating german sausages which i loath and giving up my daily jogging routine which I love.
He cheated on me with a woman who looks faintly like Ms Miller ,we split up-all water under a bridge-my new boyfriend loves me the way I am, even morphing into a super-size valkurie wouldn´t
put him off, at least that´s what he says-
I not so sure about that, maybe I can figure it out when I take a run to jog my brain.
Expanding our too-narrow definition of what is considered beautiful is a good thing. Bravo for including this shot. Hope we see more.
I think she is a lovely woman, natural and obviously for that instant comfortable in her body.
We should all strive to find that peace within.
As a large woman, and a nude model at a local art school, I’ve only once heard a student make a rude comment, more often I was complimented on my beauty and inner strength.
well in africa, we consider her a beautiful woman. A woman is not supposed to look like a man (which is what most models look like).But this is a beautiful woman whose figure should be celebrated istead of condemning her. I dont know what is wrong with people in the western world, if someone has some meat on their bones then they are fat. it is these people who make the young girls get all these eating disorders. what would you gain to be size zero when you are not truly happy with yourself.
I think there is no problem with the picture it does not portray unhealthy eating, in Africa most women don’t eat junk food but yet there shapes look quite similar or even bigger than her. Lets face, it is time that we do not need to put standards on how one should look like!
I have better work to do than discuss about other people’s bodies! How they want to look is their business. Why should I care? People who don’t have any other good work to do will ogle at women & comment on their bodies. Don’t you have any better topic than this to discuss?
(Deryck/Trinidad @ September 4, 2009 at 02:06 )
That is true….At least, these pictures are not computer generated and, they are real!!!!
=Dennis Junior=
She is stunning. The fact that she has a bit of a tummy means that she’s had a kid and is fertile. What could be more of a stimulant to mankind’s basest urges?
What a beautiful photo of a beautiful real woman who dares to display her love handles!
Here’s the problem:
They present a very narrow view of the ideal,
then convince you that it is actually “normal”.
The woman looks like maybe she had a child
a year or two ago. Quite natural.
Beauty comes in different shapes and sizes. However, there is notting wrong with adding a little flavour to it.
@ Don : ” I feel she needs to shed those extra pounds for her health’s sake. But, my gf finds her cute just the way she is & could care about the health angle!”
Where did you get the idea that that amount of fat is a health problem? Most female models do not have a fat percentage high enough to support a healthy endocrine system. Do you “worry” about them, as well?
This woman seems to be quit fine, “From a health angle”.
@ Anita : “well in africa, we consider her a beautiful woman. A woman is not supposed to look like a man (which is what most models look like).But this is a beautiful woman whose figure should be celebrated istead of condemning her. I dont know what is wrong with people in the western world”
I wouldn’t hold Africa up as a place that successfully manages to avoid condemning women. Granted, most cultures throughout history have projected male fears onto women and condemned women for various social problems and male emotional problems, but the African continent houses some of the misogynist cultures in the world.
What is that thing around her waist, though? There appears to be a band of some kind, and it is probably pushing up the belly like to create rolls when she sits down.
She’s a beautiful woman. There’s no real story here.
Bravo.
This only shows how much we’ve grown accustomed to a PhotoShop’d reality. This is what a human being of her age looks like in real life. The comment ‘or does this show how far women still have to go’ is only partially valid, it should be appended with ‘and how far we ourselves still have to go’ because both are true.
A few years ago someone, I think Scientific American magazine, published a study of the average woman of the world, I remember that the average height was five feet four inches but I don’t recall the other statistics.
I don’t know how to search that out , maybe someone who is internet savvy would search it out and post a link here.
Also, just recently I heard that the Dutch are the tallest people in the world on average.
Maybe someone can gather up a bunch of such statistics and post them here so that folks can see where they fit in, between reality and advertising ideals.
Hmm, statistics on requirements for Haute Couture models too, to compare with the world averages.
I have seen picture is showing great look i have never seen ever this kind of picture and basically we not able find this kind of model displaying her tummy and even they have by edit it will change to thin and this nude pictures is new look in the women glamour world.
i real like it very much….
Ahmad
I have just gotten my own belly “roll.” I am getting attention for it in public now, people staring at me at the grocery and on the street. Even though my roll is actually a baby, I have to try hard not to be self conscious when people are staring at me. Why in the world do they bother staring? They couldn’t think yet that it is a baby–
As for the comment that this search for beauty and physical perfection is part of our evolutionary framework, the woman in this photo is of ideal child-bearing form. The physical ideal that has been perpetuated is underweight and unhealthy.
As a man, I’d say this woman is more beautiful than the average model for exactly the reason she’s been criticized!
Josh, straight males are a minority in society. It’s not clear why so much attention should be given to what they think about women at all.
First, the depiction feeds the idea that we have come to be a civilized society and a picture of a semi naked person is no big deal compared to what others are displaying. Why does it even have to be shown? Why did I look at it? The gradual adjustment from fully clothed to this picture actually took a long time to happen. Many centuries. It is not the content of the picture, but the intent of the model,photographer and viewers. Each one needing to examine their motives. To think someone might have been stoned for such a thing or less some time ago!
I think the point she’s trying to get across is that more people should study the meaning of the ancient, pictorial representations of Amenhotep IV or as he called himself Akhenaten.
More Canova than Rubens.a certain graceful elegance .She should pose for a contemporary sculpure as a Muse.I don’t hear the song “Jelly Roll blues”in the background.Carved in alabaster standing on a marble pedestal in Moma she would give cause for thoughtful contemplation of modern woman.quite at home with other beautiful woman in fine art.over the centuries.
Having normal body in a glamour magazine is not a big deal, instead a positive step. I’m a male and I do think that she has a healthy body and also that the women should have a healthy lifestyle, not like those starving girls.
However, healthy doesn’t mean being fat. This particular lady has overall a good body, but not that belly-roll. She definitely needs to work that out. That’s a way bigger than what you can call “natural”.
BTW, the people, who argue in favour of women should not necessarily pay attention to their body, don’t seem very justified. The nature has designed men to be identified with their strength and women with their beauty. If this gap fills up, there wont be any attraction, a vital factor for living beings.
I wonder why this phenomenon is pointing to esteem and evolution.. clearly the United States of America is unhealthy. Perhaps the verdict should be that we need to consider the health of the whole and not the individual. I think the conversation should be about how the reformation of health care and the regulation of profiteers in the food industry. Just a thought that I’ve been musing with over the weekend. Thoughts?
I think she isn’t fat at all. I often appreciate European paintings and find naked women who are more glamour in them.
As a real woman, she looks healthy and I support her.
I don’t know; But, it did deal a big blow to my composure!
She isn’t fat, she’s healthy