Self Magazine: Fall in love with your body: Naked, clothed, anytime

Self Magazine’s feature leads you to think this article is about celebration and acceptance

Celebratory and Accepting it is not.

First and foremost, I love my blog, I love being able to bring you the latest in plus size fashion, news, and issues. Showing the strides and celebrating our successes is what drives me to bring you the best resources for you to love your body, keeping you Curvy.Confident.Chic. However, I also feel that it is just as important to expose societal flaws about the perception of health and beauty…

Enter in Self Magazine

Self Magazine, a woman’s magazine focusing on healthy living pulled a quick one this month in its February issue- one that has me reeling with frustration. As if it not bad enough that the fashion industry is trying to declare there is not plus size model industry in Australia, we (plus size women), battle the ignorance and disdain constantly portrayed in the various media.

What is this quick one you ask?

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you read, “Fall in love with your body?”

Tips, tools, or maybe a guide like AnyBody.org, showing you how to live and love your body, yes?

No.

In an effort to throw you a curve ball, Self Magazine’s title deceives not only YOU but some of the models by showing you that while you may be confident, or love yourself, your  “figure could harm your future health.”

Instead of showing various women, and their flaws learning to love themselves, they pick apart what they are doing wrong, spew statistics, and do nothing to celebrate these beautiful women- but the worst was the presentation of the proud Latina plus size model and Plus Model Magazine contributor, Suzette.

Under the impression of sporting her confidence, Suzette proudly fashioned an  implied nude  shot, holding a white board in front of her, all smiles, with her hand on curvy hip exuding confidence when compared to the other models represented.  What was not shared what was going to be photoshopped onto the white board!

The board’s text:

SUZETTE BANZO: A confident woman whose figure could harm her future health

Excuse me?

I had the pleasure of talking with this vivacious, curvy, and confident plus model and she shares her experience about this shoot and the societal implications behind this:

When I responded to the casting for the article, I was thrilled to represent a plus size Latina whose culture shaped what the ideal of beauty is.  When I was growing up, having curves, a full derrière, shapely ample hips and thick thighs were perceived as very desirable.  Granted, they are preferably on a woman ranging from a size 6-12, but as I gained weight, I never lost the confidence that was instilled in me.  I agreed to participate in taking some cholesterol tests and a body fat test because they wanted to add the angle that we could be healthy and unhealthy at various sizes.  Since my medical history has always been positive, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to educate readers that appearances and opinions on health risks can be deceiving when it comes someone that is my size.

Before it went to print the fact checker called to tell me what they planned to write in the article.   They were going to state that although I have confidence, I am a high risk for Diabetes.  I was not tested at the shoot for diabetes.  They never asked about my family history, or did a blood sugar level, or other blood test (other than cholesterol).   I quickly opposed this by stating that nobody in my family has diabetes, in fact, both of my full figured grandmothers died in their nineties and neither had diabetes.  I understand that you are trying to educate readers that Hispanics as a whole are at a high risk, but diabetes does not just affect Blacks, Hispanics, or full figured women.  After deliberation, we settled on them including that I have no family history of diabetes, but keeping the Hispanic statistic.

What I was most disappointed in was when I saw the implied nude shot had the words “A confident woman whose figure could harm her future health”.  My first reaction was, ’so could a speeding car!’  I work at maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and work on projects that promote confidence and having a positive body image.  The article reads, “Fall in Love with Your Body…”  I HAVE! I AM THERE!  I want other full size women to love themselves too.  I see a photo where I look lovely, confident, hand on my hip, fat thighs for all to see and readers can gasp if they need to, but I LOVE ME!    The first page in this article made me smile reading the quote about loving my size 16 curves. The article also points out that I’m on a Mediterranean diet, and would like to tone up while maintaining my curves.   Then I look at the lovely photo, and see that they took my positivity, my confidence and flipped it into something negative, derogatory… I’m harming my health, and implying that I’m delusional. I can be in love with my body…yet it does not matter.  The article also exposes the health risks of a few slender women.  Their signs read “A thrill seeker who lets her health slide when life gets too stressful” and “A young professional whose body confidence wavers”. According to their profiles, they could have just as easily imposed messages like “A thrill seeker whose figure could harm her future health” or “A recovering anorexic whose past can change the future of her health.”

The article also offers a Love-Your-Body Solution: Rather than obsessing over your so-called flaws, appreciate what your body does for you.  Gee, I thought that is what I did.  I thought that was my message.  How does writing that my “figure could harm my future health” inspire readers to fall in love with their bodies? If you figure it out, please let me know.

It is a shame and such a frustration… but my question to you is… your thoughts?