TresSugar

"Fat" Kate Moss Is a Sign of Lean Times?

TresSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Kate Moss, fairly or not, has been a symbol for heroin-chic and anorexia since the mid-90s when, at the tender age of 14, her modeling career took off.

Making her the symbol for unhealthy thinness has always seemed unfair to me for many reasons. Some healthy teenagers are scrawny looking; Kate's body type has always been on the waifish side (especially compared to the size-six early '90s glamazons like Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford); and since then, her slender '90s frame has been replaced by the truly skeletal clothes-hanger body types on the runway.

But her body and its symbolism is back on the table: a recent article makes a connection between a heftier Kate Moss (yes, that's supposed to be visual evidence right there) and the economic crisis. Want to understand the reasoning? Then read more.

People are describing Kate as fat not as an insult, but with admiration. According to researchers, in lean economic times, men prefer heavier women (to make up for their leaner wallets and hence, depleted egos); people are eating more processed food because it's cheaper and gaining weight; and counting calories seems too self-involved. Whatever the case, it's fascinating that we haven't stopped looking at Kate's body as a barometer of what's going on in culture. She must be used to it by now.

Source

French Parliament Outlaws Thinness

CitizenSugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:42:23 -0700

While we all know French women don't get fat, now they might be forbidden by law to appear too thin. The French parliament's lower house passed a controversial bill today that will make it illegal for anyone - that includes fashion magazines, advertisers, and websites - to publicly encourage extreme thinness.

If the bill passes the French Senate, the no-thin law will be the strongest of its kind. The measure was proposed in partial response to the 2006 anorexia-linked death of a Brazilian model. Her death has spurred efforts throughout the international fashion industry to address the impact of glorifying and showing ultrathin models.

The Conservative author of the law went so far as to argue that encouraging anorexia or severe weight loss should be punishable in court. The bill will give judges the power to imprison and fine offenders up to $47,000 if found guilty of "inciting others to deprive themselves of food" to an "excessive" degree. To see the fashion industry's response, read more.

Industry leaders in French couture are opposed to the idea of legal boundaries on beauty standards, and doctors warn that the link between seeing images of extreme thinness and anorexia is hazy at best. The president of the influential French Federation of Couture, said he was not aware how expansive the proposed measure was, but firmly expressed his disapproval of such a sweeping measure.

Never will we accept in our profession that a judge decides if a young girl is skinny or not skinny. That doesn't exist in the world, and it will certainly not exist in France.

Do we need government protection from unhealthy images of thinness? Should ads that encourage anorexia through showing the super skinny, be a crime? Is it the government's duty to ban this kind of speech, or should we be able to filter out negative images for ourselves? Will the ban make for a more hospitable environment?
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Plastic Surgery For "Designer Vaginas" Is on the Rise

TresSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0800

It's hard to believe that although women have enough to worry about, some of them worry about having perfect-looking genitals. "Designer vagina" surgery such as labioplasty is still on the rise. A procedure like labioplasty, which starts at $5,000, involves trimming back what might be perceived as a protruding labia. Yikes.

Some critics say that many women go into these surgeries without fully understanding the risks. Will there be complications in childbirth? Will these surgeries affect sexual pleasure? These critics also question whether anyone in the medical community should even perform surgeries to "trim, sculpt and perfect" genitals. Perhaps, they reason, women should get psychological counseling instead of genital cosmetic surgery. (The desire to "perfect" your genitals could be a sign you have body dysmorphic disorder.)

If looking at a picture of a thin, perfect model makes some women seek "perfection" by dieting or exercising, where exactly are women getting their ideas of what a perfect vagina looks like? Porn? Help me out here.

Hearing Others Have Sex

DearSugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 07:00:00 -0800

In the apartment where I live, saying the walls are thin is a major understatement - I'm constantly hearing my neighbors having sex. While it totally grosses me out, I have to say I'm happy for them. I do feel a little guilty when I pass them in the hallway, but do you think they have any idea that I can hear their most intimate moments?

Has this ever happened to you? Do you ever hear your neighbors having sex? If so, do you bang on the walls? Joke about it with them later? Or do you just grin and bear it, and try your best to ignore it?

Source

Ask Two Guys About Guys: Why the Incessant Package-Adjusting?

TresSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:00:32 -0800

Colin Nissan and Sean Farrell of Don't Be That Guy fame have graciously agreed to answer some burning questions we women folk have about men. You guys were not loving their answer to a woman's question "Why isn't he calling me?" but this week they head into less controversial territory. Check it out!

This week's question: "Why do men need to adjust their packages so much?"

To hear what the Two Guys have to say, read more.

What’s simply written off as a lewd display of machismo is often a great deal more complex.

Climate plays a critical role in male package adjustment. In the humidity of summer months many guys experience what the medical community refers to as Swamp Balls or Jungle Johnson. Shifting things around is often our only hope for relieving this dreaded, Amazonian discomfort. Scientifically speaking, when the crotch heats up, the ball sac loosens, thinning the skin and causing temperatures to rise. Our balls begin to slide haphazardly against one another, not unlike two Jell-O-lubed wrestlers jockeying for position in the ring. It’s our job to step in and separate the two to give them time to cool off.

Underwear physics are also worth discussing. In the world of briefs, sometimes we simply need to push the curious old turtle back into its shell, if you know what we mean (the turtle is our penis.) With boxers, it’s very common for the fabric to ride up into the crevices of our inner thighs and to drag an excruciating pube or two with it. Rolling the fabric down must be done very carefully to minimize the pain, which explains why our hands are actually inside our pants a lot.

Hopefully the next time you see a guy fiddling publicly with his privates, you’ll be able to temper your disgust with a little empathy. It’s no picnic going through life with a penis, balls and a code of decency all at the same time.

Do Tell: What Was Your Mother's Relationship to Food?

TresSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Did you "thin-herit" food issues from your mother?

According to a poll conducted by teen magazine Sugar, girls ages 12 - 18 said that their mother's eating and/or dieting habits and views on food were the biggest influence on their own relationship to food. It was found that if a mom diets, she's twice as likely to have a daughter with an eating disorder.

What was your mother's relationship to food? Do you think it has affected you positively or negatively?

Dear Poll: Slightly Bigger and Healthy or Thin and Unhealthy?

DearSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:30:00 -0700

We're bombarded every day with images of skinny women on magazine covers, in commercials, and on our TV screens, which is probably why so many people strive to be thin.

In the April issue of Glamour magazine, 82 percent of women polled said they'd rather be slightly bigger and healthy than very thin and unhealthy. While I happen to agree, I actually thought more women would have admitted to taking drastic measures to be thin. Since this is an anonymous poll, tell me which you'd rather be.

Source

Say What? Karl Lagerfeld on Moms and Models

TresSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0700

"No one wants to see curvy women. You've got fat mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front of the television and saying that thin models are ugly."

- Karl Lagerfeld weighs in on the never-ending debate about thin models. The once-overweight designer was responding to German magazine Brigitte's decision to use only "real women" as models. He disapproves. Based on his comments, it seems Karl doesn't think fashion is meant for a mom who might be carrying a little weight.

This isn't the first time a fashion icon has come to the defense of thin models by shifting the attention to overweight people. Anna Wintour said America should focus on obesity, and not anorexia, following a visit to Minnesota where she said people resemble "little houses."

Are you surprised Karl is so quick to discount the opinions of average women?

Happy Caturday!

TresSugar — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:15:20 -0700

The standards for beauty have truly reached impossible heights. Now, not only do you have to be uberthin to be considered beautiful, you can't even be human!

Replacing stick-thin human models with feline ones, fashion line United Bamboo has given new meaning to "cat walk" with its limited edition 2010 calendar featuring little furries modeling its ready-to-wear line. (In case you're wondering - they're already out of stock!) I have to say, these cats do make the garments look quite fetching! And they're pretty good at smiling with their (cat's) eyes.

View 4 Photos ›

Source: Noah Sheldon for United Bamboo

Ralph Lauren Rep Apologizes For Photoshopping Model

TresSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:10:00 -0700

When controversy erupted over an image for Ralph Lauren's Blue Label - model Filippa Hamilton's body appeared to have been digitally retouched, so that she looked bobble-headed and emaciated - I was convinced that the image wasn't the original ad. I was sure that it had been retouched by one of those "thinspirational" proanorexia blogs you hear about which feature models Photoshopped, so that they look like Holocaust victims.

Wow, was I wrong. A spokesperson for Ralph Lauren made this comment about the controversial image:

"For over 42 years, we have built a brand based on quality and integrity. After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman’s body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the caliber of our artwork represents our brand appropriately."

Website Boing Boing was first to criticize the image by saying, "Dude, her head's bigger than her pelvis." When Ralph Lauren asked them to take the image down, claiming copyright infringement, they refused, citing fair use laws that that allow for the reproduction of images "for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting."

Maybe this will be a message to the cabal of Photoshoppers gone wild who don't seem to recognize that they're contributing to the unrealistic body images that make normal women feel inadequate. When an uberthin model isn't thin enough for the fashion industry, something is seriously wrong.