Zaftig

Read article. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3041413/ns/today-today_fashion_and_beauty?GT1=43001

Then read post:
It is a fact that vanity sizing exists today. Meaning that what was once labeled 12 is now labeled 8. Stores are putting smaller numbers on bigger clothes as a subversive marketing ploy. Because of this I think we really need to asess what it means to be a 14 or 16 + today. In most cases, but not all, it means being dangerously unhealthy. It's also not fair that a girl who might normally be a small can't even find clothes to fit her in stores b/c the new small is more like a medium.

We should also be asking ourselves about the information presented in these stories that cover weight and model weight. Magazines are always about selling issues, which is why they compare a size 0 to a model who is probably a 14, but says she's a 10. The extremes are always what sells. What is truly misrepresented are woman who are not fat and not anorexic looking. Jessica Simpson for example, who gets a lot of undue flak.

When I was growing up, the average size for a woman was 12. Now it's 14, which in yesteryear's sizing is probably 16. When are we going to stop saying that the "average" weight is okay just because it's the average? What happens when the female average is 18? Will we still laud overweight women presented in magazines as "normal" and "average"?

Just be healthy. There is no magic bullet, no pill, diet, or drink. Just live a healthy, active lifestyle. If that means you're a 14, okay. You did your best, life isn't fair we can't all be Ciny Crawford.

Lastly, the "media" or society ideal of a woman's looks has always been and always will be whatever is the most difficult to acheive. That's kind of what an ideal is all about. In the past when being poor meant being thin (and wanting) fleshy women were idealized. Now, being thin means you have the money and the time to look after yourself, so being thin is idealized. This cycle isn't going to go away. Ever.

P.S.-ly -- This might sound kind of cliche, but confidence is THE most attractive quality any person can have, at any size. So if anything, work on that.