Poking, pinching, and prodding is going out of style. Au natural is the new black.
Finally a healthy trend in lifestyle journalism, reality TV, and even high fashion. I’ve seen a number of outlets praising a woman’s natural form without encouraging them to revert to excessive exercising or plastic surgery. I’m blessed with a fast metabolism, but that doesn’t mean I do not respect or find beauty in women who have some meat on their bones.
Oxford University’s Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolsim recently released a study that showed a little ‘junk in the trunk’ isn’t a bad thing. A bit of fat in the thigh and butt area is considered ‘good fat’ helping to break down fats in the stomach thus preventing Diabetes and extending one’s life.
We can also look towards Dove’s past advertisements showing real woman advertising their product. Perhaps they set the wheels in motion for a new feminine image.
Recently, a Canadian version of How To Look Good Naked (HTLGN), a show where women learn how to love their bodies as is by focusing positively on their appearance, premiered. Unlike predecessor makeover shows like 10 years younger and Extreme Makeover which provide men and women with cosmetic surgery, botox, and dentistry, and even What Not To Wear that focuses primarily on dressing well, HTLGN shows women how to increase their self-esteem with and without their clothes on, double chins, big bums and all. At the end of each show, they have to pose for a photograph completely nude (while covering their lady bits…PG13, you know how it is). So sassy, and so empowering.
And lastly, a constant debate between critics of high fashion publications regarding their representation of women has actually manifested into a magazine spread. V magazine is releasing the “size issue“, featuring plus sized models in high fashion shots. Some say it’s exploitative, but at least they’re giving plus sized women exposure. The real test is if they continue to feature bigger models as regular faces in later issues.
photo from V magazine
Other magazines are taking vows to stop photoshopping and airbrushing their models. Baby steps.
This may just be a trend. It may not even sit well with the general public. Unfortunately, studies have shown that women prefer seeing skinny models in advertising even if it makes them feel worse about themselves. Perhaps a smooth transition towards representational advertising will do the trick. In the meanwhile, I say embrace the ‘organic’ self-esteem fad, and take some notes while you’re at it.
Romi Says 
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