Another attack of the girl-next-door (in the American apple pie way, not the Hugh Heffner way) celebrity making real-life women feel inadequate about their bodies.
Apparently the goal of women over 40 who have had children should be to fit into the same size clothing they were able to wear at the age of 15. Check out this article on Yahoo entitled Still Nothing Between Brooke Shield and her Calvins. The actress is quoted as saying on the Ellen DeGeneres show, They were so high. And I looked like a sausage in them but I was going to get those zipped up if it was the last thing I did so I can say that I fit in them.
The implied argument of this statement being that she would have been upset if she had not been able to zip the jeans up. However, Brooke Shields is 45 and the jeans were made to fit a 15 year old. What kind of message is being sent about aging and more broadly about weight?
I think one main argument of this piece is that age is no excuse to gain weight. And, a sub-argument of that is that it is perfectly reasonable to have a weight goal that puts you near that of a 15 year old. And yet, BMI charts and doctors would beg to differ.
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I also think that it's a sense of victory to be able to say that you're able to wear a piece of clothing from a long time ago: jeans from high school, one's wedding dress, and so on. The idea of holding onto one's skinny jeans--when someone used to weigh less, not the current style--again hearkens back to the nostalgia of a time gone by. When will we be able to let go of clothes from our past and be happy with ourselves in the present?
ReplyDeleteI've had to recently come head on with these issues. I gained about five to ten pounds over the summer and had let go of some pants which no longer fit. At first, this was a big deal for me. I used to get rid of clothes because I outgrew the out-dated style of the clothes (they still fit me). But, after reflecting about it, I decided to not only let go of the physical pant but reminded myself not to worry about gaining the weight. Because again, why continue to always look back? I'm looking to the future, and it looks bright.
Also, the National Organization of Women (NOW) has a campaign called Love Your Body, and has a specific day in October devoted to the campaign. [For more information, go to: http://loveyourbody.nowfoundation.org/] This campaign seems really interesting, and was featured on E-news recently with models Whitney Thompson and Chenese Lewis.
ReplyDeleteLara,
ReplyDeleteI like the sub-line of your blog title :)...
I know I feel the pressure to get back to the teenage skinny physique. I think it's important to investigate the backing for the warrant: "It is good to look like you did at 15." (If I have correctly identified it as a warrant that is. I am not at all sure about applying Toulmin accurately.)
We accept this warrant without question. It has the status of a cultural ideal. Perhaps implicit within this warrant is the premise, that a woman at 40 who is skinny, takes better care of herself.
I think men face some of this pressure to recapture youth too, especially with respect to hair loss. But I will say I find it unfair, that we (me included) have a more forgiving eye for men with beer guts than women with love handles :)...I chose different expressions to even out the scales. See, it even feels acceptable to use "gut" for males...like somehow being male makes it okay to have a gut. I'd cringe to apply the term to myself.
What also fascinates me is how our subjective feelings of health may be tied to what we see in the mirror. I feel healthier when I look leaner. No doubt there is a scientific correlation, but I'm talking about a subjective sense of well-being. Am I really healthier on a day that my jeans fit better? It does feel that way though.
Lara, before I forget, here is the vlog that my friend produces - I believe that you will find it useful for your blog topic. http://www.faintstarlite.com/2009/10/the-naked-truth/
ReplyDeleteThe subject of your blog is a challenging one for me on a very personal level. I want to "weigh in" on the matter, but I'll admit that it is a sensitive subject for me.
I'm a curvy girl. Always have been. I've struggled with my weight since I can recall. I actually like my curves and only work to have a little less as to fit into my clothes better. I workout regularly, eat well for the most part and I don't have any health issues that would contribute to a weight issue.
I had a doctor tell me recently that genes are more predictive of weight than height. That was shocking to me. I also had the same doctor assess me as statistically obese. The up side to that is that my insurance would then consider my "condition" as a health risk and I could see a dietitian free of charge. (I did not choose to do so)
I have always felt that I had the opposite of anorexia, in that when I look in the mirror I see someone that is skinnier than she really is. Other than fitting into my current wardrobe, I love my curves and my body overall.
I also seem to attract a demographic of men that appreciate my curves as well. I have often wondered whether I intentionally keep a bit of weight on for this reason??
In this most recent blog and the comments from Ruth and Mridula I also noticed the remarks about women over 40 getting back into their skinny jeans or women over 40 who have had kids getting back to pre-baby size. Well...I'm over 40 (47 next week in fact) and I'v never had kids. I don't aspire to turn the clock back to the size I was at 15, but my question is this: What does it say about other women who aren't over 40 (magic number) and don't have children - is it incumbent upon them to be or get skinny? What message does this send about the value we place on health, happiness, self-love and our definition of beauty? It's frightening!
This is a BRAVE blog! I'll keep ready :)