There are some attributes to the summer season that make it less than perfect. One of these is the prevalence of muffin top sightings, and I’ve just got to vent.

It’s not so much the muffin top in and of itself that irks me. It is OSTS, or One-Size-Too-Small Syndrome, afflicting so many girls that just baffles me.

Why do I refer to this…issue… as OSTS instead of the popular, Muffin Top? Well, in my humble opinion, the phrase “muffin top” implies that the offender is what she eats, and likely has a fondness for Oreos and Taco Bell. This simply is not always true. Skin hanging over your waistband does not mean fatness. I’ve seen girls who can’t possibly be any bigger than a size 4 with a muffin top, and it’s not that they’re at all chubby. Instead, it’s that they insist they’re a size two, and the end result in the obvious: OSTS. It’s not pretty. Read More »

I did my usual perusing of NYMag.com a few days ago to find America’s Next Top Model on the homepage, with a picture of some beautiful girl and the headline that “Miss Tyra threw a curveball” by selecting the first-ever plus-sized model to win. I haven’t seen the show in many a season, because Tyra Banks continued to be Tyra Banks and you can only see a marathon so many times, but needless to say, I was intrigued.

I frowned and scrolled back up to the picture. Hm. Come to think of it, her legs don’t look like they could be snapped in two by a twelve-year-old. But plus-sized? She didn’t really look plus-sized. I was perplexed. The consistent theory was that this “oversized” model was picked from the beginning as part of Tyra’s personal agenda to make reality TV history. Or something. Making a point that you don’t have to be skinny to be pretty.

It’s a great message, it is. Except this Whitney character really isn’t not skinny. But in the context of an industry full of waifs, she instantly becomes the fat girl. It’s like picking the hottest guy in a classroom only to find that he’s less attractive on the street among other civilians; you can’t base your judgment of a person in the confines of one element. Read More »

As I walked into work this morning, I was confronted by a strange, strange sight. In my post-commute, pre-coffee stupor, I almost ran into someone, and it took me a minute to figure out what was going on. Why was I eye level with a shoulder blade? Why was I surrounded by resort wear on a 45 degree day? Why did I see miles and miles of legs? Being the shortest one in the room I’m used to, but having to drop my head all the way back to look at a dozen designer sunglass-ed faces I am not.

The fog lifted, and it dawned on me. Models. It was a parade of models.

In all fairness, The Today Show is filmed outside my office building on a daily basis. I have seen all manner of odd things, from circus performers to weddings to Beyonce (who, coincidentally, I also almost ran into. What is wrong with me?!). But this one, for some reason, was more jarring than most.

My height, my weight, my decidedly half-assed business-casual attire and half-heartedly blow-dried hair were all thrown into sharp relief. How did these alien people, who have done nothing but exist in the same air space as me, make me feel like a lesser person than when I entered the building? Read More »

Leave it to the Swedes to solve a shopping enthusiasts biggest dilemma: the mirror.

You know the drill. You try on a new pair of jeans. You twirl in the mirror to check out how your butt looks but your neck just won’t cooperate to give you the best view. You can drag along friends who may or may not tell you the honest truth, or worse a boyfriend who just wants to make a break for it and get a soft pretzel.

So what’s a girl to do? The solution is in a new device called the DelayMirror. Created by scientists in Sweden, it’s a combination mirror, camera, computer, and plasma screen. As you turn, the camera snaps pictures and displays them on the screen so you can see how you look from every angle. The device made its debut in the UK at a popular retail chain today. So far the reviews have been positive.

I wonder what will happen when the DelayMirror makes its way to the states. Will seeing ourselves (and our imperfections) 360 degrees around make us even more particular about body image?

Too bad that thing can’t see the future.

I admit it, wholly and completely. I am, without a shadow of a doubt, hopelessly addicted.

Not to cigarettes or alcohol (well, okay, a little, but that’s another story) or WOW. I, like your oh-so-typical American female, love to shop. Money damn near literally burns a hole in my wallet – when I have money, anyway. Letting me loose in a mall with $100 is dangerous. I’ll hit up just about everything…save for the clothing stores.

If shopping is one of my highs, shopping for clothes is one of my lows. Nothing is more disheartening or more depressing than to realize that nothing – nothing – in the store will fit you. I won’t lie; it hurts hearing girls complain how much they hate that their pants size is in the double digits. I’d kill to have my pants size in the low to mid teens.

Since puberty tripped up my heels at the confused age of 13, I’ve been fat. Not, “Oh God, 135 pounds, I’m so fat!” fat, but actually obese. Clinically, anyway. I haven’t been under 200 pounds since I was 14. And yeah, part of it is genetics. I come from a pretty heavyset family. But a lot of it is my lifestyle and eating habits. And I’m sick of it. Read More »

We all know the dangers of having sex too early, but could there be a risk to having sex too late?

A new study conducted by Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute’s HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies claims “Those who lose their virginity at a later age — around 21 to 23 years of age — tend to be more likely to experience sexual dysfunction problems late.”

Even though this new study makes it seem like losing your virginity too late will cause your body to freak out, in actuality, what the numbers really show is that waiting to have sex is sometimes an indicator of preexisting bodily issues.

And to that conclusion, I say, well, of course. Read More »

Any girl who has been to college realizes the pressure that you feel to be slim. I know that when I first arrived at my college campus, it was hard to ignore all of the stick thin girls strutting around. No matter how much you try to completely ignore it, the feeling that maybe you should lose some weight or get in better shape will inevitably come over you at some time throughout your four years.

Although I eventually developed a healthier lifestyle in college, there were times when my slimming down habits were not necessarily healthy or good for me in the long run (i.e. fad diets). I was lucky that I never developed a serious eating disorder like so many college girls do after feeling all of the pressures to be thin.

Well, apparently, some genius dude thinks that the pressure girls feel is a great thing and that it will help them get healthy! Obviously, he has never been a girl in college and had to deal with any body image issues… Read More »

We’re all guilty of picking up a Cosmo and perusing its pages, even if it’s just while standing in line at the grocery store (“I need to know the 834,394th hottest and steamiest sex tip!”).

But when you rrrrreally, rrrrreally read through the “journalism,” you realize just how fantastically talented these editors are at sending mixed messages left and right to their female readership.

By the last page, it’s like, actually insulting.

They obviously want to appear as though they represent for the ladies, but in reality, are they taking us ladies for fools?

Jezebel.com talks about the recent issue of Cosmo with J. Alba on the cover – and in this issue, they go from this:

Man Manual: What Will Really Impress Him, page 80

“Sure you’re sexy, smart, and fun..but so are a lot of other chicks. To really stand out from the pack, it helps to have that something extra — qualities that make a guy go ‘This girl is freakin’ awesome!’ You’ll be that much hotter to him if…”

To this: Read More »

Perez Hilton just made my day. Thanks to his new posting, I finally know what kind of bathing suit I’m going to buy before the summer’s over! Phew….I was getting nervous there.

Meet Wholesome Wear!!!!!!

“A modest line of clothing for “wherever.”

A spandex undergarment, a loose fitting Taslan outer garment and a single zipper that unites both garments for swimming ease? I can only think of one word to describe these waterproof wonders:

SEXY!!!!

Okay, I kid, I kid. These things are hideous.

The Culotte version, the Skirted version AND the “Slimming” version (not very slimming if you ask me) are monstrosities that look like they could be worn “wherever.” Like wherever, as in, on an Amish farm if you happen to be churning butter or fetching water from the well. Good God, not swimming in the water! Who the F*CK would wear these things in public and look this excited? Read More »

Here at CollegeCandy, we like ourselves a good man. Someone hot, smart, funny…fat?That last word is probably not on many of our “Things I Want in a Guy” lists, but at least one woman is speaking out about her love of the Corpulent Man.

European author Tobsha Learner is in love with a “voluptuous” man.

Describing him as “Paddington Bear with dangly bits”, Learner explains that her man’s weight—and his apparent acceptance of it—makes him much more alluring than the “fatless, hairless, allure-free atheistic” many male models and celebrities carry around these days. Read More »