[The following post comes straight from our BFFs at CollegeFashion. If it weren't for them, we'd still be wearing platform sneakers.]

It’s no secret that the fashion industry favors ultra-thin models – the dialogue surrounding fashion’s narrow portrayal of beauty seems as old as the industry itself.

Amidst all the endless discussions, one thing is clear: People want to see models they can relate to, that show them a realistic and more inclusive ideal of what beauty looks like. While super-skinny models are easy for super-skinny women to relate to, models representing other body types are few and far between, leaving women who don’t fit the super-skinny mold feeling frustrated and excluded.

Fortunately, the girls featured above, which the industry labels as “plus size,” are getting more jobs and more exposure with each passing day, giving us hope that the standards of beauty are beginning to shift and widen. However, much of their work is still in catalogs or other less-publicized mediums, or if featured somewhere in the high-fashion world, the spreads lean towards sensationalism. We certainly still have a long way to go. Read More »

It’s hard not to smile when you first see this now-notorious picture from last month’s Glamour. Whether fashion mags are just trying to cash in on a long-neglected market or they’re actually making a concentrated effort to diversify their glossy pages, it’s incredibly refreshing to see a “plus-sized” woman with a tiny paunch being portrayed as confident and sexy rather than dumpy and in need of an emergency juice fast.

And the lady on page 194 isn’t this week’s only bright spot—our posts since Monday have been full of pluses. For example:

- Something called the Amethyst Initiative wants to lower the drinking age, which should come in handy when your study group wants to start pounding shots. Drunk studying for midterms: CC tested, commenter approved.

- Dressing up for Halloween doesn’t necessarily mean looking like a hooker, unless, you know, you want to look like a hooker with a sense of humor.

- Getting ready for unscheduled boot-knocking is simple…

… as is buying fresh, healthy produce.

- And speaking of produce: it’s finally pumpkin season! Mmmmm, pie.

- There are bright-eyed, bushy-tailed freshmen out there who are somehow excited about writing papers. That’s just heartwarming.

- AskMen.com’s list of 2009’s most influential dudes is light on substance, but heavy on eye candy. As far as I’m concerned, Don Draper can top any list he wants.

Of course, this week wasn’t all sunshine and pumpkins—we had to deal with bad kissers, Spencer Pratt’s continued douchitude, and, er… how to deal when your guy wants to use the back door. But for now, let’s focus on the positive. Have a great weekend!

When a tiny picture of a naked “plus-size” model showed up on page 194 of Glamour last month, the readers went wild for it.

And for good reason. How often is it that we are shown a beautiful woman that isn’t a size zero, comfortable in her own skin and naked on the pages of any magazine?

We’ll ignore the fact that being able to “pinch and inch” doesn’t make you plus-size and that this women pictured (who looks maybe a size 8, tops) still isn’t representing a huge portion of the female population who actually are wearing plus sizes. At least we are making a step in the right direction.

Or are we?

After Glamour cashed in on a crapload of press and positive publicity from the picture, Marie Clare decided they wanted in and will now feature a plus-size columnist who plans to give fashion advice to plus sized readers.

While it’s a good start that she actually is plus sized (a size 18 to be exact) and will be able to give helpful and honest advice to other women her size, I still can’t help but wonder what the real motivation is behind this trend to cater to the plus sized readers.

I doubt it’s a coincidence that as sales plummet and magazine companies are dropping like hungry models, they are finally realizing a whole population of their readership has been left out of every fall fashion special, every swimsuit edition, every best-jeans-for-your-body article. Why now?

I’m afraid that the answer is self-serving and superficial: they want to make money. They are capitalizing on and exploiting a whole population of woman in order to boost sales.

Do I love that we are able to have diversity in what we consider beautiful? Yes. Does a picture of a naked plus-size woman bring a smile to my face? Yes. Is it necessary to have fashion advice for women of all shapes and sizes? Absolutely! Read More »

Apparently, that’s a bad thing.

Things aren’t looking good for Lindsay Lohan.

Chase Crawford is all growed up.

Kim Kardashian Tweets in her undies?

Glamour wants more “plus size” ladies.

Shakira’s back, bitches.

Gorgeous underwear model Katie Green is taking her curves and laughing all the way to the top.  A modeling sensation in the UK, 21-year-old Katie made headlines earlier this month when Wonderbra used the 5’10, size 10 stunner for their “real women” campaign and then shamelessly blasted her for being too fat. She’ll now debut as the new face and body of lingerie firm, Ultimo.

“I really didn’t know where my career was going to go after the depression of being told I was too fat,” she said after Wonderbra execs asked her to lose upwards of 30 pounds. “They got great publicity out of launching me as a ‘real’ curvy model. Then I was told that I had to lose lots of weight and become like all the other girls on the catwalk or I was finished. What a joke.”

Devastated by the demand, she quit the firm, telling friends she refused to sacrifice her health to look like a “bag of bones.” Read More »

First America’s Next Top Model and now a beauty pageant? Looks like people are finally starting to get the hint that being emaciated does not equal being beautiful. Or, more importantly, that women with a little meat on their bones are still pretty damn fabulous.

Leah Green — a beautiful 22 year old girl who happens to be a size 12 – was crowned Miss London yesterday. Green beat out hundreds of rail-thin contenders to take the title. Naturally, she was ecstatic. “I was in shock, but it was amazing to receive my crown, trophy and sash. My best friend Emma burst into tears and all I could see was my boyfriend Matt’s huge smile.”

Green had been turned down by many modeling agencies before entering the Miss London competition. To Leah, this win is about more than putting her in the running for the title of Miss England; this is her chance to be a role model to curvy (read: normal) girls everywhere.

This is a wonderful day for Leah Green, but I find it frustrating that the world is so shocked and enthralled with her story. Yes, she has broken down a huge wall in the modeling and beauty industry, but should it really be this way? Should an average sized girl winning a beauty pageant really be world news?

We can only hope that Leah Green’s win will force the change that we have all been waiting for. Next stop: Miss England. We are all behind you, sister.