It’s nothing most of our readers haven’t seen before, but Newsweek has a refresher course on the “biggest airbrushing scandals” of the 2000s. Consider it a visual illustration of the impossibly narrow standards of beauty that we’ve been talking about this week (and note especially how the women of color involved have had their skin … Continue reading »
Filed under Sweet Machine …
Friday fluff: Tiny crafts
As those of you on Ravelry know, I’m kind of an obsessive knitter. I mostly do scarves, hats, and sweaters, but lately I’ve been charmed by the idea of making really small items that only take a few hours to do. Just this past week I’ve been making washcloths (shapes like stars and fish and … Continue reading »
Links: Golden Globes backlash, or This one goes out to the ladies
Those of you who hopped on our Golden Globe live-blogging adventure on Sunday (which was way, way more fun than I expected — GIVE YOURSELVES A HAND) might be interested in the following posts on Jezebel about (sadly predictable) sexist reactions to various women at the show: James Cameron & Kathryn Bigelow Used To Be … Continue reading »
In which I am defeated by a billboard
I hate this ad. I stood waiting for a bus the other day while another bus idled in front of me. It had this ad on the side, bigger than life. I stared at this passive, anonymous woman, done up all ’80s-retro so you can pretend she’s not even in the present, much less someone … Continue reading »
Links: Ladies We Love
Kate writes a mash note to Gabourey Sidibe of Precious, who could not be any more fabulous if she was abducted by aliens from the Fabulous Nebula. Long-time SP hero Lesley from Fatshionista is the star of today’s Boston Globe! Congratulations, Lesley, on your continued march toward world domination and a more fatshionable world. We … Continue reading »
Just a reminder
The beauty ideal is socially constructed and changes over time. In 1912, Miss Elsie Scheel of Brooklyn, New York, was deemed the “most nearly perfect specimen of womanhood” among Cornell’s four hundred coeds. Scheel was twenty-four years old, stood five feet seven inches tall, weighed in at a healthy 171 pounds (her favorite food was … Continue reading »
Friday fluff: What the what?
FJ, in searching for something totally different in Wikimedia Commons, stumbled across the following picture: Shapelings, here is your Friday fluff: explain this picture. Please note: explanations should not be based on research or actual knowledge.
Items… Of … Interest!
Please read the post title in a Futurama announcer voice. Welcome to 2010, Shapelings! Have some links. Kate takes on the “no fatties” dating site controversy at Broadsheet. Jezebel’s Jenna discusses V Magazine’s latest plus size fashion shoot, which features back fat and belly rolls! For reals! Lauredhel talks full body scanners, disability, and privacy … Continue reading »
Notes toward an elegy: In praise of food
First rule of nutrition: eat or die. Second rule of nutrition: there are no other rules. My mother died two weeks ago. She had been deeply ill –Â dying for so long, so slowly. What we knew would one day happen did: she lost the ability to eat. She had a stroke that made it difficult … Continue reading »
The Embiggening
My first post here was about a radical bodily change I was undergoing (drastic weight loss due to an undiagnosed medical condition) and how it made me think about myself, my body, and my visibility as a woman. I shrank, quickly and unintentionally, and the experience reaffirmed my commitment to FA, because people praised me … Continue reading »
