Wow, you need to write some memoirs! I didn't know all this! Not to get racial here--and apologies to my white brothers (to co-opt Cornell West), but I notice more white men who go for the look of Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Anniston, Paris Hilton, etc. I know very few black or Latino men--even younger ones--who say they prefer really thin women.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Tracey de Morsella" <tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 11:37:54 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] OT: Was the photoshopped Ralph Lauren model fired for being overweight? I worked as a stylist on the set a few times, as well as a model. The clothes do lay easier on a thinner model than a normal sized model, but the whole photographing process is about illusion, NOT reality. The purpose is to sell a lie. It is easier to make cheap poorly constructed clothes look better on them. I used to model in those clothing catalogs. The clothes fit horribly on all of us. BUT the stylist comes to the set with clothes pins and needles and makes them formfitting. Then they contort us in specific poses to make the clothes look better. Then the photographer does his thing with lighting and shadows……and the next thing you know, we look perfect and women are wondering why the clothes look better on us then them. The reality is we didn’t. It is false advertising. This illusion works on everyone, but best on the real skinny models IMO. Ironically, I was considered a little voluptuous at 115 and 34B at the time. Because of that, I got work doing bathing suits, Calvin Kline underwear and lingerie. I look at old pictures now, I while I do not see skinny, I do see slender… NOT voluptuous. I never got into the serious diet thing and I used to beat myself up for it. Looking back, I am relieved. Now on a separate issue, if you go on the boards sometimes like on imdb and you see the commentary by men about the female stars, I significant number like that skinny look. Why is Brad with Angelina, Harrison with Calista and a host of others. It is a specific taste that some straight men have. I’ve seen guys call women I think are hot, fat. On that note, they are not men I want anything to do with, nor do I want my daughter near them. Supposedly, these guys are straight. I do not know, if they have a daddy thing going on, it makes them feel my potent and stronger, or what, but there are men who like that. From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Mr. Worf Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 7:42 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] OT: Was the photoshopped Ralph Lauren model fired for being overweight? Real men like curves. This sounds extremely homophobic but, most of the guys that do fashion like boys so I think it comes out subconsciously in their model choices. You choose what is attractive to you. So often they pick models that are completely featureless. This has been more apparent when you compare models of 20 years ago to the super skinny ones today. For example, Christie Brinkley, or Beverly Johnson would probably be considered too fat and too pretty now. (depending on which part of the world it is.) On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 5:44 PM, Tracey de Morsella < tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com > wrote: Here something weird, I was 115 at 5’7’ for years when I modeled back in the day. I attracted guys, but not that much—unless I had my makeup articles, and hair stylist on hand, which was not often J . I quit modeling and over the years I gained until I I was about 135 – 140. I thought I was fat, but guys started stopping me on the street and trying to get my attention. I very odd experience. Something is definitively wrong. Guys like that monster Lagerfeld, should not be defining female beauty From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of Adrianne Brennan Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 5:21 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] OT: Was the photoshopped Ralph Lauren model fired for being overweight? Okay, I'm going to give some stats here for a sake of comparison. At 5'4" at 120 lbs, I wear a size 2--size 0 in some clothing if the hips run loose because my waist is significantly smaller than my hips. I am also rather small-boned. For someone at 5'10" to be "too fat" at 120 is fucking insane. I actually will deliberately gain weight if I go below 120 because at that point I start to look unhealthy. At my height, 5 lbs goes a LONG way. ~ "Where love and magic meet" ~ http://www.adriannebrennan.com Experience the magic of the Dark Moon series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#darkmoon Dare to take The Oath in this erotic fantasy series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#the_oath The future of psychic sex - Dawn of the Seraphs (m/m): http://www.adriannebrennan.com/dawnoftheseraphs.html On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 7:21 PM, Keith Johnson < keithbjohn...@comcast.net > wrote: I don't know what's more disturbing: that they think this model in her current true form is overweight, or that anyone in any country in the world thought that doctored photo of her was either realistic or attractive. I have tried over and over to understand the American obsession with thin models and actresses. My wife always explains to me that clothing looks better when hung on a thin frame, since designers feel a woman's curves detract from the dress, and a thin woman's body doesn't do that. (she doesn't agree with the philosophy, but understands it). Assuming I bought that--I don't--why then do even actresses, who ostensibly aren't modeling clothing, get told to lose weight? Why are so many makeup models thin when all we should be looking at are their faces (the Queen Latifah's of the world notwithstanding) As a black man over 40, raised to think a good body was represented by the likes of Nichele Nichols, Chaka Khan, Pam Grier, Sophia Loren, or Racquel Welch, i guess I'll never understand how "voluptuous" can either be a dirty word, or applied to someone as relatively slim as Cindy Crawford or Claudia Schiffer. I do know it must be crazy to be a woman trying to survive in the fashion or movie industries as long as this skewed view of beauty persists. No wonder so many models are anorexic and addicted to amphetamines! Remember back when TV Guide grafted Oprah Winfrey's head onto Ann Margaret's body? Man, do we ever see anyone as they really are anymore? ************************************** http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/was-the-photoshopped-ralph-lauren-model-fired-for-being-overweight-525248/ Was the photoshopped Ralph Lauren model fired for being overweight? photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com Last week Ralph Lauren came under fire for (what looked to be) an extremely altered photo of a model in one of its ads. Bloggers at the website BoingBoing.net posted the image online, and lawyers for Ralph Lauren attempted to sue them for copyright infringement. Unfortunately for Ralph Lauren, this only furthered public interest and outrage over the dangerously thin looking model and, eventually, the clothing company released this apology: "For over 42 years we have built a brand based on quality and integrity. After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman's body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the caliber of our artwork represents our brand appropriately." Unfortunately,"addressing the problem" may have included firing the model, 23-year-old Filippa Hamilton. She is 5'10" and weighs 120 pounds--clearly more full-bodied than the photoshopped girl we see in the advertisement. Though Hamilton has modeled for Ralph Lauren since she was 15, the company let her go "as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract with us." But the story gets worse: Hamilton says she was let go because she'd become too fat to model for them. "They fired me because they said I was overweight and I couldn't fit in their clothes anymore," she explained. "I was shocked to see that super skinny girl with my face...It's very sad, I think, that Ralph Lauren could do something like that." Filippa Hamilton in a past Ralph Lauren ad Filippa Hamilton in a past Ralph Lauren ad Most of us know that a tall, young woman who weighs 120 pounds is not overweight. But Hamilton claims Ralph Lauren was dissatisfied with her body, and therefore fired her six months ago. However, the company continued to use her image, whittling down her arms, waist, thighs, and possibly several other body parts in the above ad. If they were so unhappy with how she looked, why not get another model for the campaign? Why use the photos and alter and distort them? Today, Ralph Lauren himself is distancing himself from the ad, claiming, "The image in question was mistakenly released and used in a department store in Japan and was not the approved image which ran in the U.S." So we're confused. They say the photoshopping was an error, that Hamilton is "beautiful and healthy," yet they allegedly fired her for her size? With all these apologies and statements it sounds like the brand still has yet to accept responsibility for their actions. Hamilton in Italian Elle Hamilton in Italian Elle Hamilton in French Vogue Hamilton in French Vogue When I searched for more images of Filippa Hamilton, I instantly remembered her—she was the face of Ralph Lauren's fragrance, Romance, has been featured on the cover of international editions of Vogue and Elle, and has appeared in many ads. She's a gorgeous woman. "I think they [Ralph Lauren] owe American women an apology, a big apology," says Hamilton. "I'm very proud of what I look like, and I think a role model should look healthy." The truth is, models get fired or overlooked all the time for being what the industry considers overweight, we just rarely see or hear about it. Eating disorders are not only common among models, but they're also common among the women and young girls who emulate them. We're happy to see that Hamilton has come forward, and wish more models and celebrities would do the same. It's awesome and empowering when stars admit they've been photoshopped for an ad or movie poster and say how dissatisfied they are about it. With foreign countries banning underweight models from their fashion weeks, and the increasing presence of "plus size" models in women's magazines, we wish the unhealthy representation and falsified depiction of models—and women—would come to an end entirely. Do you think the day will ever come? Sources: [ NYDN ] [ Extra ] [ Hulu ] -- Bringing diversity to perversity for over 9 years! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
