On the relativism of "Curviness"
When you're trying to describe a woman, the term "curvy" can be tricky.
In theory, it's a sort-of euphemism. People come in different shapes and sizes - and just because someone isn't model-thin doesn't mean they aren't beautiful. But for a long time, the popular culture loathed to acknowledge it. Skinny was beautiful, damn it, and if you wanted to be called beautiful, you were going to have to lose weight, damn it.
There has been pushback against this sort of mentality for a while, but I don't think it really gained any traction until Christina Hendricks first appeared on Mad Men. Her character, Joan Holloway, couldn't really be described as skinny, but the show treated her as a beautiful, sexy woman - and I don't think anyone in the audience could disagree.
While that didn't wipe away the "model thinness = beauty" paradigm, it set an important precedent. I feel like, from this point on, acknowledging the beauty of women who didn't fit the paradigm wasn't so outlandish. Criminal Minds Penelope Garcia (played by Kristen Vangless), Mindy Kaling on the Mindy Project (and, before that, the US version of the Office), actress Niecy Nash in whatever role she happens to play, Christina Aguilera (before she lost weight), even (arguably) Lena Dunham... The list isn't that large, but it is growing.
What do you call women like this? You can't call them "fat" - the word is too associated with something unattractive to work. And so the word "curvy" entered pop-culture lexicon. And that's all well and good.
But it seems that somewhere along the way, the word mutated into some weird direction. Search "curvy actresses" or even "curvy celebrities" and you'll find articles about women that only slightly deviate from the model-thin norm. Kim Kardashian got called "curvy" because of her famously larger-than-average rear. Sofia Vergara gets called curvy because... she has large breasts and slightly wider then normal hips, I guess. Heck, I've Scarlett Johansson get called "curvy," which is just... what?
I was thinking about that when I was looking at Essence Magazine's "Curvy Model of the Month" feature. On one hand, you have Joanne Bargella, who definitely fits the bill.
But then, you have Lisa Visagie, who looks perfectly average size. Maybe not super-skinny, but come on now.
I mean, really
In the end of the day, I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this. I could look at this positively and say that, if Mindy Kaling can be mentioned in the same breath as Scarlett Johansonn, maybe it's the sign that narrow beauty standards are fading away. I could look at it negatively - if the women who are model-skinny get called "curvy," then the women who aren't as skinny as that are going to look like they're trying to be something they are not. Or I could just be cynical and say that if the word gets thrown around so carlessly, why have it at all?
And as I was writing this entry, I couldn't help but think of a Twitter exchange between me and Grace (the real-life inspiration from Jas). She mentioned that she was fat, which seemed so pattently ridiculous. I mean, sure, I designed Jas to be slim because I didn't want her to look too much like her inspiration. But in terms of build, Grace is really more of Lisa Visagie then Christina Hendricks.
At the risk of stating the bloody obvious - something is very wrong with our beauty standards.
In theory, it's a sort-of euphemism. People come in different shapes and sizes - and just because someone isn't model-thin doesn't mean they aren't beautiful. But for a long time, the popular culture loathed to acknowledge it. Skinny was beautiful, damn it, and if you wanted to be called beautiful, you were going to have to lose weight, damn it.
There has been pushback against this sort of mentality for a while, but I don't think it really gained any traction until Christina Hendricks first appeared on Mad Men. Her character, Joan Holloway, couldn't really be described as skinny, but the show treated her as a beautiful, sexy woman - and I don't think anyone in the audience could disagree.
While that didn't wipe away the "model thinness = beauty" paradigm, it set an important precedent. I feel like, from this point on, acknowledging the beauty of women who didn't fit the paradigm wasn't so outlandish. Criminal Minds Penelope Garcia (played by Kristen Vangless), Mindy Kaling on the Mindy Project (and, before that, the US version of the Office), actress Niecy Nash in whatever role she happens to play, Christina Aguilera (before she lost weight), even (arguably) Lena Dunham... The list isn't that large, but it is growing.
What do you call women like this? You can't call them "fat" - the word is too associated with something unattractive to work. And so the word "curvy" entered pop-culture lexicon. And that's all well and good.
But it seems that somewhere along the way, the word mutated into some weird direction. Search "curvy actresses" or even "curvy celebrities" and you'll find articles about women that only slightly deviate from the model-thin norm. Kim Kardashian got called "curvy" because of her famously larger-than-average rear. Sofia Vergara gets called curvy because... she has large breasts and slightly wider then normal hips, I guess. Heck, I've Scarlett Johansson get called "curvy," which is just... what?
I was thinking about that when I was looking at Essence Magazine's "Curvy Model of the Month" feature. On one hand, you have Joanne Bargella, who definitely fits the bill.
But then, you have Lisa Visagie, who looks perfectly average size. Maybe not super-skinny, but come on now.
I mean, really
In the end of the day, I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this. I could look at this positively and say that, if Mindy Kaling can be mentioned in the same breath as Scarlett Johansonn, maybe it's the sign that narrow beauty standards are fading away. I could look at it negatively - if the women who are model-skinny get called "curvy," then the women who aren't as skinny as that are going to look like they're trying to be something they are not. Or I could just be cynical and say that if the word gets thrown around so carlessly, why have it at all?
And as I was writing this entry, I couldn't help but think of a Twitter exchange between me and Grace (the real-life inspiration from Jas). She mentioned that she was fat, which seemed so pattently ridiculous. I mean, sure, I designed Jas to be slim because I didn't want her to look too much like her inspiration. But in terms of build, Grace is really more of Lisa Visagie then Christina Hendricks.
At the risk of stating the bloody obvious - something is very wrong with our beauty standards.