Most girls get introduced to the BMI chart (that's body mass index for you guys out there) when they're about to enter high school and the measurement and recording of such things somehow becomes important - and a source of shame for girls who fall anywhere above or below the "normal" range. This word "normal" has come up alot over the past week in relation to women's bodies - Unilever recently announced that all actors and models in its ads will have a BMI of between 18.5 and 25%, and in a New York Times article Leonard Nimoy (yes, of Spock fame) was interviewed regarding his new photo exhibit featuring plus size nudes, stating:.
“The average American woman, according to articles I’ve read, weighs 25 percent more than the models who are showing the clothes they are being sold,” Mr. Nimoy said, his breathing slightly labored by allergies and a mild case of emphysema. “So, most women will not be able to look like those models. But they’re being presented with clothes, cosmetics, surgery, diet pills, diet programs, therapy, with the idea that they can aspire to look like those people. It’s a big, big industry. Billions of dollars. And the cruelest part of it is that these women are being told, ‘You don’t look right.’ ”
As we've stated in this blog many, many times, we're big fans of Dove and The Campaign for Real Beauty. However, why does every conversation about the female physique have to be framed in for/against language? A "Curvier is Sexier" headline can often be found next to one that reads "How To Lose That Last 10" all in the name of so called "normal." What about women who are skinny and not starving themselves? How about short women? Or tall women? Or women who are curvy but not in the right places?
Can you imagine this much thought, time and angst devoted to discussing men's bodies and what they should or shouldn't look like? What is "normal" for a guy? We couldn't think of what that would even be. And that's a good thing. "Normal" can only exist when something - or someone - is left outside of it. Imagine beauty without boundaries. No "normal." We'd have to learn to appreciate women for something else entirely...
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