Godammit, I’m Mad!

Not too long ago, I complained about the way this model was photoshopped.

Now I’d like to complain that she appears to be starving right before our eyes.  I’m sure she is naturally thin, blah blah blah, but this isn’t natural or normal.  Doesn’t anyone over at RevolveClothing have eyes in their head? I feel so remorseful for criticizing her butt!

In my fantasy of humanity, someone would be sure to take Doll Girl aside, and urge her to get help. But no, they’re putting her in these awful clothes and snapping pictures.

While everyone goes on about full-figured models and Crystal Renn, in real life women are still trying to get smaller and smaller until they disappear. Very sad.

Of all the style bloggers who’ve been brought to my attention recently, this one disturbes me the most.

I don’t want to link to her or hurt her feelings. I just want her to eat!

How can one become so delusional that one’s starving body looks like a pin-up girl? This blogger likes to post several pictures of the same outfit, often posing saucily in front of various landmarks. She appears to be youngish, but her face is wrinkled from starvation and perhaps bulimia.

Just the other day, my sister and I were recalling our bouts of teenage anorexia. She can remember the exact moment that she decided to lose weight. We both remember how it was triggered by our dad, whose offhand comment about her weight was devastating to a sensitive 13 year old.

I can’t remember what triggered my anorexa, but it started when I was living in a place for juvenile delinquents. I got down to 96 pounds but still worried about calories. When I ate eggs, I threw away the yolk.

When you have anorexia, the image you see in the mirror can never be thin enough. Even your bones look too fat. All you care about is being thin and staying thin. You lose all capacity for being rational about your body.

A couple of years ago, I met a girl with anorexia who was also a drug addict. She reminded me a little of my younger self, and she was like a wounded bird that I longed to protect. She confessed to me that she cried after eating an apple. I tried to explain that her thinking was distorted.  She  died from huffing, thin as a twig.

A new study suggests that the propensity for anorexia begins in utero, due to hormone fluctuations. There is also a genetic component.  Therefore, it’s not just a reaction to cultural pressure and stereotypes. Maybe it’s an issue of seeking control when you  feel powerless: If you can control what you put in your mouth, you are in charge. That is the fallacy.

I hope someone can help the poor blogger. I hope someone can reach out to her, although who knows how many people may have tried and failed.

The good thing is that once you start to eat, your brain can work again. You begin to end the struggle with your body, and the spell can be broken, just by gaining a few vital pounds.

If you’ve battled with this shit, or you have an opinion, let’s hear it!

The style blog Pipeline asks whether the new spate of erotic magazines “blur the line” between smut and art. I’ve noticed latley that you can’t get away from at least partial nudity in fashion layouts and fashion advertising. While US Vogue is still rather staid, the French, Italian, Australian and Japanese versions all feature racy editorial photos of semi-naked models engaged in bondage-like situations or pseudo lesbian embrace.

The magazines listed by Pipeline are mostly aimed at men, and I would just call it Arty Smut, which isn’t one of my interests but I guess I prefer it to Artless Smut.

What I’m wondering is, how would men be affected if they were bombarded all the time with images of young semi-nude guys with perfect bodies?

Here’s one right now! Maybe he’s selling that red thing, but who cares? He’s young, he’s perfect, and most men will never, ever come close to looking like this.  If men had to see images like this all the time, I think it might wreak havoc with their self-confidence.  Maybe we’d see more anorexic men. Maybe they’d ask each other, Do my abs look too flabby? What about my pecs?

I’m not bothered by images of beautiful nude women. I’d just like to have a choice whether or not to see them. If Vogue isn’t safe any more, there will be no respite anywhere unless we keep our eyes shut.

It would be nice once in a while to get to forget about tits and ass and how ours measure up.  Men, don’t snicker! You could be next.  Meanwhile, try spending some time here.

Remember Sad Redhead Girl? Back in the day when she never smiled? Well, here she is in a plastic bag of some kind. It’s purported to be a Metallic Goddess Tank, by Free People. The Shopbop copywriter seems to be stumped by it, and I can’t blame her. In fact, after reading some descriptions today at Pink Mascara,  I realize that describing clothes is quite an art!

The Shopbop writing is full of awful jargon and cliches, but at least they are emphatic about each piece. At Pink Mascara, it’s like “This is so cute, it will look cute with other stuff, maybe.”

How would you  describe this plastic bag top that Sad Redhead Girl is wearing? Don’t get distracted by her wonky eye. I’m looking for a top-notch piece of copywriting.

And by the  way, here’s Starving Girl again, who hasn’t had a bite to eat since the last time I mentioned her. However, she has perfected the sullen expression that is her trademark.