And Then Skinny was STILL the New Skinny

Thanks to the fact that some people read my blog, I have had some kind friends and family give me links to things that are in line with my interests.

The latest is this article: http://healthyisthenewskinny.com/2011/10/beautiful-imperfection-katie-halchishick%E2%80%99s-iconic-photo-hits-the-stands/ that discusses the nude photo of Katie Halchishick, who has dotted lines superimposed to show where the "perfection" lines would be drawn in most typical model shots. 

While I love the idea that "healthy is the new skinny" I'm yet to be convinced that one photo of a (still quite) thin (and probably still quite airbrushed) woman is that much progress in the right direction.  This article simultaneously cites the novelist Amy Bloom who wrote a "Dear Every Woman" article for this feature in O magazine.  Bloom encourages women to "walk around pretending" you like your body because it does no good to compare yourself to the airbrushed models on billboards. Bloom further says, "Because every step toward self-love you take, and every inch of confidence you give someone’s daughter, makes the world a better place….".

First off, if you ask me, self-love shouldn't have anything to do with your size.  Second, this article alone sends a contradictory message.  To me it says, "things aren't really changing, so just try and ignore the billboards." As in, "you're still going to have to muster up the gusto inside of you to convince yourself you have a great body".  Even the 15 year old girl surveyed for this article stated that the picture made her feel bad if this was the image of less than perfect that we've come up with.

The article points to two other iconic photos of "larger" women that have hit the media as well (one of which is an image in one of my previous posts). I have a hard time seeing how 3 photos, versus thousands, or even millions of photos of skeletal women, could do much to truly convince women that healthy really in fact is, the new skinny.  But perhaps the media has a different definition of even the word "healthy" at this point.