Katie Green has a spectacular rack. Everyone agrees. At least enough people voted her – and her 30F’s (no that’s not a typo – can you imagine?) – to be the winner of Wonderbra’s “Real Women” campaign. At first Green was “completely bowled over” by the news that she had been picked by her British countrymen (and women?) despite her “curvy size 12” frame (that’s a size 8 US). But it didn’t take long for reality to sink in. No, not the reality of posing in her skivvies on thousands of billboards and in international print ads. But the reality of her “weight problem.”
Despite being picked for her, ahem, size, Green was quickly informed by her modelling agency – the one recommended by Wonderbra – that she need to lose “two stone” (28 pounds) because the average size for models was a UK size 8-10 (a US size 4-6). The agency justified their stance by saying, “We advised Katie that commercial and lingerie models need to be an average size 10 as is requested by the market sector she wanted to model for. This is a healthy size that can be achieved through exercise and good nutrition.”
I’m assuming the agency meant for her to lose the weight from places other than her moneymakers – a feat not easily accomplished unless said goody bags are filled with silicone.
Green, showing a rare display of pragmatism in an insane business, opted to quit rather than pull a Beoynce and drop 20 pounds in 2 weeks. And for that I want to celebrate her. Green said she has aspirations to be a cop – and not of the naughty variety. I wish her all success in her endeavor. Although I have a feeling there are going to be a LOT of young males swerving around her precinct with missing headlights. (Could that sentence have come out sounding any dirtier? You know what I meant.)
A Drop In The Undersized Model Bucket
In a similar and equally tragic-turned-fist-pumping-awesome incident, Kim Brittingham reported via The Weighting Game about her travails with the PR firm for Avenue clothing, a plus size brand. Brittingham, a noted and gutsy size acceptance activist, was invited by the firm to a meeting to discuss her potential endorsement of the brand. Once she arrived however, she was told that the woman who arranged the meeting, Kellie Brown of 5W public relations, had seen Brittingham walk in and immediately cancelled the meeting declaring her as too fat to represent Avenue. Despite the fact that Brittingham routinely wears Avenue clothing. Despite the fact that Ms. Brown is significantly plus-sized herself.
So who should sell large-sized bras to big-busted women and plus-sized clothing to plus-sized women if not big-busted and plus-sized models? Apparently the industry only wants “undersized models” – a term aptly coined by Brittingham – to represent average-sized and larger women. In an industry where, as Leslie Goldman points out, Mariska Hargitay calls herself “full-figured” in Self magazine, Eva Longoria Parker is “fat” at a size 0, and Whitney Thompson is a plus-sized model at a US size 6, these examples are the norm and not the exception.
In the past women have been subjugated by groups (men, religions, governments) but now we are doing it to ourselves. And all in the name of fashion.
God, I know, when you hear the likes of the aforementioned calling themselves anything but tiny it really makes you wonder how you can ever begin to compare or compete. Thing is, I reckon they’re being deliberately harsh on themselves so that they get there before anyone else can…Longoria was one of the first to say she’d put on a little weight, because heaven forbid she be anything but uber aware of her new (still teeny tiny) size. sigh.
Cara
glad she took a stand and it is a shame that other women are doing this to our own gender
I think the Weighting Game yesterday may have started a plus-sized blog land-slide! Just finished up a similar post over at my place. I had no awareness of Katie Green, but good on her! Sad that I’m infinitely less surprised my her agency’s weight loss demands than her reaction to them….
TA x
PS Having just checked out the story, I see that after walking away from Wonderbra Katie was snapped up by rivals Ultimo and is now heading up their ad campaign instead, no weight loss required! Sweet.
TA x
whoa! you gals are hard on each other. it’s great to hear that she took a stand and has been snatched up by another advertiser, but still, that is incredible. I see it all the time in academia – academic females are brutal. probably like females in business – they get t the top and then it’s almost like they don’t want any other women showing up. but outright requesting a gal to lose weight, it’s a tough world out there for you babes.
i wonder if there is any evidence that smaller girls sell more product? the average gal probably resembles miss katie, although I have no data to back that up, I would predict that the models represent a very small proportion of the population. and additionally, men prefer “real” women. there is some pretty good data to suggest that men prefer “real” shaped women. what is wrong with these people?
It’s terrible the state of models and sizes. I LOVE to watch ANTM, but I cracked up all season at “plus sized” Whitney. I remember reading an article that said that in order to be a plus sized model, you can’t be bigger than a size 10 – a size you can’t even get at a plus sized store. But it’s very clear that they don’t understand plus sized women when you look at the clothes they make for us. They are for the most part atrocious, ugly, and ill fitting. Yeah they look okay on that size 6 model, but not on a REAL LIVE PLUS SIZED woman.
When I first saw your post photo, I thought it was a blimp like flying machine being built! Shows you what I know!!
I agree that women need to support each other, and not sell out! I first felt that way in college, after going to a strip club in Greenwich Village. Never went to another one. I didn’t want to support the behavior.
Good for Katie for standing up for herself, and then getting snatched up by another company!
I do think it’s incredibly ridiculous how hard women are on other women. Kim’s story just got me all up in arms! Isn’t it about time that we saw women our own sizes selling products? Maybe that way I’ll be able to spend less time in the dressing room wondering why those pants don’t flatter me when they looked so good on the (size 2) model. And maybe I’d buy more clothes than the 3 articles I buy per year, rather than being distressed and dissatisfied.
Excuse me Professor – I have to disagree with you about “you gals” portion of your comment. If anything the women on this board are very supportive and we high-five each other every chance we get. The media is much harsher than women in general, and there are a few that also tend to give the rest of us a bad rap. THANKS!
second time through reading…so much to say..so many thoughts…dont wanna make it my post 😉
so Im gonna step up and slam Eva Longoria for saying IM NOT PREGNANT IM FAT.
Coleen, sorry. My apologies, the comment was meant to be meta so to speak. My experience with women as they move up the ladder (be it fashion, business or academics) is that they go after each other. In many cases they seem to not want other women to climb the ladder. There is an effect for this, but the name of it escapes me right now. I know the women on this blog are really supportive of each other. In fact, after reading your comment about mine, I reflected and one place in which women do support each other (evidenced by this blog) is in fitness. My wife has a personal trainer who is a woman and they support each other like crazy. She also used to train martial arts with a partner and they were not competitive (well, you know what I mean), but rather they were supportive. I agree that the media is harsh, but my question about that was: is there a reason? Is there data? One post mentioned that the average plus size model is not even plus sized! What the F?!?! Does this sell stuff? It must, else they would not use it, right? I mean the average plus size shopper must think, damn, I am plus sied but if I buy this shirt from ACME brand shirts I will look like this gal on the tele… no? I am not in advertising, watch very little television, and almost never go shopping. Most of my impressions come from science and research.
My sincerest apologies if I offended anyone, but I do still think that women who are upwardly mobile are competitive with one another. Men are too, but for some reason it stands out more when I see a women being competitive in this way. Perhaps because competitiveness (word?) is not a natural female tendency.
Just my 2 ¢
i think this happens all across the board. I’m not “plus sized” but when i go to say, j crew, or old navy, all the maniquens (I always spell that wrong) have the extra small shirts pinned behind their tiny waists. if they want them to look that way, why dont they make them that way? because we are trained to think smaller than us is beautiful, and if we can fit into that shirt, even though its not pin-altered, we are beautiful, too.
Kelly Turner
http://www.groundedfitness.com
Good for Katie for sticking to her guns! Because seriously, it’s really not healthy to lose 30 lbs in 2 weeks, and it’s not necessary either.
I think that women in general do tend to be harder on each other than men. And while we’re very supportive of each other for fitness, you still see women putting on their perfect make-up faces at all-female gyms. Women can be very catty sometimes, and be very judgemental of others (I’m not saying that guys aren’t also, but it just seems harsher among women somehow).
Thank you Professor – I think the one thing I hate about this whole internet thing is that the tone is completely lost with the message, and I don’t write well enough to convey my playful nature. Yes, women can be really harsh, but I try to encourage those around me to do be supportive of one another, and it sucks to hear that women are catty, and you’re absolutely right. I try my darndest not to be that way because of growing up with 3 sisters and I just think how I would feel if someone was disrespecting them.
I’m going off on a tangent now, so I digress…but thank you for your feedback! I just wanted to throw that out there and remind all of us (men and women!) that we’re in this (life) together. Like Kelly said, we’re still beautiful, unfortunately the media disagrees and it creates a trickle-down effect. I’m really sorry for my rambling!
UGH these things makes me SO MAD.
It’s like the mannequins at the store you went to- so tiny that a child could barely fit into those clothes. Why don’t we have models and mannequins wearing the clothes to represent how REAL women look?
And dammit we need to love ourselves more and see how beautiful we are. And SUPPORT each other rather than rail on one another.
Okay. I’ll stop ranting now:)
Oooh, Professor, I’m not an academic but my husband is, and I think it is so true about women academics (as a very broad generalization). And I had no idea how brutal English departments could be … but that’s a different story altogether … Those female academics are especially hard on my husband … okay, back to the subject.
She sure doesn’t look like an F cup to me, but then again, a 30F would be the equivalent of what, a 34D? Something like that? So, that’s a different perspective. (Does that one make any sense?)
She’s beautiful, and good for her. But you know, as much as I agree that we are getting a twisted image of body size, and how crazy it is that as our national average size goes up, up, up, our ideal keeps going down, I think I may have to stop reading blogs like this. It’s having the opposite effect on me, and I see this and just think, gee, my 125 pounds must be perceived by some people as way fat. Gotta go jump on the exercise bike now!
Argh!!!! What will it be like for our daughters? And, for that matter, our sons?
thanks for the shout-out, as always!
I’m really so proud of Kim for standing up and githing the fight, in the face of a$$hold comments and an extremely prejudiced society. Women like her will help this world move forward in an extremely positve way.
And obvs you know how I feel about teensy actresses calling themselves fat. Gag.
I’m glad that women are standing up for themselves (and am also really upset about Eva Longoria’s comment), but is it fair/healthy for thinner to normal people being called “undersized” or whatever it was?
I am a smaller size, and while I do have issues with my body, I don’t need to be told I’m not big enough. I’m neurotic enough without it.
As a woman that trains mostly women, I have created a very supportive environment. Making a woman feel good about herself is about the best thing ever!
I think we worry too much about this and need to just live our lives being happy with who we are. The professor is correct, I also know a lot of female physicians, executives and other high level positions that struggle eating disorders and other self confidence issues resulting from their competitiveness with other women. It is not all upper level women, but an overwhelming amount. That is why it is great being an underachiever!
Find true happiness in yourself. If you can’t do it find out why. Yes, all this model stuff is really lame, but why get sucked into it? You know it is just a bunch of superficial people that got this ball rolling in the first place. I say F*#k em’!
The fashion and entertainment industries are ridiculous and stupid. The people who make the decisions in these industries are nasty and awful, and no one likes them. They will die alone surrounded by dozens of feral cats.
LOVE the picture, though!
Hooray for actual real-sized women!
I think the only way to turn it around is for us to start paying a little more attention which magazines we pick up off the newsstands, and favor the ones with real looking women on their covers. And buy more products that use realistic looking models, etc.
My feeling is the reason they keep pushing skinny women at us as the ideal is because skinny women actually sell more stuff. Only we can put a stop to that.
Whoa….they told HER to lose HOW much?!!! That is insane!
I completely agree with Crabby McSlacker. I will have to admit (*wincing*) that the headlines “Sickly Thin!” – i.e. Nicole Richie 2 years ago – DO attract my attention. But I have really tried to not buy these…after all, these super skinny girls get more press, and I am fueling it. 🙁
Damn you, US Weekly! I just love ya for your pictures.
30 pounds in 2 weeks… I don’t think so! Good job Katie! There is no such thing as an ideal, you are who you are. As long as you are comfortable with yourself and healthy nothing else matters.
So Katie wins the “real women” contest, and then is told she has to lose weight after winning because she needs to be a skinnier “real woman”? Huh?! Ok, this is one reason I’ve cut way down following the modeling stuff because it makes my head want to explode. Did you see all the Katie pics in that Flickr set? The woman is fricking gorgeous! zOMG. Good for her for dropping out and standing for something! Don’t get me started on Longoria…
I’m going to go focus on abundance now 🙂
A few years back, I was looking through a plus size clothing website. Being plus sized myself, I was pretty po’d that all the models couldn’t have been more than a size 8! Did they really think that I would think I’d look like a size 8 in those jeans!? I went to the customer service section of the site and asked them why they have tiny models for larger clothes. They emailed me back, saying that they used to have plus sized models and their clothes didn’t sell. When they shifted to smaller models, their sales soared. I guess we just want to hold on to the fantasy that we could possibly look like a size 8 in those jeans. How sad.
Very interesting Picture…..