We say we want to see real women in fashion magazines, but when a normal-looking woman is used a mix of backlash and praise is received.

Glamour magazine caused a flood of comments when they posted a small photo in their magazine of a smiling woman as she sat unclothed (but strategically covered) in her natural beauty. The difference between this photo and the millions of others out there like it is that this model had a bit of belly flab. The readers took notice when for once a tummy was shown in a fashion magazine that looked normal. A real belly typically isn’t perfection. Especially for women that have had children, those ideal abs are just that the ideal not the norm.

Reader Reaction

Reading through the comments of the Glamour blog post in regard to the picture, you see the range of reactions that Glamour readers (as well as those that visited the blog from websites mentioning the buzz of the fashion magazine garnering attention for their “real woman” model). Most cheer on the beauty and self-confidence shown in the photo. Most tell their own story of trying to accept their own body and how images like this one help them in that quest. Most encourage Glamour to have more models just like her.

But then there’s the flip side. Comments included concerns about plus-sized models promoting obesity, rude remarks about the model (and those like her) being unattractive, and self-righteous lectures where readers boasted about their own tiny measurements and how everyone should be just like them.

However, many of the above comments were replied to with equally self-righteous lectures attacking thin women. Basically, a clichéd cat-fight ensued between the “skinny” and the “fat.” (With of course the most offensive comments being deleted by the administrator.)

Human Nature in the Comments

The reality is that anyone with the least amount of insecurity will look for ways to lash out at those that contribute to their feelings of inadequacy. And those that look to boast about their “perfection” in attempt to hurt others are equally insecure seeking to feel superior by belittling others. These natural human tendencies were apparent within the comments.

But amidst the dark side of human nature, the bright side prevailed. The encouraging and inspiring comments got through to the editors. Glamour announced their efforts to include more “real women” in their fashion magazine. This meaning models who are beautiful, attractive, healthy, and fashion forward women that just so happen to be larger than a size 6. Glamour is still a fashion magazine about beauty, clothes, and makeup but will begin to represent more variety among the models.

Yet once again, the announcement was met with a variety of comments. Most were supportive, but contrary remarks have been made too.

What Do You Think?

Do you prefer to see a variety of fashion models? Do you think that the fashion industry intends for models to be clothing hangers so the focus is on the clothes and not the girl? What do you think about the fat vs. skinny cat fights that break out in reaction to the prospect of having real women models? Here on TotallyHer we are about Real Women, so tell us what you think about real women models.

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(Original photo by Raphael Labbe, banner photo by Mark Hillary, used under Creative Commons license.)