Body Role Models

[vestalvagrant]

I haven't read the article* about Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks being called a fabulous physical role model because the concept of individual body shape role models is ludicrous**. She was born (I assume) genetically predetermined to have big boobs and curvy hips. Sure I'd love to look like that, but my body type isn't anything I can change

Comments

[missmargaret]

The problem with classifying Christina as a role model is that she doesn't appear in ANY of the popular shows that impressionable girls watch! Girls see themselves through the shows that we expose them to, and Mad Men is not something that a Year 9 would be remotely interested in .. too slow, not enough gossip etc etc.

[hnpcc]

a recent season 1 episode where Raj drunkenly pick up a plus size woman and the next morning we see him recoil and try to get away.

I took that more to be Raj's terror of and inability to speak to women while sober and suddenly discovering that he was with a woman! Who he'd have to talk to! And was sober! Argh, run away, run away!!

Short version: less OMG fat chick, and more OMG chick.

No, the boob size of the female population at large does not fluctuate according to fashion. Given the popularity of certain types of surgery I would dispute that, at least for a subset of the population! The thrust of that article was from the bra-making industry, which has increased the number of lines available in larger sizes. They went into why there does appear to be an overall increase in bust size, and the short answer is basically a combination of the population as a whole being larger (see also: obesity "epidemic") and better nutrition in development and childhood. There was also an interesting bit in the middle where they talked to

[vestalvagrant]

That interpretation makes sense too. I took it to be the writers either not willing or not allowed to take risks with female characterisations early on.

And I might have been mistaken initially - I don't think he *was* when he picked her up - the woman told him he was "such a good listener".

[hnpcc]

My impression was that he was slightly drunk - enough to be able to stay in the same space as and look at a woman, not quite enough to get more than a few words out.

Mind you, I was watching while simultaneously doing other things so I could be wrong there.

[hnpcc]

No wonder designers hate us - they're too lazy to draft patterns properly.

I have to admit to subscribing to the theory that some designers hate us because we're not men, actually.

[vestalvagrant]

I'd readily agree with that after watching several seasons of Project Runway. Male designers for women hate women's bodies - even the straight ones. Fat female designers on the show are given such a hard time by the men.