Following the current trend, French Elle decided to dedicate their entire March 2010 issue to plus-size women, which is completely awesome. They put model Tara Lynn on the cover, who is so beautiful and she does actually look plus-size (unlike other so called “plus-size” models). However, French Elle decided to undress her inside the magazine, for seemingly no other reason than to highlight that she is plus-size. I think it’s wonderful to show off her gorgeous body, but I wonder if they would have done the same thing if the model had not been plus-size. NY Magazine puts it this way:
We’ve asked this question before, but we’ll ask it again: Why must so many magazines shoot plus-size models naked? The photos of Lynn that follow in this spread depict her wearing clothes, as she should since this is a fashion magazine, with presumably an aim to show women how to dress. When fashion decided to make the hottest models the skinniest girls they could find, they didn’t shoot them naked to flaunt their protruding rib cages. Why must it be different now?
Magazines choose to remove even the tiniest lump, booty-tentative, ounce of fat out of the skinniest models’ bodies, yet at the same time, they choose to glorify and not photoshop the bigger lumps and bigger bellies of the plus-size models… it’s like these 2 extremes should be as extreme as possible and what lies in between is a “forbidden territory” – why do you guys think that is? And by the way, enjoy the images! 
Article excerpts from Skinny vs. Curvy
About The Author
Patricia Colli, Editor of Beutiful Magazine, is a human rights activist, equality advocate, and promoter of health, acceptance and wellbeing. Having experienced disordered eating, unhealthy exercise patterns and poor body image, she is especially passionate about shedding light on eating disorders and the power of body acceptance.
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