Why Is This 'Indecent'?

A new ad from US clothing line Lane Bryant - featuring plus-size models Ashley Graham, Tara Lynn, Denise Bidot and Georgia Pratt in the label's underwear - has been rejected by major US TV networks.
Why? Because they call it "indecent".
The ad – Lane Bryant's ongoing body positive #ThisBody campaign – shows the women speaking proudly about their bodies, and includes a shot of Tara Lynn breastfeeding her newborn baby.
Major US networks NBC and ABC asked LB to edit the clip. When it declined, the ad was rejected with the claim it didn't meet "decency standards".
WTF???!!! These are the same networks who regularly air Miss Universe and Miss America swimsuit competitions, not to mention countless Victoria's Secret ads featuring models in lingerie, and all of a sudden this ad doesn't meet its "decency guidelines"?

You'll recall the networks swinging the same axe in 2010, when LB launched a new line...if not, then recap here [link]. They had an issue with curvy Ashley Graham's voluptuous chest! After that drama, the ad was the No.1 most-watched viral video in the world!
Following the networks' recent decision, LB posted the clip on Facebook: "The networks didn't want you to see this. But we do. Show everyone what #ThisBody's made for." Since then, it's been viewed over 2 million times.
LB: "The #ThisBody campaign was meant to be a fun way for us to celebrate and honour women of all shapes and sizes. What is too much for some does not hold true for others. It is a true celebration of women of all sizes doing what makes THEM feel beautiful - whether its breastfeeding their newborn, flaunting their bodies the way they see fit, breaking down barriers all around and simply being who they are or want to be."
So now's your chance to see it. IS this ad "indecent"? Or a positive celebration of life? YOU decide!

Sports Illustrated Finally Gets REAL!

This year's Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition is making waves...
for all the right reasons.
Thanks to voluptuous Ashley Graham, the cover has made history - as the first to feature a plus-size woman since the annual edition started in 1964. The shoot features the 28-year-old brunette, who is best-known as a lingerie model for the plus-size clothing store Lane Bryant. (Remember the controversy in 2010 when US TV channels refused to play Lane Bryant ads featuring Ashley...?)

The US-size 16 lingerie model (that's NZ size 18) Ashley says the shoot is for "every woman who felt she wasn't beautiful because of her size...you can do and achieve anything you put your mind to."
The 2016 Swimsuit Edition also features Ronda Rousey and Hailey Clauson as the stars of its two alternate covers. (Rhonda is an American mixed martial artist, judoka, and actress. She is the former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, as well as the last Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. Hailey Clauson is an American fashion model who has been the face of Dsquared2, Jill Stuart, and Gucci.)
It's the first time in 50 years that Sports Illustrated has featured cover stars representing three different body types. SI's assistant managing editor MJ Day: "All three women are beautiful, sexy and strong. Beauty is not cookie cutter. Beauty is not 'one size fits all.' Beauty is all around us and that became especially obvious to me while shooting and editing this year's issue."
FINALLY Sports Illustrated has seen the light!

Hello, Adele!

Big...bold...beautiful...
Adele's comeback single Hello is an absolute cracker (just like her, really!). And it's smashing records worldwide.
But let's not get snowed under by stats: here's the song itself. You'll LUV it!

Porn or Pop? Adele Decides

Adele and Oscar

Keep your ears open for Adele's hot new comeback single, Hello…
and your eyes open for the new Rolling Stone mag, featuring the singer on the front cover.
But what a change! Gone is the big trademark hairstyle. She's stripped back to tousled wet hair and minimal make-up as she sits in a white dressing gown for the cover shot.
Adele says she's constantly asked whether she would pose for Playboy: "I've been asked so many times, it's ridiculous, but do they ask me because I'm a woman…or because I'm fat?" With the huge wave of public support for plus-size women, Adele says "...sometimes I'm curious to know if I would have been as successful if I wasn't plus-size. I think I remind everyone of themselves. Not saying everyone is my size, but it's relatable because I'm not perfect, and I think a lot of people are portrayed as perfect, unreachable and untouchable."

27yr.old Adele has enjoyed a phenomenal comeback, with the release of her first single since the James Bond Skyfall theme song in 2012.
An accompanying video for Hello has been released and it clocked a mammoth 100 million views in just five days. It's had the most US downloads sold in a week: 1.11m. It's the first song ever to sell 1m+ downloads in a week.
The catchy song was streamed 47.5m times globally on Spotify, making it the most-streamed song over a week in the online streaming platform's history.
The music video also broke records at entertainment platform Vevo.com, delivering more than 27m views in the first 24 hours after its release.
Can't wait for the new album, called 25, due out before the end of this month!

Perfection Projection

We each have our own individual idea of what the 'perfect female body' looks like, based on our personal preferences.

But have you ever considered that where you come from can have a strong bearing on your Perfection Projection?
Onlinedoctor.superdrug.com gave 18 designers from around the world an image and asked them to photoshop it, to make the model fit with their own culture's perceptions of beauty and an ideal female form.
The aim was to better understand potentially unrealistic standards of beauty and to see how such pressures varied around the world. As we know, widely-held perceptions of beauty and perfection can have a deep and lasting cultural impact on both women and men.
Of those 18 designers, 14 were women and 4 were men. The organisers of this artistic exercise focused on female designers, because they wanted a woman's view of what her culture found attractive and to understand more about the pressures they faced in their daily lives.
In fact, the men's contributions were only accepted
(a) to get entries from more countries, and
(b) on the proviso that they got female input and worked that into their design changes.
So to see Perfection Projections from around the world, based on geographical and cultural influences, click [here]...

Swedish Mannequins Get Real

Unreal...

A Swedish department store has renewed the body image debate, after pix of its 'normal-sized' mannequins appeared online.
Åhléns introduced new-look mannequins to all its 76 stores back in 2010 - to widespread customer acclaim. But a recently-blogged photo stirred up fresh interest: so much so that the pic has gained over a million Facebook likes!

Real...

"We use different-sized mannequins because our customers are all different," says Åhlens' spokesman Monica Hultgren. "We're proud of them because of the great reaction from customers and it's good to encourage a positive body image."
The fashion industry's come under fire in recent years, due to it's skinny shop dummies that don't necessarily reflect the average woman. EG: most UK mannequins are size 8-10, around 5ft 10" and, in heels, create an

Something for everyone...

unrealistically long lean image. This is generally unachievable and helps create low self-esteem, as the average UK woman is size 16 and 5ft 4".
In Sweden, the average female is size 12 and 5ft 7". US dummies are usually 4-6, way below the average size 14 female.
So, well done to Åhléns! There's far too much focus on one fashion image. We all come in different sizes, shapes, colours and heights, and thank goodness for that!
The big question now is whether other chains will follow this positive example...

Biggus Dickus

Tan m'hide when I'm dead, Fred...
Hang m'dick on the wall, Paul!
Jonah Falcon, the NY actor with the longest penis on record, has bequeathed his dick to the Iceland Phallological Museum!
43yr.old Falcon became an internet star a few years back, after having

It really is THIIIIIIS BIG!!!

his manhood measured on a tv doco called Unhung Hero.
He's been stopped and frisked by San Francisco Airport security, after they spotted the large bulge in his pants (Yes, sir, I am carrying a Weapon of Mass Destruction!).
He claims he can completely envelop a doorknob with his foreskin... rrriiiggghhhttt! Why WOULD you?! And then why would you TELL anyone that???
Falcon's turned down countless opportunities to appear in porn movies, but the chance to have his member on display at the museum (nicknamed The Penis Museum) has finally persuaded him to make use of his 34cm / 13.5" sex organ. Jonah says the invitation flattered him, as he appreciates the museum's devotion to science.
The museum (opened in 1997 in the capital Reykjavik) is one of Iceland's most bizarre attractions. It features 300+ specimen penises and penile parts from over 93 creatures, including whales, walruses, seals, a gorilla and a polar bear. The sizes range from a 2m whale penis to a 2mm hamster one.
Falcon says it would be an honour to have his manhood on display there after his death. He hopes it'll be placed between the sexual organs of a polar bear and a sperm whale, joking that he wouldn't want to make either of them jealous.
Hey, I know, they could call the exhibit "Jonah and the Whale"!

Too Fat To Fly?

Samoa Air has started calculating a passenger's fare based on their weight!
Some US airlines already make obese passengers, who can't fit in a single seat, pay for two seats, but this is the first time a per-kilo rate's been used by an airline. Samoa Air's "pay by weight" booking system means passengers type in their weight on the airline's online reservation system and pay the "pay-per-kilo" rate for that sector. They're weighed again on scales at the airport, to check they weren't fibbing online.
Rates range from $1-per-kg on the shortest domestic route to around $4.16-per-kg for travel from Samoa to American Samoa.
The airline's CEO Chris Langton says it's the concept of the future: "Anyone who travels has felt at times they've been paying for half of the passenger next to them." He believes families will be surprised by the cost of paying by weight - families travelling with small children could end up paying far less.
Samoa Tourism's Peter Sereno believes the policy will also help with safety standards: "When you're only fitting 8-12 people in these aircraft and you've got some bigger Samoans getting on, you do need to weigh them and distribute that weight evenly throughout the aircraft, to make sure everyone's safe."
Samoa Air began flying within Samoa in 2012 and has expanded to a number of other Pacific island nations, operating BN2A Islanders and Cessna 172 aircraft.
There has been no comment from OverEaters Anonymous...

Could They Somehow Be Related #5?

Gok Wan, curvy femmes' fashion hero, dashed into NZ recently.
Justin Bieber, pre-pubescent girls' crush, dashes into NZ in July.
Similar hair, similar specs, similar trip:
is Justin just a Wanna-be-Wan...
or does Gok's smirk hide more than he's letting on?

Adele Just A Passing Fad?

Noel Gallagher says Adele's success won't last!
Harsh words from the former Oasis singer...and also from fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld: Gallagher sees her as a flash in the pan, while Lagerfeld says she’s too fat!
Gallagher states that women just don't stick around in his business: "I feel sorry for girls in the music industry. They have a very short shelf life. For instance, Duffy: who? Gone. She was massive. And I don't doubt for a second the same thing will happen to Adele." Ok, valid point about Duffy, the Welsh singer who won a Grammy in 2009 then flopped. But as for his suggestion that women can't last in the music industry, I don't need to start naming names to disprove that one. If one is going to beat that drum, one can easily compile a list of those that didn't make it...and just as easily draw up another of those that did! With Adele’s massive voice and huge fan base, it's hard to imagine she won't be a big star for years to come.
Lagerfeld mentioned Adele in an interview when he was asked about US singer/songwriter Lana Del Rey: "I prefer Adele and Florence Welch. The thing at the moment is Adele. She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice." Of course, the wizened 78yr.old Lagerfeld (of dubious style savvy) inhabits an unreal world where anyone larger than a 12yr.old girl is considered to be carrying too much weight. Lagerfeld has since made a grovelling backtrack, saying he's a big fan. Riiiiiight. Adele states bluntly she has no desire to be a 'skinny Minnie': "I've never seen magazine covers and music videos and thought I need to look like that to sell more records. I don’t need to - I am selling records! I don't find that attractive and even if I did have a Sports Illustrated body, I'd still wear elegant clothes. I ain't lookin' like no slapper. Exploiting yourself sexually is not a good look."
The classically stylish Adele creamed the Grammy Awards last weekend - whereas Noel Gallagher's Oasis hasn't scored a US hit since 1998! I'm picking she won’t be too worried about these comments...
PS: 22 Feb.2012 - Un-bloody-believeable! Adele returns in triumph to UK to score two prizes at the Brit Awards...only to have the producers cut off her acceptance speech after about 10 seconds!!!!

Grasse!

They call themselves the thin one and the fat one...
They are Nicole Nesti, a photographer, and Barbara Dardanelli, a communications expert. The two friends have launched a Facebook appeal for fuller-figured women and girls (over US size 14/NZ 16) who live comfortably with their curves. Their idea is to create a photo project, using no retouching, to show that another form of beauty is possible without becoming a pretzel.
The name of the project is Grasse! (which is Italian for "Fat!") and it's a work-in-progress. The aim is to create an exhibition that will tour Italy and show people a new way of seeing beauty. Lots of women so far have joined in through the project's official Facebook page.
Although the idea of using images of proud oversized women (who are often absent from the media and advertising), is a good one, they hope the message doesn't stop at the exhibition itself but becomes a vehicle for promoting healthy, balanced habits.

Making Music For The Ears

The gossip mags have reported that British singing sensation Adele cancelled the last leg of her US tour not because of illness, but because music execs said she had to lose weight!
According to a “source close to the situation”, a music guru told her if she wanted to be accepted in America, she needed to drop a few pounds. Adding to that pressure is the fact that Adele suffers from panic attacks, which were exacerbated once she got to US. When she gets nervous her throat closes up, hence the laryngitis (the supposed reason for cancelling). But how f***in' ridiculous and arrogant of the US music men!!!
Her weight is not an issue for to her fans though…she’s sitting pretty at the top of the charts with her outstanding second album 21.
Adele recently graced the cover of America's Rolling Stone magazine in their 'Best of Rock 2011' issue. Inside she says: “My life is full of drama and I don't have time to worry about something as petty as what I look like. Even if I had a really good figure, I don't think I'd get my tits and arse out for anyone. That’s not what my music is about. I don’t make music for eyes, I make music for ears.” Well said!
...if you liked that, you might also wanna check out this 2008 remake of Billy Joel's To Make You Feel My Love...

Playboy Plus!

Curvaceous Brazilian model Fluvia Lacerda recently made history as the first 'plus' model to appear in Playboy Brazil.
At a very shapely size 16 (that's a US 16 = Euro 48 = NZ 18; 5’8”/172 cm; 43-35-48”/109-89-122cm) she's definitely one of the curviest models to appear in any Playboy.
Hugh Hefner created the Brazilian
edition of Playboy back in 1975. Originally titled A Revista do Homem, the glossy publication was an immediate hit with locals and is still going strong 34 years later.
Many see Fluvia's feature as breaking down another barrier for plus models. She feels more Latina women should be represented in the plus industry.
In addition to the Playboy appearance, she was also named winner of Full Figured Fashion Week’s Plus Commercial Print Model of the Year Award.

Next Top Model Gets A Bit More Real

New Zealand's Next Top Model is going “plus size” this year.
By that, the producers mean almost the size of a normal healthy koiwoi sheila. Almost.

Whitney: hardly plus size...

America's Next Top Model 2008 was won by plus-sized Whitney Thompson. She was the first model above a US dress size 4 to win the competition: she says she fluctuates between US 8-10. Converting US into koiwoi sizes, a US 4 = NZ 6; 8 = 10; 10 = 12: hardly what you’d call “plus size”... or even “REAL size”.

"Real" models:
Barbara Brickner,
Danielle Line,
Crystal Renn

In the NZ show, no model bigger than a 10 has ever made it into the finals.
But this year that may change, with the door opened to models sized NZ 12 or more.
The only problem is, of the thousands applying for the show, only five met that criterion. But I understand some of those do make the top 33: they’ll appear in the first episode.
Stats show our average NZ gal wears size 14-16, with the next most-popular dress size 18-20. At size 8-10, these tv wannabees are getting a tad closer but still not a true representation of a majority of NZ women. I think these models should be NZ 12-14, showing how outstanding curvy women actually look.
But we all know designers want clothes horses, not true “real” representations of their customers. They seem slow to grasp that, if they actually catered to the market, there’d be more financial support for their creations.
Women of all shapes and sizes have a right to dress the way they want – not the way the retail industry lets them.

Plus Size TV: No Wide Screen Needed

Hands up who remembers Gilmore Girls... that sugar-sweet comedy-drama about a 30+ single mum called Lorelai Gilmore and her goody-good teenage daughter Rory, living in Stars Hollow.
The character I liked most was Sookie - she was Lorelai's best friend: a talented chef, a bit scatter-brained and klutzy, controlling in the kitchen.
Sookie was played by Melissa McCarthy, a 5ft.2" cuddly hotty. I was always surprised the scriptwriters didn't have a field day with her weight, but that would've alienated some of the audience the show wanted. I can't actually remember even one 'size' joke at her expense...

"Love me. Love ALL of me."

Melissa's about to start a run here on NZ TV in a romantic comedy called Mike and Molly (TV2, Sun.1st.May 8pm). It's about a couple who meet in a weight-loss support group. And this time, there will be laughs made out of the couple's size - in fact, that's pivotal to the whole show. I'm looking forward to seeing how the issue's handled. Ok, to be totally honest, I'm more anticipating seeing Melissa McCarthy...but that's a whole different story!
Another show I enjoy is Drop Dead Diva (TV2, Wed., 9.30pm): "A vapid aspiring model killed in a car crash gets brought back to life as an intelligent overweight lawyer, hoping to find the meaning of inner beauty..." Another leading lady, Jane Bingum (played by Brooke Elliott), who's not a stick insect! And again, she looks hot!
So why is US TV suddenly relating to larger people? Or are the producers merely using them to gawk at? Are they trying to attract the 60% of Americans classified as overweight? Have they finally realised that most viewers are not model-thin? Is "fat" no longer a dirty word? Is "being normal" now ok? Has "plus size" finally come-of-age?
So many questions. I guess the ratings will tell...

The Mad Dog Gets His Bone!

Wikileaks unveiled 250,000 diplomatic documents last weekend, and what do we find? *Shock!*Horror!*Probe!*
Nothing that'll stop the world turning. No smoking gun. No cat out of the bag. No fox in the hen house. For all the mutterings in the corridors of Langley, the juiciest tit-bits so far (and I use that term intentionally) involve the Mad Dog of Libya, Muammar Qaddafi. Wait, stop the bus: maybe the fox is in the hen house...!

More tea, darlink?

Classified diplomatic cables reveal the 68yr.old Libyan leader actually has good taste! Seems he has a staff of four Ukrainian nurses - including one named Galyna Kolotnytska who's described as a "voluptuous blonde". Galyna is 38, and the only one of the four-gal team that knows Da Boss's routine inside-out. So just how well does she know his routine? Inside-out!
The cables state Qaddafi has female bodyguards rather than males, and say "it's unknown currently why he travels like that". Well, duuuuuuh, think about it!! Voluptuous? Blonde? Able to leap large beds in a single bound? Unt vis an irrrrrrresistable Rrrrrrrussian accent, and a 9mm Makarov tucked in her garter belt!

See the attraction?

There's even *gasp* a suggestion that G and G are "doing the wild thang"! Wow, those US diplomats must have very high IQs: I'd never have figured that out! So...just how well does he know her routine? Say all together: inside-out!
Other earthshattering revelations are that Qaddafi loves horse-racing and flamenco dancing. So...? To hell with all that: the man likes blonde voluptuous Ukrainian nurses... inside-out!
Qaddafi, you've just risen in my esteem by mega-points! Go, you Mad Dog, you!

Fantastic Fashion Week

Auckland's fashionistas are full of the joys of Fashion Week 2010.
The loss of banner sponsor Air New Zealand this year has not compromised the glam event, running through til this Saturday in Auckland's Viaduct Harbour Marine Village. The best of NZ’s fashion design is on show, with a wide range of both established and emerging brands.
And like last year, The Carpenter's Daughter has stunned the crowd with gorgeous plus-sized models cast from a public call-up. This show was a real progression for The Carpenter's Daughter, making a strong design statement instead of relying on colourful layering pieces. "Big, loud and proud" is one thing, this added another in more of-the-moment pieces, reflecting the darker mood of mainstream winter ranges. The look was hardly funereal, however, with lots of lace, floaty fabrics and brocades and velvets softening the overall effect.
Once again, The Carpenter's Daughter designers Caroline Marr and Sarah-Jane Duff have shown that style isn't only for stick insects.

Plus Size Is A Joke

UK designer Julien MacDonald (maker of skimpy upmarket glam) is in hot water when, talking about the tv show Britain's Next Top Model, he said: "This is a serious show. You can't have a plus-size girl winning - it makes it a joke". Ouch! MacDonald will chair the jury of the show, and it seems he's already made up his mind over what qualities the winner must have...
Tell that to plus-size supermodel Crystal Renn, who hit back in the Independent, saying beauty is not about size and it is terribly wrong to create a strong division between straight-size and plus-size models. The catwalk should be like the road, with different sizes, and she'd like to see a move away from titles like "plus size". She says the winner should be beautiful and talented, able to pose, with passion and charisma, whatever her size...

To accentuate that curvy girls are not a joke, New York has just concluded its 2nd.annual Full Figured Fashion Week, completely dedicated to plus size fashion, models and business. The marketplace is thirsty for innovative stylish creations that flatter curvy figures, and FFFWeek is an exciting promise of fuller fashion evolution.
Meanwhile the June 2010 issue of French Marie Claire has gone curvy with editorials featuring plus-size models in lingerie and swimsuits à la française - some with only bottoms, no tops!
PS: 14 July 2010 - Macdonald is rapidly backpedalling: "I was misquoted! I meant to say I think there's room for everyone in fashion, but if you're a plus-sized model the opportunities are less - there's just less work for plus-sized models." The designer then added with a bit of pride, "I don't try to cover up plus-size women, I want them to accentuate their bodies." Yea...right, Julien! Too little, too late!

Callie's Underwear Dance

Last year I posted about the delicious Sara Ramirez, Hispanic-and-Hot actress playing Dr.Callie Torres on TV's Grey’s Anatomy. I still get a few emails about that post – not only from guys who’re appreciative of the curvy female form, but also from generously-shaped gals who find Sara (pronounced Sa-da), to be inspirational...

One of the best moments in Grey’s Anatomy:Season 3 was Callie’s near-legendary "underwear dance". It certainly rocked TV Land at the time! Imagine: a non-stick-figure woman diggin’ the groove in her knickers and looking damn hot! OMG!
If you missed that solo scene down in the Seattle Grace Hospital basement (or would like to see it again - and again - and again)…
here it is: enjoy!

Remember: "Life may not be the party we hoped for...but while we're here, we might as well DANCE!"

Double Standards in the Knickers Drawer

A storm in a 38D cup in USA...over a plus-size lingerie commercial that Fox TV and ABC were reluctant to play!
Plus-size label Lane Bryant claims the channels agreed to air an ad for its new 'Cacique' lingerie line, then got cold feet. The company says ABC "restricted our airtime" and refused to air the ad during Dancing With the Stars, while Fox "demanded excessive re-edits three times before relenting to air it during the final ten minutes of American Idol, but only after we threatened to pull the schedule."
Bryant says the networks had a problem with the cleavage in the ad...
Hear what some US media are saying...
Lane Bryant suggests they have an unfair issue airing images of curvy women in lingerie, while they have no problem with Victoria's Secret's racy ads featuring much thinner models.
Sure, the voluptuous model (Ashley Graham) has a bigger bosom but, as far as raciness goes, it's no more shocking than anything else on TV. And quite frankly, she looks a damn sight better!
PS: 06 May 2010 – The people speak. Lane Bryant's ad is the No.1 most-watched viral video in the world this week: over 3-million views !