Confidence is Always in Style!

Wow!  When I wrote my last post about Glamour’s new inclusion of plus-size models in their fashion shoots, I had no idea how popular the topic was!  It seems that today’s women were very much ready for a change in the way the magazine industry portrays women.

As I mentioned, this “revolution” began when readers of Glamour wildly expressed their excitement at seeing “the woman on page 194″ which, by the way, was only a 3×3 photo in a feature about women who feel comfortable about their body.   So, who is she?

The woman whose image started it all is Lizzie Miller, a 20 year-old plus-size model who is a lovely size 12-14.  12 being the average size for American women, it’s about time this size has gotten some recognition!

Miller has been a plus-size model with Wilhelmina Models since age 14 and believes that it should be normal to see images of full-figured or plus-size women in fashion and in pop-culture.  Having struggled with her own body image at a young age, Miller was excited about the positive response to her photo as it emphasizes, to a large audience, the importance of loving your own body for what it is.

As we know, the absence of a realistic portrayal of women in the media has had detrimental effects on women in this society, particularly young women who battle with self-esteem issues, eating disorders, etc.  I hope that Lizzie Miller, and other women like her, will begin to have more of a presence in the media so that our opinion of what’s “attractive” and “beautiful” won’t be so limited.  What positive role-models these women could be for the young women of this country!

Miller, herself, admits to feeling ashamed of her body after looking through magazines filled with women with body-types she knew she’d never have.  It was when women Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce came on the scene, confident in their curvy figures, that Miller began to feel confident in herself too.

So, whether you’re a size 2 or a size 14, it’s not what you wear, but how you wear it that makes the difference.  Lizze Miller and Glamour have shown us that confidence is always in style!

 

-Rachel