It’s A Guy Thing: Size Does Matter On Television
Our guy columnist bridges the gulf between media perceptions and real women
Still image from the Lane Bryant commercial-turned-Internet-sensation
I guess size does matter. No, I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the new Lane Bryant TV ad that has stirred so much controversy. Seems that women parading around in their underwear is fine with television networks, so long as those women have slim-hipped, prepubescent bodies. But when you throw a few voluptuous curves into the mix, the TV execs start to panic. According to Lane Bryant, both Fox and ABC initially refused to run the ad. And though they later relented, the whole issue raises questions about both the interplay between media and advertising and the narrow definition of beauty in America.
Since this column is called, “It’s a Guy Thing,” let me say first that the model Lane Bryant uses in the ad is HOT. Even my wife thinks she’s hot. Now that we’ve established that, let’s move on to the whole beauty standard issue. I assume we’ve all seen our share of Victoria’s Secret ads, which are equally racy – if not moreso – than the content of the Lane Bryant commercial. Yet I’ve never heard of a network exec balking at the idea of running one the Victoria’s Secret ads.
The Lane Bryant commercial, on the other hand, presents a woman–a voluptuous woman, a la Rita Hayworth. I have to wonder: would today’s networks run an ad featuring Rita? How about Marilyn Monroe? Raquel Welch? When the American beauty standard transitioned from Welch to Twiggy, I can remember my dad’s disappointment. In response, he developed a crush on Lynda Carter. Hell, I had a crush on Lynda Carter. And by today’s standards, even Ms. Carter, in her 1970s Wonder Woman glory would be considered “plus sized.” Now that, to me, is the definition of insanity.
I’ve got to wonder what kind of nation celebrates violence during prime time viewing but wags a shaming finger at a generously curved woman embarking on a lunch date in her underwear and raincoat. If anyone can explain that to me, I welcome the attempt.
For a small but incisive reminder of how little has changed in the last 25 years, we need look no further than the 1980s sitcom Designing Women, whose star Dixie Carter recently passed away. I can remember co-star Delta Burke’s admonishment: “I’m not fat, I’m voluptuous” in the context of one of the show’s episodes. Despite the uproar of applause that followed, it remains a message some network execs have yet to process.
Thank you! I can’t stand it when I go to a plus-sized store and the clothes start at a size 12. Or I go to a regular store and their sizes stop at size 12. Or, even more so, when a store makes the clothes in bigger sizes and then ONLY SELLS THOSE SIZES ONLINE. /rant
Marilyn Monroe was a size 14 people. She wasn’t a skinny duck, she was a woman, and beautiful for it. I wish society could wrap their heads around this.
After 40+ years of skinny women as the ideal fashion figure, it does seem surprising to see a curvy, womanly woman shown as something other than a comedienne! Women have always come in all sizes & shapes, and hopefully, the more positive images of women of all sizes we see, the fewer of us will live our lives trying to fit into a skinny little idea that doesn’t quite fit who we are.
Hold up. Are you suggesting that Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth were voluptuous plus size women? That’s hilarious. They were both about 120 lbs.
I’m sick of overweight people pretending that being 30 plus pounds overweight makes them “voluptuous” or “curvy”. It doesn’t. It makes them borderline obese and puts their health at risk. Stop trying to glamorize it.
I agree that society’s definition of attractive and thin has gotten way out of hand. But you are not helping anyone out by pretending that it’s okay to be overweight.
Women that are heavier than most consider themselves vuloptuous and curvy because they are. Just because you happen to be overweight, for whatever reason, does not mean that you should be stuck with the stereotypical tag of “fat”. Overweight women can be just as sexy as the rest of the skinny society. Shame on you for putting down this website. We are not saying that it is “ok to be overweight.” We are simply saying that this is our current situation, and we are going to make the best of it.
[...] that can emerge when stepping out with a date who’s significantly different from you, and It’s A Guy Thing tackled the gulf between media portrayals of women and the reality of today’s plus size [...]
Get real ladies! If I hear one more person touting the beauty of Marilyn Monroe as a size 14/16 I am going to go crazy! Yes, she WAS a beauty. Yes she did have a little more meat on her bones than many modern models/actresses. However, clothing sizing has changed quite a bit since her day! This means that while she was a dress size 14 in the 1950′s, she would NOT be a dress size 14 in TODAY’S sizing standards. Her measurements (given by the studio) were: 37-23-36, and the measurements given by her dressmaker/tailor were: 36-22-35. She was 5 feet 5 inches tall. In today’s sizing standard that would place her into a size range of 8-10 misses (10 if you are fitting to the largest measurement and tailoring the difference as you are supposed to). So, no, she was not “plus sized”, nor was she over weight. Get a grip ladies.