Body Image and 'that' Victoria's Secret Photo

This photo has been floating around online recently, creating a mini debate amongst the community. As soon as a photo appears showing a celebrity looking 'normal', chatter starts. "Everyone has a fat day", "They aren't proper models", "Looks perfect to me", "One could afford to eat a few cheeseburgers and the others stop eating theirs!" So many comments have been made on this one photo of three Victoria's Secret models. 

 On the left of the photo, we have Alessandra Ambrosio. Your standard model frame. 34B-25-34

In the middle is the so called 'Plus size' model - Crystal Renn. 34C-29-38

On the right is Brooklyn Decker, a sportier frame model. 12D-25-35

All beautiful women in their own right. All different sizes, different body types. All models for Victoria's Secret 2010 swimsuit release. So why did this one photo create so much media? It shows three professional models of various shapes in a not so flattering photo. So what?

Body image is a huge part of why I wanted to start this blog. Seeing so many women with little confidence in their own bodies, judging themselves and others harshly, lapping up these photos and thinking - "See! They're not that great". Is this really what we have become? Having to put other people down to see ourselves as better than them? Equal to them? Is this the only way we can feel good about ourselves? Needing to be thinner than, curvier than, more tanned than. Seeing a celebrity looking less like the image we are used to seeing in the media and judging them on that, or seeing yourself in them and suddenly lifting your own personal image.

I've seen it all: Big, small, full cup, flat-chested, perky, saggy, flabby, toned, broad, narrow, and everything in between. And what I've gotten out of working in this industry is that NO women is completely happy with what she has got and that makes me really sad to see.

I know I'm not breaking any new ground in writing this, but I am very passionate when it comes to womens' self image. Modern media has made us into the ultimate critics. Models represent maybe 1% of what people actually looks like, but rather than aiming to be in the healthiest body we can, we aspire to be the image TV and magazines have told us is beauty - Not nearly often enough, seeing it in ourselves.

 The same Victoria's Secret models as we were meant to see them.

Oh and one of my Victoria's Secret pieces, just because I have to add at least one set to the post! (Gift from a girlfriend of mine. How lovely.)



Be honest with yourself, and tell me what was the first thing that popped into your mind when you saw that photo?