The Other September Issue

I am aware that this topic has been beaten more times than Naomi Campbell's personal assistant, but that is not going to stop me from contributing to the dialogue. In Glamour's September 2009 issue, a small photograph appeared of model Lizzie Miller posing (nearly nude) and looking confident next to an article entitled What Everyone But You Sees About Your Body. I'm sure you know all of this already. If not, may I present to you Lizzie Miller - the overnight icon, the model, the legend.





Total. Hottie.



Why is this news? Why are hundreds of thouands of people writing in to Glamour about this subject just hours after the issue hit newsstands?

It's news because (for once) the people made it the news. Glamour didn't run this photo on their cover or in a full-page feature. It was a blip. A blip that became a worldwide sensation. The media didn't pick up on this picture first. WE did. That's a pretty refreshing change of pace, if you ask me. So now, because of popular demand, the media is covering this story. While it may seem innocuous that Lizzie Miller threw back her head and laughed in the face of beautiful belly rolls, it's not.

Commenters are lining up to say things like, "Finally, a model who looks like me!" Oddly enough, the fashion industry seems surprised at this reaction. Wait, you'd rather not be chastised for chasing that salad with an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie? You think Lizzie Miller is an more appealing role model than Kate Moss?! How dare you unwashed masses dictate your desires! Go back to JC Penney!

I suspect that people in the fashion industry really are aware of the detriment they do by touting an unrealizable ideal. It doesn't matter to them, though. Part of the mystery, the intrigue, and the prestige of owning designer clothes is being able to fit into them. I feel as if designers would rather their clothes never touch human flesh, as if their designs should be hung on hangers in museums for admiration by all (See: Fashion Babylon). It's a paradox wherein creators create clothing but do not want them to be worn - which is the function of clothing.

It's not only the fashion industry that has such disdain for the "overweight" set. In fact, according to Newsweek, Americans hate fat people. Fat people represent the last bastion of open bigotry in the country. We feel justified in our hatred of those who are overweight because we can unanimously decree them as lazy - a burden to the environment or to the economy (Except, "healthy" people cost the government more in healthcare. It's true. NPR said so!). What we fail to see, when we approach this (or any) subject narrowmindedly, are the extenuating circumstances. There are lots of diseases and medications that cause people to gain weight (Hey Polycystic Ovary Syndrome! Hello Hypothyroidism! Hiya Depo-Provera!). As with all stripes of bigotry, we have fallen into a pit of stereotypes that we cannot escape.

It's hard to reconcile these two ideas. People the world over want to see more Lizzie Miller, but we also despise fat people? Either someone needs their journalism badge revoked or we're not getting the full picture.

The other thing that bugs me is all of these stories touting the "REAL women's response" to Lizzie Miller. Yeah, okay, I understand that angle, but tell me, where are all of the fake women hiding? They're saying that fashion models do not look like or represent real women. Aren't fashion models, ahem, REAL women? The media and advertisers use the term "real women," but what they are trying to connote is "average women." Average women are size 14-16. Average women are 5'2-5'4. Averages are tricky, though. There are plenty of outliers in these studies, and plenty of 6'4 women that bring the 4'11 women measurement up, on average. I'm not an average woman. Lizzie Miller doesn't represent me. Neither does Lindsay Lohan, or Kate Moss, or Beth Ditto. I'm just Grace, and I'm happy with that.

While Lizzie Miller doesn't represent me, she is what I would like to see more of in the media. I don't want it labeled under self-congratulatory headlines like "Our Magazine Features REAL Women (for once)." Let's just let it start creeping in, without comment, and see where it all goes!

I would like to hear someone say is, "Let's abolish standards altogether and just leave people the hell alone." (but with more of a libertarian backbone than an anarchical one) It seems to me that some people have tried to do this by advocating for health. You know what, though? Who's to say who's healthy or who's not, except that person's doctor. Beth Ditto might be bigger than me, but she sure is a hell of a lot more active than I am (ever seen her live show)? She might even have a lower resting heart rate than I do because of all of her cardio-like stage antics. The skinniest girl you know may be the most unhealthy girl you know. Your extra-curvy cubicle mate might have a more healthy heart and body than you. This just goes to show: Thin does not equal Healthy.

We're being pulled in too many directions. Americans hate fat people, but we love fat people too, when it serves our interests. Or maybe we all just have a lot of different opinions on this subject that can't be summed up into two neat opposing views.

So, instead of swapping out diplomatic terms, like "health," why don't we just focus on being all right with how we look no matter how we look.


WE the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union with a cheese pizza, want to have media standards more along the lines of Lizzie, not Lindsay. Is that too much to ask?

The Other September Issue

I am aware that this topic has been beaten more times than Naomi Campbell's personal assistant, but that is not going to stop me from contributing to the dialogue. In Glamour's September 2009 issue, a small photograph appeared of model Lizzie Miller posing (nearly nude) and looking confident next to an article entitled What Everyone But You Sees About Your Body. I'm sure you know all of this already. If not, may I present to you Lizzie Miller - the overnight icon, the model, the legend.





Total. Hottie.



Why is this news? Why are hundreds of thouands of people writing in to Glamour about this subject just hours after the issue hit newsstands?

It's news because (for once) the people made it the news. Glamour didn't run this photo on their cover or in a full-page feature. It was a blip. A blip that became a worldwide sensation. The media didn't pick up on this picture first. WE did. That's a pretty refreshing change of pace, if you ask me. So now, because of popular demand, the media is covering this story. While it may seem innocuous that Lizzie Miller threw back her head and laughed in the face of beautiful belly rolls, it's not.

Commenters are lining up to say things like, "Finally, a model who looks like me!" Oddly enough, the fashion industry seems surprised at this reaction. Wait, you'd rather not be chastised for chasing that salad with an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie? You think Lizzie Miller is an more appealing role model than Kate Moss?! How dare you unwashed masses dictate your desires! Go back to JC Penney!

I suspect that people in the fashion industry really are aware of the detriment they do by touting an unrealizable ideal. It doesn't matter to them, though. Part of the mystery, the intrigue, and the prestige of owning designer clothes is being able to fit into them. I feel as if designers would rather their clothes never touch human flesh, as if their designs should be hung on hangers in museums for admiration by all (See: Fashion Babylon). It's a paradox wherein creators create clothing but do not want them to be worn - which is the function of clothing.

It's not only the fashion industry that has such disdain for the "overweight" set. In fact, according to Newsweek, Americans hate fat people. Fat people represent the last bastion of open bigotry in the country. We feel justified in our hatred of those who are overweight because we can unanimously decree them as lazy - a burden to the environment or to the economy (Except, "healthy" people cost the government more in healthcare. It's true. NPR said so!). What we fail to see, when we approach this (or any) subject narrowmindedly, are the extenuating circumstances. There are lots of diseases and medications that cause people to gain weight (Hey Polycystic Ovary Syndrome! Hello Hypothyroidism! Hiya Depo-Provera!). As with all stripes of bigotry, we have fallen into a pit of stereotypes that we cannot escape.

It's hard to reconcile these two ideas. People the world over want to see more Lizzie Miller, but we also despise fat people? Either someone needs their journalism badge revoked or we're not getting the full picture.

The other thing that bugs me is all of these stories touting the "REAL women's response" to Lizzie Miller. Yeah, okay, I understand that angle, but tell me, where are all of the fake women hiding? They're saying that fashion models do not look like or represent real women. Aren't fashion models, ahem, REAL women? The media and advertisers use the term "real women," but what they are trying to connote is "average women." Average women are size 14-16. Average women are 5'2-5'4. Averages are tricky, though. There are plenty of outliers in these studies, and plenty of 6'4 women that bring the 4'11 women measurement up, on average. I'm not an average woman. Lizzie Miller doesn't represent me. Neither does Lindsay Lohan, or Kate Moss, or Beth Ditto. I'm just Grace, and I'm happy with that.

While Lizzie Miller doesn't represent me, she is what I would like to see more of in the media. I don't want it labeled under self-congratulatory headlines like "Our Magazine Features REAL Women (for once)." Let's just let it start creeping in, without comment, and see where it all goes!

I would like to hear someone say is, "Let's abolish standards altogether and just leave people the hell alone." (but with more of a libertarian backbone than an anarchical one) It seems to me that some people have tried to do this by advocating for health. You know what, though? Who's to say who's healthy or who's not, except that person's doctor. Beth Ditto might be bigger than me, but she sure is a hell of a lot more active than I am (ever seen her live show)? She might even have a lower resting heart rate than I do because of all of her cardio-like stage antics. The skinniest girl you know may be the most unhealthy girl you know. Your extra-curvy cubicle mate might have a more healthy heart and body than you. This just goes to show: Thin does not equal Healthy.

We're being pulled in too many directions. Americans hate fat people, but we love fat people too, when it serves our interests. Or maybe we all just have a lot of different opinions on this subject that can't be summed up into two neat opposing views.

So, instead of swapping out diplomatic terms, like "health," why don't we just focus on being all right with how we look no matter how we look.


WE the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union with a cheese pizza, want to have media standards more along the lines of Lizzie, not Lindsay. Is that too much to ask?

Writing and Creativity

I have had a few recent successes - the AM New York column about me, the three-day WCBS radio interview, the Style Network's interest in me - and I can still barely process what has happened...or for that matter, why it's happened. I was so excited when it all began, and not a little proud of my accomplishments. However, I'm reeling in the aftershock of what was, in all respects, the tiniest media blip in history. I began to envision my name in print under a rave New York Times review. Now, I feel like this inner impetus to write the great American fashion novel that began to flicker inside of me has died with the huffing breath of anxiety.

I sat down to guest write a column for a very cool website, and wrote was, perhaps, my best work to date. Yet, I did not finish it. I have a literary agent interested in seeing the first five pages of a novel, and I haven't begun to write it. I have a blog that is getting more traffic than ever, and I'm not updating it. What is my problem???

It's not writer's block, really. I have ideas pouring out of me all of the time. I just have some enormous, monolithic object in my way that I couldn't begin to identify at this point. So, I've been lazy. Reprehensibly lazy.

That is, until I saw a TED lecture given by Elizabeth Gilbert. It turned out to be the most inspiring thing I've ever heard, and it was all about creativity. I want you to watch it, even though it's 18 minutes long (because what I am saying is going to make a lot more sense to you after you watch it, and because it's really, really awesome).

[ted id="453"]




I have put my anxiety on hold, and I have decided to replace my delusions of grandeur with allusions of candor. For now, it's just me and my genius sitting in a room, waiting it out.

Writing and Creativity

I have had a few recent successes - the AM New York column about me, the three-day WCBS radio interview, the Style Network's interest in me - and I can still barely process what has happened...or for that matter, why it's happened. I was so excited when it all began, and not a little proud of my accomplishments. However, I'm reeling in the aftershock of what was, in all respects, the tiniest media blip in history. I began to envision my name in print under a rave New York Times review. Now, I feel like this inner impetus to write the great American fashion novel that began to flicker inside of me has died with the huffing breath of anxiety.

I sat down to guest write a column for a very cool website, and wrote was, perhaps, my best work to date. Yet, I did not finish it. I have a literary agent interested in seeing the first five pages of a novel, and I haven't begun to write it. I have a blog that is getting more traffic than ever, and I'm not updating it. What is my problem???

It's not writer's block, really. I have ideas pouring out of me all of the time. I just have some enormous, monolithic object in my way that I couldn't begin to identify at this point. So, I've been lazy. Reprehensibly lazy.

That is, until I saw a TED lecture given by Elizabeth Gilbert. It turned out to be the most inspiring thing I've ever heard, and it was all about creativity. I want you to watch it, even though it's 18 minutes long (because what I am saying is going to make a lot more sense to you after you watch it, and because it's really, really awesome).






I have put my anxiety on hold, and I have decided to replace my delusions of grandeur with allusions of candor. For now, it's just me and my genius sitting in a room, waiting it out.