The Woman on Page 194: Plus-Size Model Bares All for Glamour
posted by: Ximena R. 207 days ago
By now you've probably seen or heard of the woman on page 194.
If not let me introduce you.
Meet Lizzi Miller. She's a 20-year-old model who recently graced the glossy pages of Glamour magazine in nothing but a thong – all 180 pounds of her.
Miller's bare-it-all image appears alongside an article on women's body confidence in Glamour's September issue. The picture, which highlight's more than Miller's beautiful smile, has stirred quite a buzz. As a size 12-14 Miller represents today's “average” woman and these women are grateful. Glamour editor Cindi Leive reports that she has been inundated with positive responses from readers ever since the magazine hit newsstands:
"The most amazing photograph I've ever seen in any women's magazine."
"This beautiful woman has a real stomach and did I even see a few stretch marks?...This photo made me want to shout from the rooftops."
“Get this hot momma off of page 194 and put her on the cover!”
“Thank you for showing a picture of a BEAUTIFUL woman who has a stomach and thighs that look like mine! I have NEVER seen that in a magazine before.”
“This woman rocks and we need more women like her to make a mark on what the real woman looks like.”
Tired of seeing the same stick-thin models splashed across the covers of magazines and billboards and staring on TV and in the movies, Miller's picture is refreshing, albeit a little shocking. Unlike the models on the first 193 pages of the magazine, Miller is in a natural pose, displaying a belly bulge that hangs over her underwear – not a flat trim tummy – and she is smiling, happy, confident.
Image that, a confident woman with a less than perfect figure? Radical, I know.
Miller and Leive appeared on the Today Show to talk about the picture's buzz and what this means for the future of the magazine.
“You get a reaction like this and you can really see it. It’s also a sign of the times that women are really looking for a little bit more authenticity and a little bit less artifice in every part of their lives so yea, will it change our approach? I think it will,” said Leive.
On Leive's blog on glamour.com she calls on readers to tell her what kinds of image they would like to see more of in Glamour and assures readers that Glamour's listening and is committed to “celebrating all kinds of beauty.”
Maybe there is hope for the future of Glamour after all, but first a little perspective: out of the entire magzine Miller's picture measures all but a three-by-three inch square; on the cover is a svelte looking Jessica Simpson who months ago (and time and time again) was ridiculed by the media for her fluctuating weight; and the kicker, in the upper left hand corner of the cover there is a teaser – 3 Flat Belly Secrets – for an article inside on how to trim your waistline.
This is not cohesive messaging by any means. The article that accompanies Miller's picture encourages women to be confident in their skin – no matter what size – but you don't have to search long before you find another article instructing you on how you can get that flat belly that you've always wanted (without working out!) or another model with a “perfect” pouchless body.
So, we have a ways to go before Glamour, or any magazine for that matters,starts celebrating “all kinds of beauty” but at least this is a positive step in the right direction. It is my hope that Miller's picture isn't forgotten in the coming months and that the memory of the women's ecstatic reactions from around the country aren't forgotten either.
I'm skeptical, but I hope Glamour (or any magazine) proves me wrong.
Read more: womens rights, glamour, plus-size model, belly bulge lizzi miller, body image
comments
Hey wanted to say my pervious comment. OOPS i mistyped it. i mean that people should not be mean to people who is overweight. What can we do some people are born big size like frame it can be tough on these people. we people need to learn to handle eating better and less. that what i think and excerise more that all . But i believe that is Discrimination to these people who is overweight. can be reasons from any health problems whatever.
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Marcia H.
AMEN !!!!
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Great that they pictured a normal sized woman, however she is far from plus size. Picture someone size 20 and above nude and then I'll be convinced that the fashion world embraces ALL body shapes. 180 pounds sounds like a lot and it is for my 5 foot two inch frame...but i weigh 225 and I'm fat! And I know it. And I can barely squeeze into a size 20. That amount of weight is bad for my frame/heart/joints etc. However, when I was a size 12 for most of my teen and 20 year old years I was considered a little chubby. Now at size 12 (which I aspire to be again) I'd be plus size!!!!!! Since when? How bout just having a size and forget putting the word PLUS in front of it? I don't mind Petite when it relates to my height, but I do mind it when Petite means I can't find anything if I'm over a size 12.
It's just sad.
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go girl! Lizzi, you rock!
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go girl! you look healthy and beautiful!
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My mother is pretty enoigh and feels shi to show her body in a magazine.
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Two words: Thank you. This article has helped me feel better about myself and my body. By the way, how can anyone who looks like her be considered "plus-sized"?
A few months ago, I started obsessing over my weight. I ate less and less each day. Going out was a chore- I was constantly looking in the mirror to see wether I looked skinnier in what I was wearing. Luckily, I stopped not eating before it was too late. I am now 125 pounds, standing at 5'3, and relatively happy with my weight, but still lacking in confidence. This article gave me the boost I needed.
Lizzi, you are awesome!
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We've already seen the influence of the "bigger, beautiful woman" in stores and catalogs. Overall size parameters have changed for us all. "Small" used to be 4-6, "Medium" 8-10. Medium sizes are now 10-12. 180 lbs. should righteously be in a size 16, not 12 to 14.
I turn 58 on Saturday and still believe it's wrong to let ourselves go for any reason, at any age. Quit screwing with my sizes and quit trying to sell me mascara in TV ads where the model is wearing false eyelashes! Women aren't stupid, Madison Avenue.
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Wonderful! It is refreshing to see women who most women can relate to. For too long, we have been inundated with the image of sickly looking models who are supposed to be " beautiful". Her body tells a truthful story (not covered up by tummy tucks, lips suction, etc); a body of love and acceptance; a story that most womens bodies have lived.
The truth shall set you FREE!!!
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CollieGirl, you seem to be confused. This model is not obese and this conversation is not about obesity. The samples provided for models by designers are sized for emaciated, UNDERWEIGHT women - because nothing looks fattening in a size 2.
Have you ever seen these women in person? Sometimes their heads actually look too large for their little stick bodies. Gross and NOT healthy. Can you say eating disorder?
The solution is simple: stop purchasing from designers unless they start providing samples in realistic sizes. Maybe even support an indie designer instead. (Anyone else catch the photo of Dolce & Gabbana's entirely-gold-lined bedroom in Glamour two years ago? Puh-lease!) There are lots on sites like Etsy.com and ArtFire.com and you're more likely to be supporting a working artist than an overgrown club-hopping child.
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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
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