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By now, many of us know of Crystal Renn. She is the ex-anorexic high fashion model turned proud plus size model and author. Beloved by many, she was praised for embracing her natural curves in her book, in interviews, and in mainstream fashion media, especially Glamour magazine, which she recently graced the cover of June’s issue along with Alessandra Ambrosio and Brooklyn Decker. The cover has gained quite a bit of attention in the fashion world, because on it, Crystal appears to be practically as thin as the other two women. Looking at other recent photos of Crystal, it does appear that she has lost weight. So why is this such a big issue? Ever since she was dubbed as a plus size model and has spoke on body image, there seems to be this expectation of her to stay that way. Now that she has lost a bit of weight, criticism has poured in from everywhere. There have been speculations about her relapsing and betraying the size acceptance that she once advocated. However, articles have reported that the weight loss is unintentional and due to the fact that she has been more physically active.

“She is not trying to lose weight at all,” her Ford Models agent tells PEOPLE. “She fluctuates between a 10 and a 14.”

“She went hiking in Patagonia for three weeks over the holidays and she firmed up and got a little smaller,” he says. “She has also been traveling like crazy and tends to be smaller when that happens.

Makes sense. Still, I can’t help but noticed how some people are still placing her in that shameful weight loss corner, and otherwise ignoring her when they once loved her as that awesome plus size model striking a pose for Glamour magazine.

What do you think? Does she have a social obligation to stay plus size?

In a recent Funny or Die video skit, Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green have teamed up to poke fun and ridicule the budget cuts affecting the public school system in California. Which inadvertently means making fun of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

What do you think about budget cuts in the education system?

According to a new study by the University of Arizona, ads featuring bigger models don’t actually make most women feel very good about themselves. Apparently, pretty much everything makes women feel like crap about how they look.

According to the researchers, larger women feel better about themselves when ads don’t include any models at all, average-sized ladies actually have lower self-esteem after looking at ads with plus-sized models rather than uber-skinny ones, and thin folk prefer the traditional tiny models. The study did, however, come up with one icky way bigger models can be used to actually influence product sales: ” … if a normal-size woman sees moderately heavy images in ads for weight-loss products, she might feel overweight and be more inclined to buy a diet plan or gym membership.” This is basically saying ads could use plus-sized models to make women feel bad enough about themselves that they want to spend more money on gym memberships and diet products.

What do you think about this study? How does seeing both plus sized models and thin models in magazines make you feel about your own body? What thoughts go through your mind when you view them?

“We no longer search for the news, the news finds us.”

I found this and thought it was quite interesting.

Last cycle on America’s Next Top Model, Tyra Banks wanted to expand on the definition of what it means to be a beautiful fashion model by inviting petite women 5’7 and under. Being a petite myself, I was all for this idea. But now Tyra has moved on to a new project by launching a plus sized model competition called Tyra’s Fiercely Real Teen Model Search. The winner receives a major modeling contract. Eligibility requires girls ages 13 to 19, between sizes 12-20, from 5’9 to 6’1 in height.

This event could be partly in response to the increase in public demand for more plus sized women to be featured in mainstream media. It has already generated both positive a negative responses by news article commenters. The positive being that this is a step up in ridding the super skinny standard and will help bigger women feel more confident with their bodies. The negative asking why the limit stops at size 20 and 5’9 tall. It has also been questioned why they want only teen girls and why she didn’t just do a plus sized cycle on Top Model.

What do you think about this competition?

I recently stumbled upon an article about a certain website: BeautifulPeople.com. It’s a dating website based primarily on looks and appearance. The websites main page states:

* Do looks matter to you, when it comes to selecting a partner?
* Do you want to guarantee your dates will always be beautiful?
* No more filtering through unattractive people on mainstream sites
* Meet beautiful people locally and from around the world – now
* Attend exclusive events and private parties

This website caters to the people in this world that care about physical appearance and aren’t ashamed to admit it. But what I did find truly odd was that after the holidays, 5,000 members were kicked off the site.

Why you ask?

According to BeautifulPeople.com, ”vigilant members” called for drastic action after users posted photos of themselves celebrating Christmas and the New Year – revealing they had ”let themselves go”. Robert Hintze, the founder, was quoted as saying:

”Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which BeautifulPeople.com was founded.”
Yes, so-called “fatties” and “ugly people” were kicked off the site for gaining a few extra pounds during the holiday season. Wow.

While BeautifulPeople.com are saying they are simply maintaining the high standard of beauty on their site, I think they is something fundamentally wrong with this.

What do you think of this dating website based on looks alone?

Fifty years ago, it was the norm for the husband to bring home the bacon and his wife to fry it in the pan. He would be working full time and the only one out of the household working. The wife would stay home, cleaning, taking care of the children, and have a meal prepared for her husband when he got home from work. Times have changed.

Today, economy pretty much requires two incomes to make ends meet in the common household. Most women are willing to go to work full time, and they are. But what about the household chores? Are men today helping out in that department?

It has always been my belief that men and women are equal, and so they should share things equally. In other words, if a woman is living with a man and she is working as much as he is, and contributing to an equal portion of the rent, bills, and other financial expenses as her spouse is, then he should be respectful enough to help out with cleaning and other “women’s work.” Why should a woman be expected to share working and financial responsibilities and do all of the household chores? That would be pure nonsense. But unfortunately, I am seeing more and more examples of this expectation. To me, this is not just a sign of laziness, but a lack of respect. I mean, it’s only fair, right? What is wrong with a woman asking her man to help with a chore, and how is she supposed to react when he refuses or tries to get out of  it?

I don’t know about anyone else, but I find it a turn on when a man helps his woman out around the house every once in a while. Now, I know that there is work  that is conventionally described as “a man’s job,” like changing a tire and such. As for me, I wouldn’t mind at all helping a guy work on the car, I don’t find myself above doing things like that.

What do you think about gender roles today versus fifty years ago?  In your household, who works and who is the housekeeper, or is it shared?

I’ve been hearing about and reading more about in the past several months about the popularity of micro-pigmentation: Makeup permanently tattooed on the face such as eye liner, eye shadow, and lip liner, and eyebrows. Most popular with women towards middle ages,  this  is done to rid the inconvenience of having to apply makeup every single day.

I can understand why women might want to get this, but I don’t know  why they would get their whole face done this way. What if one day they changed their mind and wanted to go without makeup, or what if they wanted different colors?

What do you think about micro-pigmentation? Would you ever get it?

Has anyone heard of the latest trend hitting up the coffee business? This is the first I have seen of this. Sweeping through cities such as Seattle, Las Vegas, and surrounding areas: Sexpresso – sexually themed coffee stands with scantily clad waitresses. “It’s like Hooters for coffee,” is what they are saying. Move over, Starbucks! At a cafe in Seattle called The Sweet Spot, you can get drinks with names such as “Wet Dream” and “Erotic Pleasure,” served by waitresses in bikinis. At other stands, you can get the same type of drinks, only with different names and racier employee clothing, ranging from lingerie to sexy fantasy costumes. You can check out one of these shop’s websites at JavaGirls.net.

I know that desperate times calls for desperate measures, but this is pretty  pathetic. As if we already don’t have enough businesses selling sex to make an easy buck. I really can’t decide which is worse, the person responsible for this idea, the women who think it’s cool enough to apply there, or the moronic customers who buy into that crap.

It’s been a good while since I’ve been a dedicated reader of Seventeen Magazine, but I decided to pick up the October issue. In the health section, page 102, author and self esteem expert Jess Weiner takes a minute to make a note about an email she received from a young woman, as part of the Seventeen’s Body Peace Project, (which I love). The girl wrote in about how she happened to be watching an adult film with her boyfriend and his friends, and they kept ogling about how hot all the fake boobs on screen were, and she started to doubt that her own breast size is big enough to be attractive to her boyfriend. Jess went on to reply to the girl. ” Instead of feeling like your breasts exist solely for everyone else to approve of, it’s important to remember that they’re your breasts, and the only one who needs to think they’re the right size is you.” And in a PS. note she states, “Guys do pay attention to the size of your breasts, but I swear they like them at any size.”

I have found that statement to be very true. I have seen a lot of men slobbering over big, fake breasts, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like smaller ones too. Actually, most of the men I know that I have heard input from much rather prefer to be with a woman who has natural breasts, even if they are smaller in size, than a big breasted woman who’s had implants. And I actually know lots of men who are turned off by fake boobs as well. You are probably thinking, “Yeah, we know. Small boobs are good too. Love your boobs.” But actually, a lot of women are still struggling with issues about the size of their breasts. I personally see it all the time, on forums I post on and in real life: friends and acquaintances expressing unhappiness with their breasts and contemplating getting breast augmentation, but the truth is, most men are satisfied with breasts of any size. They just love boobs, period. And if there is such a jerk out there who tells you that you would be more attractive with bigger boobs, then he obviously could use a bigger brain.