Issue date: 3/13/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion

Stick thin models, digitally manipulated celebrities, weight loss tips and too-perfect makeup faces are things today's women are all too familiar with. We pour over our subscriptions to Cosmopolitan and Glamour, obsessing over the latest fashion trends as well as devouring articles on makeup, hair and body improvement. We are in awe of the flawless celebrity bodies that grace the covers of these illustrious publications.

What results from studying to become the epitome of a perfect woman? We have heard it all before - anorexia, unhealthy dieting and an all-over negative body image in today's young women. It has been strongly suggested for years that the content and advertisements in popular women's magazines are the root of the issues. Just as many of communication and journalism students have done, I did a project on this topic for one of my classes. What I found surprised me - magazines are finally getting the picture. Real women are desirable too!

As an avid reader and subscriber of a few of these well-known women's publications, I tend to look beyond the surface of the superficial models and advertisements. Instead of criticizing the magazines I read, I look for the positive in them. In doing so, however, it's still easy to find a little hypocrisy.

"Get to your happy weight," "Why men crave real (not perfect) bodies," and my personal favorite, "The scary-skinny epidemic," were all articles published in Glamour within the past year to promote a positive body image. "The scary-skinny epidemic" introduces readers to the reality of eating disorders in celebrities as well as in the fashion industry. The author, Mikki Halpin, discusses the regulations proposed by some designers that include not allowing models with a body mass index of less than 18 to walk the runway and not using models under the age of 16. In listing the proposed regulations to the modeling industry, Halpin asks her own intriguing question - "Wouldn't it be unfair if heavy women were banned from advertising imagery?"

It would be unfair, except magazines just recently started displaying advertisements depicting heavier women. In flipping through a few of my own magazines, I came across advertisements for Torrid, a well-known plus-size clothing store and also for Dove soap, which features women of all body types in its advertisements. Turning the page, I found "Best trends for plus-size women," "Best trends for pear-shape bodies" and "Best trends for big busts." To these I give a round of applause, especially to Dove. Thank you Dove (and the magazines that display your advertisements) for showing us that not only is it OK, but normal for women to not wear makeup or to have some extra body fat.

"Get to your happy weight" was another favorite of mine. The 15-page spread included testimonies of real women who had either lost or gained weight to reach what they felt was the healthiest for their own bodies. One woman who had gained 15 pounds claimed she was "too thin in college." Another testimony included that of a woman who had gained 25 pounds to reach her happy weight. She described her realization that women with curves are just as beautiful as those without.

The article also included a five-step plan on how to get to your best weight. Although the testimonies had included a few women who wanted and succeeded in gaining weight, the five step plan only included one sentence of its two page spread on how to do so. The rest of the steps were aimed at losing weight and counting calories, although the author focused on quotes from doctors proclaiming the negatives of fad diets and speaking in favor of the healthier choices for dieting. Obviously we can see an improvement in the healthy weight advice we're getting, but the "steps" to get to a healthy weight are still baby steps in the right direction to improve our body image.

In addition to the negative images portrayed by models and celebrities, the issue of plastic surgery seems to be another cause of the problem. This is what "Why men crave real (not perfect) bodies" addressed. The article featured the viewpoint of a male actor who had dated several women who had been surgically enhanced in the areas of breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, liposuction and many others. The actor was firm in expressing his strong dislike in the unnatural bodies of these women. I am sure this gave women everywhere quite the ego boost.

Unfortunately, this is where our women's magazines are still sending a mixed message. While this was a great article, several magazines display advertisements for surgical enhancement more than once throughout each issue. This is a bit hypocritical.

Women's magazines have had their ups and downs over the years with this topic and only now are publishers finally coming to the realization that many women are taking the depictions of the ideal body to heart. Surely there is much work to be done in the area of representing women of all shapes and sizes, but I don't think the controversy will ever cease to exist.

I believe there is something simple women can do for themselves in the mean time. Use your common sense in reading these magazines, ladies. We've got better things to do than scrutinize the appearance of every woman we see. Do not take what you see too seriously - nobody is perfect.

Wabrowetz is a sophomore print journalism major and guest columnist for The Spectator.

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