With Jennifer Hawkins currently being one of Australia’s most successful models, I always knew the unretouched cover of her on Marie Claire was going to generate a great deal of publicity. As Jennifer fits into the media and societal driven ‘ideal’ body type, I also knew it was likely some people would criticise the use of her. The media surrounding the cover has very quickly dumped the core reason it was created in the first place, which was to present more realistic images of women in magazines and inspire other publications to do the same. What they have grasped on to is that supposedly Jennifer is now being upheld as the body type that all women should aspire to.
This is utterly ridiculous. Unfortunately however, many people have fallen for this simplistic notion that is entirely media created. On a variety of blogs and online news sites people have posted comments that have attacked Jennifer for promoting eating disorders, stating that the image makes them want to “vomit” and posted statements saying that they look at her, compare themselves, and feel terrible. There has also been widespread negativity aimed at not just Jennifer, but thin women in general, with the sentiment being put forward that if you are thin, you are not a ‘real woman.’ To read any of these thoughts you just need to google Jennifer Hawkins Marie Claire cover. There are now hundreds of them.
Some people may disagree with what I am about to say, but I feel these comments reflect more on the people who are making them, than they do on Jennifer Hawkins, Marie Claire or even other magazines. Do I think magazines need to do better in showing greater body diversity and less retouched images? Damn straight I do and anyone who reads Beautiful You regularly will know I advocate for this consistently. But – I want to talk about personal responsibility for a moment – as many of the comments I have been reading from people about this issue appear to have forgotten one fundamental thing and that is…
Body Image Is A Feeling State That You Alone Create in Your Thoughts and Feelings About Yourself. No-One Can Make You Feel Less Than You Are Without You Letting Them.
One of the fastest ways we can slam our body image into the gutter is to compare ourselves to what other people look like. No-one that has had a hand in creating this cover has asked any person to compare themselves to Jennifer in any way. This is something some people have chosen to do themselves with predictably negative consequences. I beg of anyone that does this on a regular basis either via comparison to models, celebrities or other women, to stop. It does not serve you in any way.
Another less talked about issue is my belief that when we say negative things about the way someone else looks, whether they are a model, a family member, or someone we see walking down the street – we denigrate ourselves – and push the cause of positive body image back dramatically. Many responses to this cover have claimed that Jennifer and any other woman who looks like her are an abomination and not ‘real’. How can that possibly be? Every single, living, breathing person is real. What they look like is completely irrelevant. Because I am a size 16 does that make me more real than my best friend who is a size 10? Of course not. How ridiculous. Because a woman is thin does that mean she automatically is disqualified from having potential body image issues? Believe me when I tell you it most certainly does not.
Far too many people live in consistent judgment of others and in this instance, so many women are choosing to degrade other women based purely on their appearance. How terribly ironic this is, when they do so while simultaneously stating they promote positive body image. Well – here’s my final take.
Any Person That Degrades Someone Else Based Soley On Their Appearance Or Claims They Are Not Real Because Of The Size They Are, Cannot Truly Claim To Be A Positive Body Image Advocate.
Only when we truly learn to embrace our own bodies as they are and permit others to do the same, with no comparisons, no judgements and no negativity, will women the world over begin to develop a level of self esteem and positive body image that will see them thrive. The feeling and creation of this begins with us. Once we can grasp that, then, and only then, can we be strong body image warriors and advocate for greater media and societal responsibility in this issue. Operating from this beautiful, thriving and strong state I believe, would permit us to see that this magazine cover is a positive step towards showing more natural, realistic images in the media, which so many women have been crying out to see for so long.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Excellent post! I like!
I adore you Jules. Will be posting a comment on this soon!
"Body image is a feeling state that you alone create…"
I suppose that is true, but magazines obviously have a huge part to play in this. Which you know, because you advocate for size diversity. If an image of someone larger can make someone feel better about themselves, surely yet another picture of the tall, young, blonde model can make someone feel worse?
That said, I am totally and utterly with you when you say that it's foolish to think that a so-called 'beautiful' person doesn't struggle with you. The main thing I've learnt since becoming a body image/fat acceptance advocate is that unrealistic body ideals hurt us all.
I think that Jennifer Hawkins should be applauded for agreeing to appear 'naked' on a magazine cover. I am a little concerned about what this means for Marie Claire going forward though. Was this just a token gesture or are they planning on not airbrushing all models in future (sorry haven't read the article). If the later, then yes, they are taking steps to help women to be portrayed as 'real'.
I think there is massive confusion around the meaning of real. In this instance they are saying 'untouched, unenhanced'. Whereas the public uproar is around having models on magazine covers that don't represent 'real' women. By real the public mean women who don't have the ideal figure or use their body for work. This is the majority of women in Australia.
Yes, I think that it is great that Jennifer appeared untouched on Marie Claire. I think it would be greater if this was s habit that all magazines adopted and not just a token gesture, and I think it would be bloody fantastic if the models used on magazine covers were of diverse shapes and sizes. We need real- but it needs to be diverse.
Thank you Julie, this is so beautifully written. It actually sings to me.
Have people forgotten that Jennifer is a person, with feelings too?
I so appreciate you giving this a voice and I love the 2 pink highlighted statements – beautiful.
Thanks all for the feedback and joining in on what is clearly a very sensitive and impactful topic for people. I appreciate your thoughts.
As the documentary maker of "Beauty In the Eyes of the Beheld," (www.beautydocumentary.com), I can attest to the fact that "beautiful" women can indeed still have issues with body image. All of the women I interviewed, whether beauty queens, models, strippers, doctors, business women, pop musicians etc etc had some kind of problem with their appearance. And by the way, these "beautiful" women can in all kinds of sizes – because it was based on real life – not a magazine cover.
Thank you for posting this!
I am a very thin woman… and I have received a lot of crap for it. I advocate eating intuitively, and people won't listen… "Of course YOU can say that, you are naturally thin. If you weren't… blah, blah, blah"
(Sorry this comment is so negative… apparently, I am really frustrated.)
I love the idea that all of us… even me… can love our bodies!!
Well said Julie!
Oh, Julie. Thank you for writing this post! I've been fuming about the negative publicity this has been getting!
Personally, I HATE the way most people are using the term "real women" in this debate. When they use "real," they actually seem to me "statistically average." But Jennifer Hawkins is a real woman too! So are heavier-than-average women. So are thinner-than-average women. So are "statistically average" women. If we can't embrace all of these bodies as "real," how can we make change?
I love the cover and the photoshoot. Speaking from a personal level, it was eye opening for me. Even as someone who logically knows that photos are airbrushed, images are distorted, etc., all too often I find myself thinking things like, "Well, even without airbrushing, I'm SURE her body is better than mine!" or "They'd need to airbrush me even more!" It was a reality check to see Hawkins' photo. Even someone with the most "perfect" of bodies had "flaws" – like mine – and I think it makes her that much more beautiful and interesting.
This article is such a co-incidence!!! Just today I was discussing this very issue with a friend (without even knowing about the whole Jen Hawkins fiasco – apparently I live under a rock!.
I am naturally tiny – "statistically" underweight, "statistically" not average…but who's to say that's wrong?!? Just like a larger-than-average woman should not be made to loose weight for the general public's satisfaction, nor should a lighter woman be scorned if she doesn't feel the need to put weight on.
Having battled with negative body image for many years, this is an issue close to my heart. I now have a more positive outlook, but remain a thin person (hey it's in my genes)…does that mean I am still not acceptable?! It's makes it very hard for every girl/woman to see their true beauty when "narrow-minded" people put measures on nature.
I love your thoughts here…thankyou
Julie, I think you are my new idol =)