The 25-year-old model and managing editor will not stop making us proud. She’s done it all, from being the global Role Model for Aerie to creating the NEDA Inspires Award to continuously being my favorite person on Instagram. Iskra is a fireball rolling through the fashion world and burning social mores to the ground. Fortunately, Women’s Health UK can recognize an important opportunity when they see it and decided to embrace all that is Iskra Lawrence.
Lawrence recently released a picture of herself (tastefully) nude on the cover of the magazine via Instagram. The British model, who is always sharing fitness tips and inviting her followers into her workout regimen, looked fantastic on the cover. Having been a few weeks since Kim Kardashian’s nude GQ Cover, this unveiling does not shock or offend the general public. It’s a celebration of a powerful woman’s body, just as Kim’s was, and I think it rocks.
I grew up watching Kate Hudson and Reese Witherspoon traipse across the red carpet in their chic, low-back gowns. They are, of course, two examples of that ideally thin and gorgeous celebrity that has always, and will always grace the red carpet and the cover of magazines. And they should. They are also powerful women that work hard, and that should be celebrated. But I look nothing like them.
That particular body type that I grew up considering to be the ultimate depiction of beauty is not in the least bit attainable for me or for millions of other young women. Not only do I not have a nutritionist or personal trainer on hand, but I just don’t have the same build or genetic makeup to look that way. For a long time, this bummed me out. The way that I was made truly bothered me. I eventually got past that, but feeling that way about myself for so long was not a healthy thing. It was a feeling that many young girls I knew shared with me, too.
Today, however, the script is changing. More and more women of different shapes and sizes are being included in mainstream media. Iskra Lawrence, someone who is not considered conventionally thin (but is obviously bangin’), is what girls of the next generation get to grow up seeing. By including everyone, tall, petite, pear shaped, curvy, etc., into the ideal image of beautiful and powerful, we can eliminate that not good enough feeling that so many women share. Sure, the problem still persists today. The fact that some influential publications think that the only reasonable headline to put with a cover of Melissa McCarthy or Amy Schumer involves the term “plus-sized” disgusts me. However, the uproar that it has caused in the recent past encourages me.
Lawrence is a healthy and talented individual, and it's inspiring to see a women's health magazine recognize that. I can see the world realizing not only that these women belong on the cover, but that they deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments instead of their size. Once we start doing this, everyone can grow up knowing that every person with any body type can achieve great things. So, Iskra’s cover is important. It’s a step in the right direction and we should recognize and appreciate every step along the way.
