Too tall. Too short. Too thick. Too thin. Too pale. Too dark. Too much makeup. Not enough.
Women, these days, are brought up in a world that puts a harsh perception in young girls’ heads of what they should look like as women. The idea that any flaw you have should be covered is natural to them, and if you don’t look a certain way, no one will like you. Sports Illustrated is known for photographing beautiful, skinny, flawless women and they make money off of it. What they recently did caught the attention of many people around the country.
Six foot, two inches tall. Size 12. Many women would kill to have that body. So when Robyn Lawley is considered the first ever true plus-size model in her photo shoot with Sports Illustrated, it makes many of us females proud that the stigma of what a woman should look like is changing for the better, but also enrages us because the average American woman is a size 14.
“It’s ludicrous to call me plus size and I’ve stated that publicly pretty much every step of the way,” Lawley said in a Facebook post last week, “I just see no reason in any labels really, I just want women [to be] happy with their bodies.”
Sports Illustrated Assistant Managing Editor, MJ Day, said, “She sort of embodies the classic SI girl -- she’s interesting, she’s beautiful, she has an incredible body, and I felt that she would make a great addition to the issue. She’s been on my radar for years.”
Mizzou's Gamma Phi Beta focuses on “building strong girls” and promoting high self-esteem in girls as they grow up in a time when it is so hard to feel adequate. With their philanthropy, they work with young girls during events such as Girls On The Run and make an impact on young girls during such a crucial time of development. Two freshmen Gamma Phi Betas shared their reactions to the release of Lawley’s shoot in Sports Illustrated as a plus size model.
“It’s just upsetting to see her viewed as a plus size model when there are women out there that are the same size that shouldn’t be considered that. When larger girls see her viewed as a plus size model, it must really affect and lower their own self esteem,” said Kelly Panzitta.
“It’s depressing to see the way we look at women. We look up to these models. When thin, beautiful women are considered plus sized, we can’t help but feel a pressure that we aren’t good enough and need to be smaller," said Kaitlin Thompson.
Mizzou sophomore Mary Riggio, Delta Delta Delta Body Life Image Chairman, also had something to say about the issue at hand.
"It's very upsetting whenever we hear about a situation like such. A woman we would see on the street and most likely would assume was fit or in shape is classified as plus sized. Being healthy should not be considered plus sized and it is sad that that is what society has turned it into. Being 6' and 115 [pounds] isn't realistic for most women at all. Why is being a normal woman also a back-handed compliment that we aren't good enough to be non-plus sized. Hopefully women like Lawley will help to change this perception and let young girls know that being imperfect is perfectly normal and that photoshop and the stick thin models we see in ads are not realistic, nor will they ever be," Riggio said.
Lawley is a very prestigious and successful woman. She is also known for her cover of Vogue Italia’s June 2011 issue, being the first ever “plus-size” model to appear in a Ralph Lauren ad in 2012, Vogue Australia's first plus-size model to ever appear in an editorial in June 2013 (a turning point in her career), her cookbook called “Robyn Lawley Eats” and a food blog by the same name, running her own swimsuit line for various body types, DJing by the name Robelle, and writing two articles on body image for The Dailey Beast, among many other things. She also posts inspirational photos on her Instagram (@robynlawley1) for her 113,000+ followers.
Many magazines and much of the entertainment industry create impossible standards and an unrealistic image of what women should look like. It is time that people realize that being healthy and happy is more beautiful than the size of your waist or the number on the inside of your clothes.
