One of my favourite bloggers, Ashe Mischief, wrote a post today entitiled 9 Things Christina Hendricks Taught Me About Body Love & Confidence. I think it’s fabulous that a lot of women are embracing their curvy silhouettes as a result of the Mad Men actress being unapologetic about her own. I still have issues, however, with the media’s constant focus on women’s bodies, whatever the type. I am a proponent of diversity in fashion be it size, race, age or ability, but many are now holding Christina Hendricks up as an “ideal” and I have big problems with that. Here are four reasons why:
1. I’m not curvy!
A flat-chested, narrow-hipped girl like me feels decidedly inadequate and less womanly around someone with such generous assets. Ashe’s post mentions that Christina’s husband loves her breasts…what man doesn’t love breasts? They all seem to, which sucks for those of us who don’t really have them! Having a Marilyn Monroe figure has never been a detriment. As far as I can tell it has always been considered the most sexy and desireable figure type. Unfortunately, if I were to gain weight it wouldn’t magically go to my boobs and hips.
2. Promoting a curvier ideal does not promote diversity.
Anytime we idealize one body type over another somebody suffers. It seems that Ms. Hendricks, through no fault or desire of her own, has single-handedly swung the pendulum so that now runways are filled with cleavage, and boobs are apparently de rigeur. (Were they ever “out”?) Once again, sucks for those of us who don’t have ‘em.
No, I wouldn't like to lose 10 pounds...
3. Fetishizing Christina’s body is objectification.
In a post which was derived from the answer to a college essay question, one blogger asked “When will we stop treating women’s bodies like the latest trench coat?” In other words, let’s stop fetishizing, judging, analyzing women’s bodies, deciding which type is in or out, and value women for all our stellar qualities.
4. It’s still about what boys like.
A major aspect of the current Christina Hendricks fixation is a focus on what men prefer. A common danger in fashion is women playing up to men’s desires. I keep hearing people say how great it is that men think Christina Hendricks is hot. Women, stop using what men like as a yardstick for your own worth! It doesn’t matter what men like. What do you like? I’m sure Christina Hendricks is a wonderful person with many talents. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t know because all I hear about is her body.
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I love this post, everything you say is so true.
Good for Christina if she’s happy with her body but I don’t think she should be held up as an ideal. Yes it’s nice to have a different type of figure onscreen but this is another extreme.
I have neither a tiny bone structure nor a chest quite so vuluptuous as Christina’s- so I still feel completely left out and there’s very little I can do about it. So amen to point number two!
Florrie x
Thank you. I’ve been working on being more honest in my posts, without being harmful of course, and I’m glad it has struck a chord with you.
Love this! I have an entry in waiting that I’m not sure if I want to publish or not in this same vein. I’m rather average in my body type and height. I always get quite offended or upset when people say things along the lines of “real women have curves” or “being skinny won’t make you happy.” These generalizations need to stop because they hurt the people they intend to help.
I, too, get my back up over the “real women have curves” line! Real women come in all shapes and sizes. You’re wise to sit on a post before publishing. I was wondering with this one, in fact, if maybe I should have slept on it, but it did come from an honest place and one not meant to hurt anyone.
i soo agree with this post. as a naturally slim girl who has a small chest and narrow hips i know exactly what ur talkin about xxx
Thanks, @Fuyume. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard a thin co-worker confide: “I know I’m not supposed to say this but I like my body.” We’re not even allowed to love ourselves out loud!!
Oh but come on. If anyone in our society is likely to be comfortable with and even *yipe* admit to liking their body it’s going to be a thin woman. Christina Hendricks aside, most women our society holds up as beautiful are slim-hipped, and even small breasted (mostly because they are so slim overall). I have small boobs myself, but I think the fact that any other body type is being appreciated is being presented as acceptable/desirable is a good thing. Even if, like the very thin frame that is the norm, it’s not something most of us will ever have.
Thank you for your comment and yes, of course you’re right. I’ve taken a position that idealizing ANY body type is bad for women. We’re not bodies, we’re people.
This is a great post. You make some excellent points! Women should NOT be made to feel as though we are less than ideal simply because our dimensions don’t match up to the current favorite body type of the moment. One year it’s super skinny, the next it’s a girl with a booty…The pendulum swings constantly!
I, too, get my feathers ruffled when I hear that “real women have curves” line, because there are tons of naturally skinny, beautiful girls out there that are simply never going to be voluptuous, just like there are bombshell types out there who will never be runway model thin. Women come in so many shapes and sizes and we need to learn to embrace ALL of these!
Thanks, Chrissy. I absolutely agree that diversity should be the goal, not one type over another. Even better, let’s stop the focus on women’s bodies entirely!
I really really loved this article and agree with everything you said. I am a staunch supporter of loving your own body and I too get annoyed with the line “real women have curves” (because, like you, I am small framed as well but I am definitely still a woman!) and in all seriousness, in the fashion world frames may change but the idea of big breasts being the ideal for men never really changes. Boobs are never “out” like you said. Women come in all shapes and sizes. I really wish there wasn`t a standard people adhered to as people should aim for being healthy and being happy with whatever shape that is for them.
And I loved that you made the point about number 4. That really needs to be addressed more, I think, because I see my so many lovely ladies care what MEN think about how they look which just means their feelings of self-worth rely on another`s opinion on how they look and not on how they feel. I think that can be so so damaging because everyone`s tastes and preferences are different and it shouldn`t matter what someone else thinks as long as you are happy.
I live in Japan, so the ideal here is extreme thinness and I get so sad when I see not only what people around me do but also the constant advertisements for different diets/pills/pictures of people going from 45kilos to 38k and your self-worth and attractiveness as a person being judge by how skinny you are.
I linked this post on my Weekly Wrapup on my blog. Will be watching your blog now for more fabulous posts. Thank you for this!
What a wonderful article! I 100% agree! It makes my blood boil when people refer to thin or petite women as “little girls” then imply that only curvy women are “real women.” Why do we have to love only one body type and dismiss all others? Can we agree that both are beautiful?
People forget that Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe (opposite ends of the curve spectrum) were contemporaries. There IS room for both body types. There can be diversity.
The only women really left out are the ones with more full-figured (and not just “full” in the chest and hips) body types. Aside from Queen Latifa, I can’t really think of any bigger women who are portrayed as attractive in movies or TV.
Thank you for the comment! I completely agree that we need diversity in terms of body type. I just saw an interview with Nick Knight in which he espoused the same thing–very encouraging in such an influential fashion photographer. He said no one should be excluded from notions of beauty. Everyone is beautiful.
I have to agree with Becca on this one. I wholeheartedly agree that women’s bodies should not be objectified whether they be slim, curvy or somewhere in between. However, though of course women exist who are naturally slim and small-breasted, the fact is that the majority of women are genetically programmed to retain fat. Look it up anywhere; the average height and weight of women in the USA is 5’4”, and 140 lbs. I am four inches taller and only 9 lbs heavier, and I am still on the high end of the healthy weight range for my height. This means that there are by far more women struggling to lose weight / keep it off than there are who are wishing they were curvier, at least in our society.
Of course men love Christina Hendricks for the same reason they loved Marilyn Monroe. But the proportion of thin girls gracing the covers of magazines out there is exponentially larger than the number of voluptuous vixens who are doing the same. And I have yet to hear a complaint from any man about the Blake Lively or another girl of her body type. (I’m sure there’s some guy out there who has, but let’s be real here. They love it.)
Don’t get me wrong, it would be unhealthy for women to judge their own self-worth or at least their level of attractiveness based on what men like. That said, many women do – and I hear jokes about ‘fat chicks’ a hell of a lot more than I do about skinny girls. How can you blame more curvaceous women for feeling self-conscious in their own skin?
As for the fact that Christina makes the generalization that “every woman” would be happy to lose 10 lbs? She’s not snubbing thin girls, I’m sure she grew up wishing she looked like them – much like the majority of women, and now she’s one of the few who has the hourglass shape and gorgeous face that makes her a sex symbol… I’ll say right now that there’s a reason why there are so few girls her size in the TV/ movie/ modeling industry. Of course it’s wrong to say that “real women have curves,” but it’s also simply not true to claim that society doesn’t put you thin girls up on a pedestal. Look at the models for any of the most up-and-coming clothes stores (like Urban Outfitters or American Apparel) – if you’re anything higher than a (small) B-cup, good luck finding a dress, tank top, etc. that fits without making you look like a cheap hooker.
My point is, with all due respect, you women who are lucky enough to not have to constantly keep your weight in check – count your blessings. Sure, lots of guys love boobs. But for most guys, a girl’s cup size isn’t a deal-breaker when it comes to her attractiveness, whereas I have heard countless guys criticizing bigger girls about their weight behind their back, or at least dismissing them as sexually attractive.
But who cares what guys think anyway? As a woman who has grown up with 3 older brothers, and surrounded by guy friends all her life, I can honestly say that confidence is key, as cheesy as that sounds. Love yourself, and an appreciation for your own body type will come naturally. Envy doesn’t look good on anyone.
Thank you for your thoughtful and well-considered response! You have brought up a few things I hadn’t thought about and I appreciate your input.
It’s really funny.
The post and all the comments…you girls are living in a society in which your naturally/shaped with everlasting diets bodies are similar to the iconic body that everybody likes and dreams.
Now you’re quite pissed off because there is a new iconic body (a SINGLE new iconic body and famous because it’s different from the previous one, not because of its features themselves) is someway different to your natural shape. WELCOME IN OUR WORLD! Now, how does it feel, to be always compared to an icon you can’t/don’t want to resemble? Is it annoying? Well, curvy women are facing this since 80′s + problems in finding good cloths and so on.
You’re lucky and you can’t understand it, because you’re too focused on complaining that you don’t have a huge breast (well, you can’t have everything in your life, right?).
>No, I wouldn’t like to lose 10 pounds…
Indeed. Hendricks is talk to “every woman” with a curvy body, facing a world of Slimness. Unfortunately, that every woman is far more common than the ones who don’t need to lose 10 pounds to be considered cool.
>It’s still about what boys like.
Of course it is. We are talking about “sex bombs”, sex, so, usually, mens are required. It’s ages that fashion world/media ruled by men is telling me I must be slim to be awesome. I’m happy to discover that there are also men who like curvy bodys, like mine. I don’t need to be men-approved to be happy but, honestly, it surely increases your self-confidence and ego. ^o^
Thanks Christina to be as you are.
Thank you! You make a great point and one I’ve been turned onto since I wrote that post. I realize it’s rare for me to feel excluded from the paradigm of beauty where as most women feel that all the time. I respect that and am more aware of it now.
Not objectifying women is important. As a curvy (not obese, just big boobs, butt and thighs) girl, I was always jealous of skinny girls. Until I realized, I got a lot more attention from men anyway. Then I swung the other way, feeling superior to them (like I was getting revenge for feeling fat before), and buying into the whole “real women have curves” thing. I realized that was wrong as I matured. Skinny women are women; women come in all shapes/sizes. Skinny women are beautiful, too. (Obviously, or they wouldn’t dominate as the image of ideal the media).
Fortunately, men have different tastes. They are represented as all liking the same thing in the media, but in real life, that just isn’t the case. Some prefer skinny, some don’t…But I’ve found is that most men just love women. They really do fall in love with the whole person. My husband preferred to date tall brunettes and married me, a short blonde.
I do disagree that we should not care what men think of our bodies. I don’t think that is realistic unless you are a lesbian. We inherently want to be attractive. Women aren’t going to stop wanting to be sexually appealing. There’s more to our lives and personalities than sex appeal, of course, but who doesn’t want to be found sexy? Who cares what men find hot? I sure do.
Anyway, Christina H gets so much attention because she stands out in the Hollywood lineup. That says more about Hollywood than it does about her.
Wow, thanks for your well-considered reply. I appreciate you stopping by and giving us much food for thought. Hope to read from you again
I was reading the replies and I noticed something that gave me a pause. No one truly credited Christina with refusing to lose weight to suit Hollywood. Think about that… finally someone stands up to ‘how’ we women are supposed to be, and we take shots at her and defend ourselves.
I think we should be thanking her. Because she refused to conform. Refused to lose weight. She had a hard time even getting dresses for the red carpet because ‘loaner’ dresses come in sizes 0-4.
Thank you Christina for challenging the status quo. I wish we all had that resolve. And I am sorry that your resolve led us to turn on each other. How sad for women that we still attack each other.
Maybe we can learn from her and do better…
I agree with you, Christina Hendricks is a wonderful role model for self-acceptance and body confidence. Since I wrote that piece I have reconsidered my position and do understand that having a slender frame does give me an easier time all around. That is why I write the blog, to learn about myself and the world around and share these evolving insights with wonderful women like yourself. Thanks for your valuable input!
At a time when stick thin Twiggy and Kate Moss were all the rage women who had similar body types reveled in it. Now the unmistakeable curves from breast and hips are all the rage and the pendulum has swung to the apposite end of the spectrum stick thin women feel they are now insecure. I wish women would stop reading fashion mags and listening to what the media says is desirable, men do not follow these trends and I see women of all sizes on the arms of men who love them.
Be happy with what God gave you, a body that functions, you can walk and see and move freely with out the aid of others!
I am a guy who enjoys Mad Men and Christina Hendricks, as well as every other cast member on there. My attitude is just like, duh, how obvious are we going to act here? Practically EVERYBODY on the show is easy on the eyes. I refuse to sit here and drool about it, you know what I mean? Besides, a hot woman who is intelligent? Thanks, I’ve already GOT one of those.