on keeping women skinny so they don't get too powerful
open.substack.com
The default assumption tends to be that it is politically important to designate everyone as beautiful, that it is a meaningful project to make sure that everyone can become, and feel, increasingly beautiful. We have hardly tried to imagine what it might look like if our culture could do the opposite—de-escalate the situation, make beauty matter... See more
Jia Tolentino • Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion
“ I have watched beauty trends shift dramatically over the past decade, from the ultra-thin models of the early 2000s to the Instagram-influenced emphasis on curves and cosmetic enhancement. These changes do not happen in a vacuum. They reflect broader social conversations about feminism, body positivity, racial representation, and economic
... See moreBeauty is not good capital. It compounds the oppression of gender. It constrains those who identify as women against their will. It costs money and demands money. It colonizes. It hurts. It is painful. It can never be fully satisfied. It is not useful for human flourishing. Beauty is, like all capital, merely valuable.
Tressie McMillan Cottom • Thick: And Other Essays
The comeback of Y2K and 1990s fashion has also brought back outdated attitudes towards models. We still associate super-slim with luxury, and until we shift those attitudes it’s what a lot of people will aspire to. Don’t we know better by now?
Londiwe Ncube, European fashion editor, Glamour magazine, tells Hurs
Londiwe Ncube, European fashion editor, Glamour magazine, tells Hurs