The Right to Bare Arms, Legs or.. What is Your Body Image?
Thursday, August 20, 2009
By now, I am sure many of you have seen & heard about the hoopla of Michelle Obama wearing shorts. OMG, put her in jail!!!! NOT! OK, you obviously know right away how I feel about it. I certainly understand that every one has their right to believe & think what they want about this "situation" BUT I just do not get it!!!!!!
First, she was on vacation & in the GRAND Canyon. Can you say HOT as hell! Then there was the "well, she is walking off Air Force One & she could have changed" comment. Yes, she could have but why? OK, you are saying to me that she is the first lady. Yeah, so what? OK, I just don't get it! I would not care if President Obama was wearing shorts. You can look good in nice shorts outfit too.
I am just saying, why are so many people upset about this. The thing I love is how comfortable she is in her own skin & not ashamed of her body. What a great role model for women. Don't be ashamed of your body! We had the whole baring arms thing a while ago & I was like "who cares" on that too. She has awesome arms! Now in shorts, you see she has an "average woman's" body with all the shape of the hips, legs, butt & more. She is in good shape BUT she looks like many of us & of course you can tell she is certainly not a size 0 or 6 or 8 even. Again, she is not afraid to say, hey, this is me & I am proud of it. Many of us can learn from that & many young girls too! You don't have to be size 0-4 to feel good about yourself!
I also saw this segment a while back on The Today Show. This photographer took pictures of women baring their breasts in public for a book he is putting together titled, "Uncovered". When you have time, watch the 6 minute video here. It is very interesting & revealing in terms of how the women felt.
The photographer took pictures of average & not so average women "baring their breasts for equality" in New York. He found a little known law that allowed him to do this legally & had the paperwork to show the police. He found all shapes & sizes of women. He comments that what started as a political statement against the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction at that half time show turned into an amazingly liberating experience for many of the women. He even is including essays & interviews with the women he photographed for the book.
Some interesting points from the interview. Again, how liberating it was for so many women. One "model" was a woman, a runner, from his apartment building. She said that when she first saw the picture, she hated it & did not want it published. She saw rolls of fat on her hips yet when you look at the picture of her, she is fit. She then went on to mention that she realized she had a strong healthy body. It was the culture of society that made her feel bad at first.
The photographer said that he normally photographs models & skinny women that our culture defines as beautiful and that they are constantly telling him not to photograph their arms because they are too fat or their cheeks because they look puffy. He was out to discover when it was that women started on this road to a sort of "self hatred" of their body or just not being good enough.
At the end of the clip, he talks about a picture of a very young girl he took with the approval of her mother. Again, at what point does a girl learn her body is something to be ashamed of.... and he does realize how controversial that last picture will be.
By now, I am sure many of you have seen & heard about the hoopla of Michelle Obama wearing shorts. OMG, put her in jail!!!! NOT! OK, you obviously know right away how I feel about it. I certainly understand that every one has their right to believe & think what they want about this "situation" BUT I just do not get it!!!!!!First, she was on vacation & in the GRAND Canyon. Can you say HOT as hell! Then there was the "well, she is walking off Air Force One & she could have changed" comment. Yes, she could have but why? OK, you are saying to me that she is the first lady. Yeah, so what? OK, I just don't get it! I would not care if President Obama was wearing shorts. You can look good in nice shorts outfit too.
I am just saying, why are so many people upset about this. The thing I love is how comfortable she is in her own skin & not ashamed of her body. What a great role model for women. Don't be ashamed of your body! We had the whole baring arms thing a while ago & I was like "who cares" on that too. She has awesome arms! Now in shorts, you see she has an "average woman's" body with all the shape of the hips, legs, butt & more. She is in good shape BUT she looks like many of us & of course you can tell she is certainly not a size 0 or 6 or 8 even. Again, she is not afraid to say, hey, this is me & I am proud of it. Many of us can learn from that & many young girls too! You don't have to be size 0-4 to feel good about yourself!
I also saw this segment a while back on The Today Show. This photographer took pictures of women baring their breasts in public for a book he is putting together titled, "Uncovered". When you have time, watch the 6 minute video here. It is very interesting & revealing in terms of how the women felt.
The photographer took pictures of average & not so average women "baring their breasts for equality" in New York. He found a little known law that allowed him to do this legally & had the paperwork to show the police. He found all shapes & sizes of women. He comments that what started as a political statement against the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction at that half time show turned into an amazingly liberating experience for many of the women. He even is including essays & interviews with the women he photographed for the book.
Some interesting points from the interview. Again, how liberating it was for so many women. One "model" was a woman, a runner, from his apartment building. She said that when she first saw the picture, she hated it & did not want it published. She saw rolls of fat on her hips yet when you look at the picture of her, she is fit. She then went on to mention that she realized she had a strong healthy body. It was the culture of society that made her feel bad at first.
The photographer said that he normally photographs models & skinny women that our culture defines as beautiful and that they are constantly telling him not to photograph their arms because they are too fat or their cheeks because they look puffy. He was out to discover when it was that women started on this road to a sort of "self hatred" of their body or just not being good enough.
At the end of the clip, he talks about a picture of a very young girl he took with the approval of her mother. Again, at what point does a girl learn her body is something to be ashamed of.... and he does realize how controversial that last picture will be.
What do you think of all this? Do you think Michelle Obama showing her arms or wearing shorts is a big deal? How do you feel about the picture project? Do you have body love or body hate or something in between? Are you comfortable with yourself? Could you have bared your breasts for that project? Body image is huge in the U.S. What are your thoughts?
Me, I don't think I could have bared it. I learned early on to not like my body. I guess that "fat" crap & how our society treats people that are overweight. Can I learn from the project & Michelle Obama. Heck yes. I think we all need to find a way to love our body no matter what! Easier said than done but a necessity.
First time seeing your blog, nice blog!
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I think that like any woman, Michelle Obama can wear whatever she feels comfortable in. And she certainly looks great! Now whether or not I think the First Lady of the United States should wear shorts coming off Air Force one is another matter. And I'm not just saying that because she's a Democrat. I would have had exactly the same response if Laura Bush had worn shorts off Air Force One. (And maybe she did, but I missed it!) To me, there is a decorum and a respect for the position you hold. I know I'll get flack for that, but it's kind of like if you meet the Pope, or the President, do you wear shorts? I wouldn't.
I still struggle personally with the baring arms issue. I do wear sleeveless dresses sometimes, but not too often. After my weight loss, I was left with extra skin that no amount of weight training will remove. I'm okay with that, but just not sure I always want to share it with other people.
Jody - interesting, provoking post as usual!
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Diane, we all have our own opinion on this so that is why we live in the U.S. For me, I just love that she is so secure with her body & self. I think it is a great example for all girls & women out there. For me, I love that she is relatable but a very smart women too!
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If I looked like Michelle Obama, I'd be sunbathing on the White House Lawn.
No breast baring for me--not without dinner first, or a mammogram after!
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I am so with you about all the news stories on this. Like my comment to Diane, she is a person secure in herself & her body. We need that for the girls & women out there!
You are too funny on the breast comment!
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I think a lot of these "body issues" people are having are really more to do with their issues with the Prez.
For what it's worth, I think the First Lady looks great.
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Jack, you may be right. There is so much craziness out there right now. I don't get it!
I think she looks awesome too!
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I live in shorts all year round! I'd work in them if they let me
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Ha! Ha! Too funny!!!!
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I just can't believe they would make such a stink about her wearing shorts. When I first saw articles titles, I was like, oh man, these must be some real short shorts! COME ON! The poor woman is at the Grand Canyon in August, damn right she's wearing shorts! No matter what she does or wears, we are always going to hear some type of criticism. You are right, she is very comfortable in her skin and it shows! Awesome role model for women out there today.
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HI,
What is the name given for placing other body to a face in an image using software?
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