I was a bit hesitant to post this because I don’t like to judge anyone – however, I think it should be brought up, because 1) I can’t believe it made the front cover of People, almost implying it should be celebrated, and 2) what are young girls who watch MTV (or whatever show she is on) think?
Jezebel writes:
On November 20, 2009 Heidi Montag spent 10 hours getting a series of cosmetic surgery procedures, including increasing her breast implants to a DDD, getting “sexy ears”, and arching her brow, which Dr. Frank Ryan, her plastic surgeon, admits “isn’t commonly done” to 23-year-olds. In the accompanying 7-page interview, Heidi explains that she wanted to get the operations because her dream is to become a pop star and “it’s a superficial industry.”
Though People asking, “has she gone too far?” on the cover, suggests that there’s some kind of discussion about the dangers of plastic surgery in the magazine, Heidi is basically allowed to spew comments about how surgery was the answer to all of her body image issues. Even magazines like In Touch and Life & Style will usually consult with a “doctor who doesn’t treat the star” and tack on several paragraphs cautioning against becoming addicted to altering your appearance.
People only cites two doctors in its piece. Dr. Ryan justifies operating on Heidi, saying, “She’s doing what every other celebrity does… They just don’t talk about it.” The second doctor gets in six words in a sidebar on the last page. In the only challenge to Heidi advocating going under the knife, the magazine points out that about 5 to 10 percent of people who get cosmetic surgery have body dysmorphic disorder, a condition in which people look normal, “‘but they see a distorted image,’ says Jamie Feusner M.D., a psychiatrist who heads UCLA’s BDD Research Program.”
Yesterday actress Emmy Rossum Tweeted about Heidi’s cover,
It upsets me to see young women in the spotlight advocating plastic surgery. ANY surgery is extremely dangerous&should not be taken lightly, ..much less, used as a tool to increase notoriety or popularity… By putting this on magazine covers, we are somehow legitimizing the dangerous lengths to which some will go for fame and “beauty”
Judging from the public reaction to the songs Heidi has already released, it seems unlikely that her new appearance will catapult her to pop music stardom. However as Rossum points out, the surgery has already allowed her to increase her notoriety by appearing on the cover of People, while just recently she had a hard time getting on the cover of one of the far less legitimate celebrity weeklies.
Heidi already wants another procedure to make her breasts even bigger because when she posed for Playboy, “I didn’t fill out one of the bras and they had to Photoshop my boobs bigger and it was disheartening.” She says this is just the beginning of what she wants to have done and, “I plan to keep using surgery to make me as perfect as I can be.”
Here’s the 10 procedures Heidi underwent (and her husband Spencer Pratt allowed):
- nose job revision,
- chin reduction,
- mini brow lift,
- botox in forehead and frown area,
- fat injections in cheeks, nasolabial folds and lips,
- neck liposuction,
- ears pinned back,
- liposuction on waist, hips and inner and outer thighs,
- buttock augmentation
- breast augmentation revision.
P.S. In case you didn’t catch that, she’s only TWENTY-THREE years old.
Her reason for all this, she told People, is “to feel perfect.” I have no words, though I feel sorry for her. She seems to have some serious body image and self-esteem issues. 
I feel very sad that Hollywood does this to young women, as this issue also prompted a previous post, Is Hollywood Pushing the Standards of Beauty Too Far?
… I guess we really have our answer. Any thoughts?
Oh, you dear Aussies. First you bless the world with those beautiful surfer boys beaches, then Vegemite, and now you are actively promoting better body image in the media with fantastic, realistic magazine covers. Can you do no wrong?!
The february issue of Marie Claire Australia is worth celebrating over. Jennifer Hawkins, Miss Australia, and then Miss Universe 2004, has been brave enough to appear butt nekkid on the cover, without any retouching.
Looking good, Miss Universe.
I’m so glad that two powerful, prominent Australian women dare to do this. First it was Sarah Murdoch un-retouched on the cover of Women’s Weekly, wrinkle-happy, and now Miss Hawkins’ body is 100% photographed and printed, with no retoucher in-between. (Remember all the multitudes of retouching steps an image goes through, first?)
Miss Hawkins commented on this cover, saying, “I would have been worried about what people thought, whether it was the right decision – a thousand different things… But over the past year and a half I’ve grown into myself, and I’m more confident and comfortable within the modelling industry. I did it for the experience… It felt quite sensual and sexy. I felt empowered.”
Take it from the beauty queen and model – it’s all about confidence, ladies.
If I had to be nit-picky, though, I’d say Jennifer’s face seems to have been retouched, but from what I can tell, her body looks 100% natural – which I can’t complain, it’s a good start. I’m also well aware that the argument may come up that her body fits the “thin and tall” mould so it “doesn’t count” but like I say over and over again, no matter what size you are, we are all human and all have insecurities. It’s a wonderful start and I hope this begins something in other publications.
What do you think of this cover? Would you still be attracted to magazine covers and images if they looked “less than perfect”?
Teen Vogue has a great article out about Australian supermodel Mirander Kerr, who has just finished writing a book on self esteem and health advice for young girls. I had no idea about this, but I think it’s awesome! I know some might think; what does she know about self-esteem … look at her! However, she might know what she’s talking about – she studied psychology, naturopathy and nutrition at school. And like I say over and over, doesn’t matter if you’re a young student, the president or a supermodel – everyone deals with self esteem issues.
Here’s an excerpt of the article:
“I love to read! I’ve come to consider some of my favorite books as trusted friends I can always depend on,” she says. Her love of the written word is exactly why she recently completed her latest project, a book called Treasure Yourself.
“Your teen years are when you create a foundation for the rest of your life, from habits to ideas of who you think you are and what you believe you are able to accomplish. A confident teen is more likely to set out to achieve what she dreams of simply because she thinks she can. I want to contribute to that.”
And her signature positive attitude has served this 26-year-old well, from her gig as a Victoria’s Secret Angel to her multiple magazine covers.
“One thing I tell girls who want to break in to the industry is that there’s no such thing as ‘looking’ like a model. There are so many different shapes and sizes, and everyone has things they want to change: freckles in odd places, dimples where they might not want them, and hair where it shouldn’t be. Just remember that picture-perfect doesn’t exist — perfection is you, just the way you are.“
What do you think? Would you take advice on a supermodel and buy this book? I’d love to read it, if anyone knows anything on release dates, do let me know! 
Supermodel Cindy Crawford did a Q&A with The Guardian recently and I thought she said some really great things:
Your look was athletic. After you it was about waifs. Did models become too thin?
The girls who are models now, that’s just their body. Did fashion celebrate thinness more? That’s a different question. You can’t fault the models for that – they were just thin girls. Kate Moss, she eats. I’ve seen her eat, and she’s just thin. Fashion is all about extremes, and it’s constantly in flux. It’s just fashion.
Fashion gets blamed for encouraging eating disorders.
That’s a little bit of a stretch. I don’t know that much about eating disorders, but I’m certainly not one of the people they’ve blamed, because I’m not super-skinny. I think people want to find something to blame. An eating disorder is way more than a girl looking at a magazine and seeing a picture of a skinny model. Maybe that’s one tiny piece of the puzzle, but I think it’s a lot more about self-esteem and self-love and control, so it’s too simplistic to just blame it on models who are skinny.
What does being in the fashion world do to a woman’s self-image?
It’s good and bad. If you end up being able to work as a model, in some ways it’s a seal of approval, but it also puts a lot of pressure on you. I used to feel like I needed two hours of hair and makeup to look good – that was in the late 80s, early 90s, when hair was big and makeup was like full drag. Being at a runway show and changing backstage with 30 incredibly beautiful women brings out all your insecurities too.
Does the fashion industry like women?
We as the consumers, we as the women, have the power. If you don’t like something, don’t buy it. Don’t buy the magazine if you don’t like what it says. If you don’t like the image a brand is putting out, don’t buy it. What I really don’t agree with is people who complain about it but still support it. You’re giving your power away. If people don’t want skinny models, stop buying the magazine with the skinny model, and believe me those magazines will change fast. It’s business.
You can read the rest of the interview here.
You know what; I didn’t know much about her when she was a supermodel because I was too young, but I have to say I like her! She seems pretty smart (I love her last quote) and I like that she celebrated the way she was, even in the crazy, demanding and superficial fashion world. (For example I heard in the beginning some wanted her to remove her trademark mole! Can you imagine?!) Do you have any thoughts on this interview?
Gwen Stefani has her sexy red lips. Avril Lavigne has smokey eyes and stick straight hair. Angelina Jolie loves her cat eyes, and – of course – her full, plump pout. In other words, these ladies all have some ‘beauty’ trademark that not only works for them and their ‘image’ but suits them perfectly – I think these beauty trademarks all make them!
I can say I have some beauty trademarks. Since I was young I’ve always worn my hair up – I think that’s the only hairstyle that will suit my large head! Since then I’ve tried all kind of styles, but I found my true love a few years ago: the messy bun.
Also: smudgy black eyeliner … Always! I love dark eyes, it would defintely be my beauty trademark too. I’ve started to experiment with really bright lip colors too, so bright lips are also fast becoming my beauty trademarks.
So I guess my beauty trademark would be messy tied-up hair and eyeliner! What are your beauty trademark? Or if you don’t have one, do you have a favorite makeup or hairstyle that you wear often? Do share! 
Has anyone ever pointed out a physical feature and assume something about you? I remember being told never to trust a man with thin lips because they are cunning and manipulative – is that ridiculous or does it actually hold some truth?
Physiognomy (I can’t say it either), or face reading is pretty popular here – there are centers where you can get your face read to discover your ‘inner self’ or something along those lines. I’m pretty curious so I did my research and it’s extremely interesting… Let me know what you think!
Where this study came from is unknown (some say Greece, India, and China), and in the 19th Century Victorian times, face reading was practiced by criminologists with the assumption that certain facial features on someone may make them more prone to breaking the law! According to physiognomy, different parts of your face reveal different aspects of your character and personality. Some also believe any ‘complications’ that you are having on the face could show what’s going on internally, like the image above.
- Forehead: Your way of thinking
- Eyes: Shows insight on how open you are to life experiences
- Nose: Work and how you deal with money
- Mouth: How expressive you are
- Lips: How sensual you are
- Chin: Your level of assertiveness
- Ears: How you interact with others
Believe it or not – those with cosmetic surgery can count their ‘new’ feature as their own, as cosmetic surgery is believed to change your luck.
If I’m being very honest, with all due respect, I find this a bit silly, but none the less it is quite interesting and some are eerily correct! Grab a photo of yourself that is a frontal face shot (or look in the mirror as you read this) and see what your features tell you about yourself. They differ for men and women, so I have also added face reading for men so you can go an analyze your boyfriends too. 
Hair
- Said to be the measure of physical insulation and strength.
- Delicate, thin, silky hair shows a person who is sensitive in nature.
- Thick, coarse, wild hair shows a person who has physical and mental strength, and great resilience in life.
Head
- If the front part is straight, you are lucky.
- If it’s curved, you are lucky and will lead a very comfortable life.
- A round head shows a very unlucky person.
Forehead
- A wide forehead shows intelligence and practicality.
- A narrow forehead usually belongs to a worrier who needs to think things through many times over before coming to a conclusion.
- A high, rounded and deep forehead shows someone who places emphasis on friendships.
- A flat forehead shows a person who’s pragmatic by nature.
- An exagerrated forehead shows a dreamer.
- A long, broad forehead shows unluckiness.
- A high forehead shows good luck.
Ears
- Long, soft ears shows someone who will have a good, lucky, and comfortable life.
- Crooked, big, unequal and thin in size show unluckiness.
Eyebrows
- Bow-shaped brows with hair that is dark yet neither thin nor bushy shows a person of good luck and strong character.
- Straight eyebrows shows a person who is unlucky.
- Dark eyebrows that are curved over the eyelids shows a person who is lucky in life.
Eyes
- Large, extended eyes that shine show a woman who is lucky, domineering in nature, highly respected, and a leader.
- Small eyes that are dull, glommy, gray colore, round and slightly bent shows a woman who is shrewd and is not likely to rise in life.
- Dark and round shows a sexy woman.
- Drowsy, sleepy eyes shows a woman who loves men and has loose morals.
Mouth
- Lips tell us how we deal with relationships too.
- A mouth with a thinner upper lip than her lower lip shows an inability to reciprocate in relationships.
- A thinner lower lip than the upper lip shows someone who tends to give too much in a relationship.
- Small, tightly pursued lips are telling of a mean, self-centered person.
- Narrow lips shows an unemotional character.
- Large, full lips shows a person who is expressive, generous, and has a taste for all things rich and luxurious.
Nose
- A straight nose indicates a woman who is wise, witty and diligent.
- A small nose shows a cunning, shrewd, mischeivious and lustful.
- Wide, flaring nostrils show a woman who is lazy, strong headed, proud and found of a life of pleasure.
- A hook nose indicates a person of good nature who will enjoy some fame in life.
[read more…]
Operation Beautiful and its founder, Caitlin, gives me some hope in humanity – especially where girls are involved. In a time where cattiness, jealously, competition and low self-esteem is so apparent (at least where I am!), it’s nice to know there is someone making such a great difference. Operation Beautiful is a website that encourages us all to post anonymous Post-its telling other women that they are beautiful; just the way they are.
Can you imagine having a crap day and seeing a Post-it like those above? Promoting self-love, happiness with oneself and a healthy body image (as Caitlin says, ‘ending the Fat Talk’), Operation Beautiful wants to tell girls that ‘You are enough, just the way you are.’
I urge you all to spread the love! I will be doing this once school starts and will be forcing all my friends to do so as well.
It’s said that your mother can greatly influence your thoughts on your body, appearance and self-esteem in general – especially with mother-daughter relationships (we’re all girls here though, right?). For some, unfortunately, negativity and critism to their looks growing up can create some deep issues when a girl goes into adulthood.
How has your mother influenced your thoughts on your self image? Was it positive or negative? I’m very blessed; I’m very close to my mom and has positively influenced the way I perceive myself. I’d love to hear your stories though, you know how much I love to talk about self image topics. 
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