Seventeen Magazine is famous for the “Body Peace” campaign they launched several years ago, which provides teen readers with words of encouragement, along with diet and exercise tips. I don’t have any problem with this, however it does seem to contradict the girls they choose as models. If they want every girl to feel beautiful, why don’t they try to change their own standards? The only plus-sized models in the magazine are labeled as “curvy” and provide examples for what “curvy” girls should wear. These examples typically include one piece swimsuits and much more modest clothing than the examples for thin girls. Also, girls with the “thin” body type are advised to show off their legs and tiny waist while curvy girls are pointed in the direction of “slimming” outfits that can streamline your figure. It seems that society is so stuck on skinny that even a magazine that proclaims Body Peace wants everyone to look as thin as possible. Can body acceptance ever be achieved by society as a whole? Would these magazines still sell if they didn’t contain tips on how to look and become thin? Furthermore, this specific cover shows a thin Raven Symone and proclaims that her new body is a “major payoff.” In addition, this “Fitness” magazine claims that you can look like Nina Dobrev without working out. Is that truly fitness?
Fitness magazines should be realistic about how hard it is to complete an athletic look, instead of downplaying it. That just creates false expectations. Furthermore, body image is in the eye of the beholder and should be appreciated no matter the shape and size.