Whaaaat?

[sihayadesigns]

In which the LA Times Blog calls a size 8 actress (the smokin' hot Christina Hendricks) "zaftig."

They can kiss my "rump the size of a holiday ham." Fuckers.

Comments

[thatliardiego.livejournal.com]

To quote the guy in that teen movie, "that is wack."

[apinksquirrel.livejournal.com]

Looks like she posted an update, saying she was in fact criticizing the thin model of hollywood... but, yes, I agree with your sentiment.

[sihaya09.livejournal.com]

I totally think that "update" was her way of sugarcoating and doing damage control while still saying something that was blatantly offensive.

[apinksquirrel.livejournal.com]

I think she was trying to go about the topic in an amusing fashion, and totally missed the mark. Agree that it comes off as offensive, especially with the headline (as noted below by some others).

[astaria51.livejournal.com]

I agree it's offensively worded, although the writer clarifies in an edit that she's merely trying to point out how distorted her own views were, based on how unrealistic casting and media portrayals are.

And it is true -- for example, many people thought for the longest time that Amber Benson was "plus sized" and she's a size 6 - she just looks big compared to her size 00 co-stars -- etc etc etc.

She does note: Christina Hendricks as Joan on "Mad Men" (left) could singlehandedly bring back hips. So clearly she's not calling her UGLY.

The negative connotation to "zaftig" is the same one as "plump" - totally societally driven. I've always thought of it as sort of "round" or "pleasingly plump", and actually Merriam Webster defines it that way: the orgin is (disturbingly?) "juicy" or "succulent", so it's probably really closer to voluptuous. If society wasn't afraid of "fat", "zaftig" wouldn't be offensive either.

/tangent.

I feel like a big part of it is the totally offensive headline, which somewhat misrepresents the article and, most likely, wasn't written by the author. Headline writers tend to go for sensation.

However, I do agree there are some big problems with the article, in part the notion that just because someone is big in comparison to her stick-thin counterparts, she's HUGE and SHOCKING, rather than preferable or gorgeous, to the point that she has to go, "Oh wait, haha, she's only a size 8!". If she were a size 20, what then? She couldn't be beautiful?

As an addendum - Rachael Zoe disturbs me a lot.

[kita0610.livejournal.com]

I think the author tried for a wink wink nudge nudge and MISSED by a nautical mile. I'm glad she was called out on it, and I'm glad she felt compelled to clarify.

I still thing it's disgusting that this stuff is considered newsworthy, even by Hollywood standards of news.

[astaria51.livejournal.com]

I agree! I'm definitely glad she felt that she should be clearer about her intentions.


I still thing it's disgusting that this stuff is considered newsworthy, even by Hollywood standards of news.
INDEED. All right, so when I'm bored in the grocery line, I tend to flip through OK! or whatever, but mostly my reaction is "......why do we CARE?"

[koomologist.livejournal.com]

i think Whitney on ANTM was still more of a shocker. All the talk on the show about her being a "plus" size model, and how it was a hinderance during the show... took me days to figure out she was actually petite by any sane standard. I guess it depends who else is in the frame?

[nalathilion.livejournal.com]

Is that really in the news? I don't understand why size or shape is such a big deal, or why the perception is that being skinny is smart & active, but being fat is stupid & lazy. Looks like the author had to backtrack pretty quickly and leave an edited comment to her own article! That's funny. I think the writer thought that her readers were going to side with her, and instead they let rip on her choice of words like 'zaftig' or 'holiday ham.' If she wasn't trying to imply that Christina Hendricks is fat, than comparing her to a ham is pretty boggling.

[virginhuntress.livejournal.com]

She looks HOT. I just... wish I could understand how the overall understanding of beauty came to THIS. *headdesk*

[silvercobwebs.livejournal.com]

It's funny because I've never really noticed her size before as she just looked, y'know...normal. Well, very pretty and normal-sized. It's as bad as when critics described Amber Benson as 'big'. I've met her and she is in fact tiny. I'd guess a UK size 8/US size 4 (?). It only demonstrates just how waifish Gellar and Hannigan are in comparison.

[sabine42.livejournal.com]

I have to say, as a plus size woman, I actually didn't feel insulted by her article, she was recognizing an automatic reaction after years of skinny, skinny girls on tv, and then criticizing where that reaction comes from. Yeah, I think it's bull that size 8 should EVER have that reaction (I never have been, nor will be an 8... I will look average and healthy if I get to a 12!) but I don't think she is calling her fat, just shocked at her own reaction.

just my response.

but, yes, still problematic to even react that way to one of the most healthly and gorgeous looking women on TV...

Don't limit it to news-bloggers!

[elkor.livejournal.com]

They can kiss my "rump the size of a holiday ham."

You know, you could probably get a line started for that.

Though their motivation would probably be different....

"I believe that beauty magazines promote low self esteem."

Re: Don't limit it to news-bloggers!

[sihaya09.livejournal.com]

"I believe that beauty magazines promote low self esteem."

Savage Garden!

[bellybalt.livejournal.com]

Curvy, yes. Zoftig, no, not in the current meaning. I love how the term zoftig has morphed from meaning healthy to being a semi-polite word for fat. And now that I know that YoSafBridge is on Mad Men, I may have to start watching that show....

Also? Isn't it spelled "zoftig?" Or is it one of those words that has multiple accepted spellings?

[sita-radha.livejournal.com]

It really bugs me how freely people comment on *any* woman's body. I'm sorry, but a person's size is their business (okay, in the case of athletes, actors, models, etc, it may also be their agents and employers). However, it certainly isn't mine. It bugs the heck out of me when magazines go on about celebrities being "too thin" or "too big." It is not my business what their weight is. Thin actors don't mean I have to be thin any more than a fat actor means I should be fat. And when will we get over the patriarchal notion that a woman's body is something for public discussion? Grrr. /Rant.

[leeecon.livejournal.com]

hmmm. i read another article about her and her role in mad men (in GQ magazine, surprise surprise) that referred to her as "stacked" (which was supposed to be a positive and complimentary adjective). interesting how an article written about a sexy, voluptuous woman by another woman has a negative bent, but an article about the same woman written by a man is like, omg boobies yay.

both articles objectify the woman...just in different ways. which is worse? dunno. but she is TOTALLY hott...can't argue with that.