Has Marie Claire Lost Their Minds?

I can't believe that I would do this story any justice by trying to summarize so I'm just going to link you to it.

"Should Fatties Get a Room?" article in Marie Claire

Christina Hendricks, a Vision in Lilac

Fans of Mad Men or undoubtedly jazzed about the show's recent Emmy wins. And surely those fans have also caught a photo or two of the three actresses from the series photographed on the red carpet. While January Jones went super modern and a tad risky, Elizabeth Moss and Christina Hendricks went ultra glam. But it's not actually what Christina is wearing that has my attention, but the body underneath.


It's no surprise that Christina has been reporting having difficulty finding a designer dress in her size. Last year she reported the same problem drawing some attention to her already eye popping figure. So, you would think this year would have been easier for her, since you know, she's super famous now. Get it together you designers out there! Who wouldn't want this vixen shimmying down the red carpet in one your gowns?

Some articles are actually reporting Christina's size which, for most of us would be horrifying. But supposedly these estimates are from a dress she donated to an auction that was measured. So I guess I can't get too mad at the media for that one. So, girls, here they are:

Christina Hendrick's reported size is somewhere between a 12 and 14. Don't we all have a few different sizes in our closet? Her measurements are reportedly 39-30-39 and her bust is either a DD or DDD. Take a good look at those numbers. Christina's body is beautiful. She was voted the sexiest woman in the country. She plays the role in Mad Men of the sexy, smart, office manager, who is often sought after and flirted with. She is bigger than many of the actresses on the show and she was chosen to play the voluptuous and fiery Joan. And on top of all of that, she says she is just fine with her body and declined the request to lose weight early on in her acting career.

You are beautiful and a role model, Christina! Congrats to you and your cast mates on the Emmy!

Taking it All Off

Whitney Thompson, the first plus sized winner of America's Next Top Model has recently stripped down in support of Love Your Body Day. Thompson, an ambassador for the National Eating Disorder Association is making an attempt to show women they can be beautiful at any size. Check out the photos as well as more information about this cause, and get ready to love your body for one day (and hopefully beyond) on October 23rd.

Crystal Renn gets "Shopped"

Hastily gathering my things to run out the door this morning I had one ear on the television set when I heard a teaser for a story involving Crystal Renn. I ran out of the bathroom to see what news Crystal Renn was involved in and why The Today Show was airing it. Unfortunately all I got was the general summary that Crystal Renn was upset because some of her most recent photos had been Photoshopped. I had to leave for work before the full story.


So here is what I could find online of what's going on. Apparently the people over at Glamour and Passion for Fashion think Crystal Renn is perfect for their campaign. Just not as perfect as they could make her with a skilled retoucher. Crystal says she was "shocked" when she saw the retouched photos and is being very open with the fact that she has not shed a bunch of weight. Still shots from video of the shoot have been posted up against the retouched photos to prove Crystal is still the plus sized gal we all love. Read more about the ordeal at the frisky.

Kate Dillon - An Intelligent Model (and she's plus sized, too!)

A little inspiration this morning : "I really belelive that if you're being the person you want to be, you'll care less about looking like the person everybody says you should look like."


A very intelligent and inspiring article about Kate Dillon, a plus sized model who speaks about her struggles and just trying to get into a normal life. Beautiful, smart, witty, she is quite interesting.

Read the full article here.

Plus Size News - New Series Featuring Plus Size Actress

If you have been watching any of the new summer series on ABC Family this summer then you have probably caught a commercial for the upcoming show, Huge. As far as we can tell from the promos, it's plot surrounds a fat camp and the campers who attend, focusing mainly on a rebellious and somewhat egotistical camper played by Nikki Blonsky.

Here is the plot synopsis as seen on the ABC Family website:
Funny, heartbreaking and provocative, Huge follows the lives of seven teens and the staff at a weight-loss camp, as they look beneath the surface to discover their true selves and the truth about each other.

In Huge, Nikki Blonsky will portray Willamina, a teen whose sardonic and rebellious nature make her a menace to some and revolutionary to others. Additional cast include Zander Eckhouse as George, Harvey Guillen as Alistair, Ari Stidham as Ian, Ashley Holliday as Chloe and Hayley Hasselhoff as Amber.

Huge, based on author Sasha Paley's book of the same name from Alloy Entertainment, is being developed by Winnie Holzman (Wicked, My So-Called Life, Once & Again) and daughter Savannah Dooley. Holzman will serve as executive producer as will Kim Rozenfeld (American High), while Dooley will serve as producer on the series. Alloy Entertainment’s Leslie Morgenstein and Bob Levy (Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries), will also serve as executive producers; Robin Schiff (Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion and ABC Family’s 10 Things I Hate About You) will serve as a consulting producer.

So now here comes my point of view on the show. I think the term "healthy" is becoming more and more prevalent in today's views of beauty and weight. While some of the actors in the series are clearly more overweight than others, their characters (from what we've seen so far) all have their own problems. Being obsessed with weight is not healthy whether or not it's coming out in the form of rebellion against exercise, or worrying about every bite of food that is taken. Getting healthy, physically and mentally is something that we all need to be focused on, whether or not that means weight loss is different for every individual.

I am happy to see that this series features some prominent plus sized actresses. Nikki Blonsky first made her debut in Hairspray and has since been a household name. This is the first time I have seen Haley Hasslehoff and am excited to see what she has to bring to the table.

Set your DVR's and get ready for yet another new summer series from ABC Family. I think this is one to watch.

To check out the official website click here.

Nice Weather Means Being More Active

The warm weather has been inticing me to go outside for months now, and I knew that I wanted to start an exercise routine. The only problem is that I hate running. So what to do? I had been an avid walker in college, spending hours walking around the indoor track at our state of the art gym, but I don't have access to anything like that anymore. So I trekked out in search of some walking paths. What I found was something much more enjoyable, much more beautiful, and a heck of a lot more captivating than either walking or running.

See, the thing with walking and running is that I lose interest very quickly. I have to change up my route a lot in order to keep from being bored, and that's a lot of work. And then there is the heat. Around here it can stay in the 90's up until about 8:00 which only gives me about an hour to be outside while it's cooling down. You can only get so far in half an hour when you walk before you have to turn around.

So what did I find that is so wonderful? Hiking. I'm not out in the woods with a bundle backpack and walking stick, but I am walking through a small forest alongside a creek. We encounter hills and valleys, overgrown paths, narrow walkways and even a daring pipe bridge or two. I never considered myself the outdoors type so I am shocked that I love this so much. But, sure enough, every night I'm ready to go on a new adventure. It's no surprise that plus size super model, Crystal Renn has said that she uses hiking whenever she is in need of some toning up.

What's your favorite way to get outside and get moving?