For its October issue, British Vogue will be “model-free” and feature only “real” women. Because models aren’t real women, apparently.
BV Editor Alexandra Shulman called it the “Real Issue” (as opposed to all those “Fake Issues” over the years?) and came up with the idea earlier this year.
“I thought it would be interesting for us to put together an issue of the magazine … where we looked in various ways at the subject of what we wear through a more ‘real’ filter,” she told CNN.
I’ll have to see the magazine to figure out what putting something through a “real filter” looks like.
The problem with wording things like this and creating entire issues like this is that it, like the popular saying “real women have curves,” is telling thin women they’re not real. It plays on the idea that it’s not okay to fat-shame someone but that it is okay to accuse a thin person of having an eating disorder, because for some reason too many think that’s the only way a person can be thin.
But it’s not just someone like me, with “thin privilege,” as opponents might say, who doesn’t think this issue is a good idea. Plus-size fashion blogger Bethany Rutter said that creating a special issue like this could have negative consequences.
“Any kind of special edition, or short-term tick box exercise ends up maybe being worse,” she told CNN. “It means the magazine can kick back and say: ‘Well we did that issue, we’ve done our bit.'”
Rutter’s suggestion seems much better. “I think de-focusing on features about dieting and not only presenting very thin women would be useful,” she said.
Yes, maybe including women of all shapes, sizes and colors throughout each magazine is a better idea than constantly pitting thin against average or plus-sized.
Ashe Schow is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
