Taryn Brumfitt first made a broad impact online with her response to Maria Kang’s controversial “What’s your excuse?” image. Then she quit her day job to focus on her growing mission, the Body Image Movement. The Body Image Movement is “on a quest to redefine and rewrite the ideals of beauty.” It aims to do this… Continue Reading →
Mature models show the beauty of aging
Word of the day: “Gerascophobia.” It is commonly defined as the abnormal and persistent fear of growing old or aging. Also known as modern American culture. It’s no secret that the media idolizes youth. As women age, Botox, plastic surgery, and a generous dose of Photoshop are purported as the recipe for immortality. If you’re… Continue Reading →
“The world’s ugliest woman” teaches us how to be beautiful
Beautiful. Resilient. Inspirational. Lizzie Velasquez. Lizzie was born with a medical condition that only two other people in the world are known to have—she has no body fat. As a result, she has never weighed more than 64 pounds and has to consume small meals every hour. When Lizzie was in high school, someone posted… Continue Reading →
Does this name make me look fat? (Why “fatgirlism” needs to stop.)
At Thanksgiving this year, my aunt said I shouldn’t go by “Beth” because it’s “a fat girl’s name”. And before that, when a family friend named his kid Maddie, my brother cringed and said, “I can’t believe he named her that—it just sounds like a fat-girl name!” If you’re appalled and confused by these judgments,… Continue Reading →
Going Green: In praise of Laci Green and sex positivity
Can we please acknowledge how amazing Laci Green is?! If you don’t know about Laci Green, I am here to inform you. She is a sex-educating, YouTubing, social justice advocating, body-positive, and ass-kicking human being. Or, in her own words: “I’m Laci, 22[-year-old] peer sex educator & YouTuber from San Fran. I make videos to… Continue Reading →
Top model Karlie Kloss has no ribcage
What happens when Photoshopping is done to hide a model’s extreme thinness? Jezebel took the words right out of our mouths with their article last week regarding Numéro magazine’s release of a Photoshopped image of model Karlie Kloss. This particular model hasn’t been Photoshopped to appear thinner (as we so often see in the world of… Continue Reading →
Lady Gaga fights negativity with positivity, kicks ass
In a classy move, Lady Gaga has responded to the media frenzy surrounding her weight gain with positivity. On her social networking website, Little Monsters, she posted four candid, unedited photographs of herself in skimpy underwear, accompanied by these captions: “Bulimia and anorexia since I was 15” “But today I join the BODY REVOLUTION” “To Inspire Bravery.” “and BREED… Continue Reading →
Media moguls seem to miss the point of the Golden Rule
I remember so well my pre-school days of being taught that I should treat others the way I want to be treated. I’m not a Pollyanna about the fact that the pop culture media is not exactly prone to use this as one of their guiding principles, but sometimes they outdo themselves. E!’s show Fashion… Continue Reading →
Yo magazines: It’s time YOU went on a diet!
Somebody needs to go on a diet and it’s not us. It’s the media. Their current regimen? High in digitally deceptive additives (ahem, photoshop), low in nutrient rich reality and diversity. The cure? We want real. Not retouched. That is why About-Face is honored to join the frontline of the three-day social media Keep It… Continue Reading →