raefinlay

About a year ago, I broke up with a gentleman who felt I was too portly for his tastes. (I'm a size 6. In who's world is that portly??) I told him to go date Heidi Klum with my blessing. Since then, I've done a lot of thinking about the kind of society that produces a physical aesthetic whos daily calorie quota is 800 or less.

I just received the latest Victoria's Secret catalog, and I think I understand. There is a new model on the cover--well, one I don't recognize anyway--and she is beautiful. Big, pouty lips, long hair with enthusiasm all its own, a jaw structure to die for. But her body...she has the figure of my 7-year-old sister. I'm not making use of exaggeration here. She truly looks like a child. No hips, no breasts, no shape. There is a picture of her leaning over, elbow on her knee, and the contrast in thickness between arm and leg is almost unnoticeable.

Toward the middle of the catalog is a spread of nubile-girl in various poses of sexual bliss. It's soft porn at its finest (of course, I read the VS catalog for the articles) but with a Jon Benet look-alike as the centerfold. I felt sick to my stomach.

I wonder if femininity is on the outs. We've become so obsessed with fat count that today's "attractive" women are either breakable or bulging with muscle. I've decided that I like my curves. I like having breasts and hips and a slight softness in my thighs. I like filling out my clothes in all the right places, and I love the fact that my body is very different from my baby sister's.

And after breaking up with jerk-boy, I've decided that I'm not going to bust my butt trying to lose those last 5 pounds. No matter how beautiful the next VS cover child is.