Cover of New York Magazine: Woman of the Hourglass

I was going to ask the dentist for 20% off and he gave me 40% without my asking! In his office I saw the cover of New York on voluptuous being back. The beautiful voluptuous redhead bombshell Christina Hendricks is on the cover with the story: Woman of the Hourglass. It is my commitment that not only will there be less obese in this country and that people will learn that exercise is fun, but that there will be a shift in fashion and media away from the often prevalent fat phobia and idea you must be thin or have all your muscles showing to be fit. Although beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, I do prefer the balance of thin, curves and muscles, and that, if you ask most doctors, is most healthy. I think different images can be used, but it would not hurt some health magazines editors and designers to show an athletically fit woman who actually has some fat (over 20%) and is not either a rail, nor has all muscles showing due to very low body fat. Most dangerous fat is around the waist, but some think that healthy breasts and hips mean fat. (See other sections on recent scientific studies.)

I cannot vouch for Ms. Hendrick’s fitness. I have my ideas as a trained eye, but did not take her body fat percent or BMI. But I can say some of what the writer wrote I could have written myself, and it is quite funny. Here are some quotes by Amy Larocca.

Unfortunately, some images from the same magazine, like on page 40, 105 and 115, show emaciated figures, like in some refugee camps. Call the UN!

“But lately there have also been baby steps take toward the (unfortunately) radical idea that looking good need not involve so much rejection of the naturally occurring female shape.” I add: what estrogen does naturally.

“But too often the size discussion becomes almost grotesque, as if the only alternative to being as lean as a skinless Perdue chicken breast is to veer wildly (and unhealthily) in the opposite direction (Gabourey Sidibe, Beth Ditto). One can’t help wonder if the fashion world’s obsession with those two women, both of whom deserve prominent coverage for their talent first and foremost, isn’t in some sense overcompensation, an attempt to atone for the terribly thin models who still hold sway everywhere. Either way, it becomes a game of extremism.” (Bravo) “It is perhaps ironic that Hendricks actually started out as a model—catalogues, mostly, but there was one season on the London runway that ended when her agent said, “Darling, did your boobs grow?” (One imagines that future seasons might see the question posed in the opposite direction.)” LOL

Disclaimer: None of the above information can be taken as a substitute for advice from a medical professional such as a physician.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.authorhouse.com, www.bn.com and http://www.amazon.com. If you look up my name on those Web sites, you will find my other books The Boy in a Wheelchair and Life, Work and Play: Poems and Short Stories.