What Helen Mirren Is
And I thought I could not possibly worship Helen Mirren more than I already did five minutes ago.
Actress Dame Helen Mirren has launched a scathing attack on the fashion industry’s size zero craze, putting the blame for the “horrifically thin” models on female fashion editors.
The Academy Award-winner, 62, had first-hand experience of size discrimination when she took her niece, an aspiring model, to several booking agencies — only to be told her niece was overweight.
And Mirren insists it is all due to senior fashion writers and editors. She says, “I blame my own sex vehemently on this. It is women who run the magazine and women who editorialize and women who make the decisions.
“I think it is completely iniquitous to have incredibly skinny girls on the runway. A lot of the girls are horrifically thin and of course they have a problem. Mostly, the fashion industry chooses to turn a blind eye.”
Gosford Park, Prime Suspect, The Queen—all fabulous. Every time she shows up on the red carpet or says anything or puts anything on—fabulous. Is there any other word for her? No, there is not. FABULOUS.
Posted by mo pie
Filed under: Celebrities, Helen Mirren, Tidbit
That is awesome! Helen Mirren rocks!
So, it’s the female fashion editors who invented those No Fat Chicks bumper stickers?
I worked at a fashion mag back in the day (early 1970s – when “serious” magazines and newspapers didn’t hire women, except as secretarys and “researchers”).
The irony is that I didn’t read women’s magazines back then, but could only get hired on at a women’s magazine (rejected by all the serious media I did read for the crime of being female.)
Only the women’s magazines had women editors, writers (although, not in the most “responsible” positions, Publisher was male, sales manager, etc.)
Art director was male, photographers: male, clothing designers: male.
Somewhere along the line, men decided only thin women deserved their desire, too.
So let’s apportion blame, shall we?
Art director was male, photographers: male, clothing designers: male.
Also, patriarchy: male.
Yeah, good point. I’d love to hear from someone who works on a fashion magazine right now. Are the female editors in positions of power buying into the patriarchal structure, or are they trying to do something to change it, or what?
I am a freelance writer who has worked for major women’s magazines. In my experience, every editor I’ve encountered has been a woman. I think that’s the norm, especially among rank-and-file staffers at women’s magazines, in part because the pay is so abysmal for New York. The jobs have been “pink collared”.
I turned in what I thought was a pretty benign article about helping kids have a good body image. I wasn’t trying to save the world with it, but I did include some of the best stats I had–the Harvard study showing that dieting is counterproductive and even harmful for kids, the study showing that girls as young as 6 are already dissatisfied with their bodies, etc. One of the points I stressed was that kids who watched their parents diet would quickly internalize those messages. While I could never say it outright in a magazine whose biggest teaser is always “Lose those last 10 pounds!”, I strongly implied that parents shouldn’t diet with kids in the house. Instead of taking that message on board, the editor wanted me to clarify how exactly women were supposed to diet and not affect their kids. Should they hide it?
I think I posted this story elsewhere on the fatosphere, but the takehome message for me was that there were no circumstances under which you could tell women that dieting was harmful, not even in the face of pretty overwhelming evidence of its effects on kids, especially girls.
I don’t think this can all be laid at the feet of women–these magazines and their patterns were not started by women–but we have certainly stepped up enthusiastically to carry on the work. I do think that women judge other women the most harshly.
“Are the female editors in positions of power buying into the patriarchal structure…”
I’m thinking that would be it.
I’m also betting you’re not going to get any of them to admit to that on the record.
My money’s on Dame Helen, though. They should have known better than to mess with the Queen.
Whether she’s right or wrong about women being at fault, at least she might provoke some discussion about it!
As for whether women shouldn’t diet with kids in the house… I’m inclined to say that it’s unfair if that’s interpreted as “you can’t try to lose weight until your children leave home”, but certainly I was adversely affected by knowing my mother was constantly dissatisfied with her weight.
Another girl I knew whose mother was a successful but very vigilant dieter ended up anorexic (I’m not for a moment suggesting her mother knowingly encouraged her down that path, but I think growing up with a very keen calorie counter probably takes its toll).
So… if I was trying to make a lifestyle change with kids, I think I would fall over backwards not to make a big deal out of it. And my kids (if I have any) are NEVER going to hear a word of dissatisfaction with my appearance from me.
I agree with Mirren. I mean, yes, it’s unfair to blame either men or women exclusively, but somehow I’ve always thought it worse when women do this. Because it affects us and we should know to fight against it. I also think it’s irritating when people blame “gay designers” or “dirty old men in the fashion industry” and exclude women like Janice Dickinson who actively work to degrade other women in the business.
Gotta Go Anon, that’s a pretty shocking story. I’ve actually seen similar articles in women’s magazines (in Sweden and Finland), so maybe the American market is a lot more diet-oriented and scared of talking about how it affects the children.
First of all, I *heart* Helen Mirren; she is, as mo pie said, just fabulous. And while I don’t necessarily blame women editors for all of the cultural body image issues that exist in the media, I think Dame Helen has a point. Whether or not they wound up in their position because of the patriarchy, whether or not those magazines were started by men, etc., these editors are now in a position to make changes, and they should.
Granted that it’s purely anecdotal evidence, but I can think of very few men I know who find the whole size zero thing attractive. In fact, many more men in my circle of family and friends find it downright unappealing. It’s the women I know who seem to crave the skeletal frame.
I know two men who admit to liking what they call “medium girls.” Two.
Medium, by the way, is trim with big breasts. The men who professed this love of medium girls married women who aren’t tiny. But they did marry women who have small waists and big breasts.
I blame the patriarchy. Even women who are powerful live in the patriarchy. Very few women who are very successful achieve it by being completely radical. They’ve gotten where they are by conceding to the patriarchy in some way. I give you women’s magazines as an example. I’m no fan of Helen Gurley Brown. But she wouldn’t have amassed a fortune by making cover girls of Janet Reno (who I love) and Madeline Albright.
As for Helen Mirren? Talented, gorgeous and seemingly unaltered by plastic surgery. Unlike Mary Tyler Moore, who looks like she had an unfortunate encounter with Madame Tussaud.
Long live Dame Helen!
Much of the nattering above may well be blamed on some genetic predisposition of women to slam others of their sex. Despite all the advances made by feminism in the past 3 – 4 decades, “girls will be girls” still seems to apply. Yes, male designers have constantly re-defined female looks over the centuries : from powdered wigs to hobble skirts to minis, maxis, shoulder pads and thongs, BUT WOMEN HAVE GONE ALONG WITH THEM! Each season, hordes of fashion victims have cleaned out their closets & driven themselves mad trying to re-make their bodies into the look that’s chic this week, from 1950’s curves to today’s near-skeletal silhouettes. Had “sisterhood” truly empowered these ladies, they’d have thrown over the traces years ago & refused to take guff from the fashionistas just as they did from the folks who said that women couldn’t make it big in business or the professions. Women DID make it in those areas, but simply couldn’t get past the “do I look fat in this grey flannel suit?”, a query I guarantee no guy ever asked his best buds.
Hey – it was my turn to rant!! Seriously – men & women are equally responsible for the skinny thing. You don’t like it? Picket Anna Wintour.
I have to chime in and say that every gay man I’ve met (including an aspiring fashion designer) is obssessed with a big racks and bubble butts yes, bubble butts on women, not just other men *snicker*). This is why it cracks me up when I hear blame being placed solely on gay male designers for the ultra skinny look on the runways today. Also, isn’t there a female stylist to the stars that encourages her clients to lose lots of weight? I forgot her name, but oddly enough, one of her customers is Nicole Ritchie. Janice Dickenson is notorious for hurling around adjectives such as, “huge”, “pudgy”, and “fat” during the judging of contestants on America’s Next Top Model. Notice Tyra’s eye rolling during these tyrades, particularly during the episodes in which she was 30 pounds heavier.
Pardon my typing yet AGAIN.
I think it’s hard for women to oppose the outward cultural symbols of the patriarchy – such as fashion – when the vast majority of global wealth and political power is in the deathgrip of male powerbrokers.
People might say “oh, well, men will only do to women what women permit them to do” but, alas, it’s more complicated than that.
“Also, isn’t there a female stylist to the stars that encourages her clients to lose lots of weight? I forgot her name, but oddly enough, one of her customers is Nicole Ritchie.”
I believe you’re referring to Rachel Zoe.
I’ve read articles where she’s quoted as saying she doesn’t “encourage” her charges to lose weight (t’yeah) —
— but just looking at pictures of her, I can’t imagine that her skeleton doesn’t scream in pain when she gets out of bed in the morning when asked to support her head and wardrobe without benefit of body fat or muscle tissue.
While I don’t think gay male designers are *solely* to blame for the size zero trend, the thing is, gay male designers tend to regard models less as women and more as walking clothes hangers. So they’re not designing clothing for the sake of women, and or to fit the bodies of women they find attractive (women with bubble butts and racks or whatever else), but rather designing women for sake of the clothes.
And while women definately uphold the status quo and even contribute in their own ways to the skinny standard, in terms of editorials, they shoot the clothes that they’re given, and those clothes are extremely small, so its again an issue of fitting the women to the clothing, and not the clothing to the women.
Yep – Dame Helen is fab. Period. There is an article in today’s NYT which is another tale of woe for women as cosmetic surgeons, in their seemingly unending journey to find more and more customers to extract money from, have found a way to increase the ever expanding empire of ways to make women feel inadequate because they dont’/cant’ hew to some sort of artificial standard. This one talks about the pressure to get “the mommy job” – the stomach, hips and breasts taken in and lifted after pregnancy, because after all, no one wants to have their body show that they are not perky, 20 years old, and skinny. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/fashion/04skin.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
I saw a feature on Rachel Zoe recently, and honestly, why does anyone hire her? Seems like a stylist’s personal style would be looked at a bit like a walking resume, and she looks like a starved leftover extra from the “Less Than Zero” movie set. (Yes, I’m dating myself here, but still, she screams late ’80s to me.) Is that the look these famous people want? Weird.
But then, I’m not exactly hip, so what do I know?
I have a girl crush on Helen Mirren.
Toby, thank you for that. I read that yesterday and, even though a writer named Karen Murphy on the one of the “mom” blogs (Strollerderby, maybe?), condemned the practice as surgeons deciding they all needed new yachts at the price of moms’ collective self-esteem (I’m paraphrasing, of course), the moms that responded on the blog all said ambivalent things like “I’m not going to judge what anyone else should do with their body…”, which is, IMHO, a moral and libertarian standard but
a) does nothing whatsoever to address the meta-message that if you’re a woman and your body doesn’t spring back to 19-yo-firm-skinny-youthiness the NANOSECOND after giving birth, you’re ZOMG letting down the side!!!
b) does nothing to address the metamessage that natural womens’ bodies are wrong and disgusting and post-baby cosmetic surgery is now not optional, but MANDATORY.
Anyone else feel like the century of Logan’s Run has arrived just a tad early?