by Sarah Barker
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- Blame it on airbrushing or the larger societal (mis)conceptions of being beautiful; whatever the cause, 95% of healthy women reportedly overestimate the size of their waist and hips, though they could correctly eyeball the width of a box. My Body Gallery wants to refocus the way women see their bodies by showing real unedited images (NYMag.com, 9 August 2011).
- The project encourages women to anonymously upload a full-body shot that can be face-blocked to protect identity.
- Contributors enter their height, weight, pant and shirt size and body type (banana, apple, pear, hourglass). Visitors to the site can search images by these categories to find confidence and company in a community of “real” beauty.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- Get RealSM women shoot from the hip, and not just because they have them. A beauty beehive that fosters honesty and authenticity balances out the media make-believe.
- From professional to amateur, unrealistic images of the average woman are being criticized. After all, size and shape alone no longer determine beauty; health and wellness are very much a part of the new beauty equation.
RESOURCES
