InStyle Makeover Needs a Makeover of Its Own

As I discovered this weekend, InStyle Makeover and Taco Bell are remarkably similar. They're both cheap and require a very strong gag reflex. 

What was it about this special issue that was so hard to swallow? Was it the $600 cosmetic case? The fact that some no-doubt-underpaid editorial assistant had to conceptualize the ways in which a purse can camouflage a “flawed” figure? Or that every woman made over in this issue didn’t really need a makeover?

Impossible beauty standards, you win again! And we lose.

Take a look at Vanessa Hudgens, who was given an “undone” makeover. This was the result:

According to InStyle, this is a “polished no-makeup look.” Don’t you roll out of bed sporting fake eyelashes and the exact right shade of nude lipstick? With a professional hairstylist and makeup artist at your disposal, this natural look is so easy to achieve!

A few pages later, “Plump + Go” features someone who actually isn’t wearing makeup. That’s because she’s a model preparing to be injected with four different substances—Botox, Perlane, Cosmoderm, and Restylane. So there are at least four reasons none of us look anything like the women we see in magazines.

Continuing the trend of making over people who don’t really need making over, “6 Weeks to Slim” pairs two magazine staffers with trainers who, naturally, impose ultra-strict quasi-scientific edicts. Do they lose weight? Yes. Did they need to lose it in the first place? Nope! Both have BMIs within the normal range.

Admittedly, the BMI is a flawed calculation. Fine. But this depiction of two slim women getting slimmer alongside a “Dress Yourself Thin” coverline and a food diary from manicurist Ji Baek, whose diet consists largely of champagne—it all sends a powerful message about our bodies.

It says that our bodies aren’t ours—they’re open for public comment. That they don’t exist for our pleasure or strength but instead that they are a source of shame. That starvation and sacrifice are the path to self-satisfaction.

As long as our bodies and faces belong not to us but to an ever-changing, ever-more-impossible standard, women will be going to war with themselves.

Wouldn’t it be a pleasant surprise to see a magazine emphasize being healthy and strong instead of slender and young? Wouldn’t it be great to see a magazine stop referring to “boyish” figures, as if those women somehow aren’t female enough, and stop altogether ignoring larger women? Wouldn't it be a positive change to see a fashion spread focus on flattery instead of camouflage?

Absolutely. But I’m not holding my breath. To accomplish anything other than selling insecurity, InStyle Makeover would need a makeover of its own.

Comments

[Trang]

Makeover? What makeover? The only difference I see in Vanessa is the lack of lipgloss.

Aside from that nonsense, I'm glad you're back to posting regularly again. So much more nonsense in magazines needs to be addressed!

[Taryn]

InStyle has gotten so stinking stale that I can't stand it anymore, and it used to be a guilty pleasure for me for over 13 years.

Do you have any magazines you'd recommend that are interesting and different? You should do a feature on some. Gosh knows I would appreciate a change!

[gina]

I remember the good old days when InStyle Makeover was actually about, you know, makeovers. Style updates,how to edit your existing wardrobe for the season, interesting accessories and shoes...
As opposed to feature articles on disney actresses and how I can survive on a cup of hot tea, glass of champagne and one meal a day (now THAT's a healthy relationship with food, I tellya!)

[Ess]

This week I had an edifying experience at my hairdresser's (which is not as usual for me as it is for some), leafing through the July issue of Elle Canada. It might be too late to get your hands on a copy, but I wanted to draw your attention to a phenomenal photo feature (which a kind soul has uploaded here: http://themusingsofafatshionista.tumblr.com/post/129155537/044-crystal-renn-elle-canada-july-09 ) It's labeled as a tribute to Frida Kahlo, but it's more than that to me. Not only is the featured model a gorgeous full-figured adult, but two details of the shoot struck me as extraordinary and had me gabbling to my companion:

First, the photographer did not arrange the model in any way to hide or disguise her curvaceous body. In fact, every pose -emphasizes- the width of her limbs and the curve of her figure (from all sides). Second, the title of the shoot is not "Plus-sized model on location". Although I only skimmed the rest of the magazine (meaning there could be an allusion on the cover or in the table of contents to contradict me), I didn't see anything that singled out the model as anything unusual or "brave" - she is presented as a glamorous and beautiful woman, end of story.

I was completely bowled over by this feature, and I hope that it elicits some publicity. This is the most positive response I've ever had to a fashion magazine, and I very much hope that Elle Canada (and dare I hope, Elle Elsewhere? A little online research tells me that this shoot originates from Elle Italia) gets enough positive feedback that they continue in this vein.

[Becca]

I have this issue and the "6 weeks to slim" article drove me bonkers. One person's workout schedule was 60 minutes of cardio 5 - 6 times a week, plus something like 45 minutes of weights 5 times a week. Sure, she looked great after all of that, but can she keep that schedule up? I would really like to know, do people have time to work out that much? I know I sure don't.

[Maria]

These magazines make women feel inadequate in their own skin. It was about time someone said something about it. We should love ourselves for how we are, "defects" and all.