Tiffany's life-tini

What do you all think about Elle magazine featuring Melissa McCarthy on its cover wearing a “body hiding” trench coat while the other women in the article are all showing lots of “skin”? I, for one, think it is typical media bias against those of us who are not a size 8 or worse not a size 2.

From the day UCW began, we touted that women of all sizes should embrace their sensuality by looking and feeling sexy. That was and still is our mantra. You have no idea the degree of flack that UCW received because we featured plus-size models in our catalog. Back then, no one was doing that. Every lingerie model was the typical Fredrick’s of Hollywood or later Victoria Secret body type!

For more than one reason, I would love to be Gisele Bundchen (I really do think Tom Brady is gorgeous). Gisele is magnificent and modeling is her career hence, she has to keep that body beautiful. But trust me, there are not a whole lot of Gisele’s on this earth.

Melissa McCarthy is a gifted actress and comedian and she is damn good at her craft. I find it a travesty that Elle magazine would make such an obvious distinction between “the skinnies” and the “not skinnies”. This was so blatant that it truly offended me. As we all know, there are many more Melissa’s than Gisele’s in the world.

Though speculative, I feel pretty confident that the decision to hide Melissa’s body was not her hers. Why would I think that? It’s simple, she is way too confident in herself. Perhaps she wouldn’t want to show off in a bikini, but then again maybe she would! I don’t believe that she would choose to hide her body completely in a baggy coat. It was a really dumb editorial decision to do that.

Last June, film critic Rex Reed wrote a scathing review about the star in The New York Observer for her performance in Identity Theft.  He described McCarthy, the mother of two, as a “hippo,” “tractor-sized” and called her “a gimmick comedian who has devoted her short career to being obese and obnoxious with equal success.” On a side note, I met Reed where he lectured on a World Cruise. I found him to be pompous and egotistical.

In light of Reed’s insensitivity and stupidity, you’d think Elle would have learned a lesson and flaunted McCarthy’s voluptuousness. Nope, they continued to perpetuate the “fat girl” vs. “skinny girl” stigma.

Of course my vehement reaction to this is not out of protection for Melissa McCarthy. She is a successful actress, who I’m sure can handle all of this. My continued concern is that we live in a society where young gals already have weight and body image challenges. These negative images and commentaries simply add to their lack of self-esteem. Their sense of loving themselves for who they are, escapes them completely. As I reflect on my growing up years, I was skinny and considered adorable and then fat and considered not-so-adorable. I recall wondering why I was no longer popular simply because I had gained 30 pounds. Wasn’t I the same person? 

So to Elle magazine I say “Shame on you, shame on YOU!” And to Rex Reed, let me echo Melissa McCarthy’s comment, “I cordially invite Mr. Rex Reed to go fuck himself.” Sorry Melissa, Reed is so narcissistic, he’d probably enjoy it.