Even Tony Gets It

Warning:  I'm about to go off on another rant about the media/fashion industry's distorted message that being  poverty thin makes a woman desirable, successful, and beautiful.  They would coil at my positioning of the words "poverty" and "thin," but that's the level of mockery in which they regard real, every day women.  This attitude is so pervasive that even our elementary school daughters are being teased and mocked for their normal, pre-puberty bodies.

So I was intrigued when a columnist in our local newspaper took up my flag.  Actually, he doesn't even know me, but he is the father of four daughters, and he does write a seriously funny and often irreverent column on modern culture as he sees it.  And even he sees this obsession with extreme thinness as perverted and downright unattractive, so much so that he was surprised over his alignment with Miley Cyrus on this subject since he's not a big fan of hers.  And I quote his reaction to Miley's comment that she's tired of people calling her fat just because she has curves rather than a broomstick for a figure.

"It's the definition of 'attractive' that's changing.  Only the fashion industry ~ with its hold on the hearts and minds of so many females ~ hasn't gotten that through its collective, well-coiffed head.  Despite years of criticism from medical professionals and otherwise incredibly sensible people like Miley Cyrus and me, the fashion industry still exhibits its wares mostly on the frames of women who weigh as much as my left leg, telling us 'this is what women should aspire to look like.'

I'm not sure why, because expressionless women who get carried away by a moderate breeze aren't that physically attractive.  And it's not just me...Healthy women who are physically and mentally strong are the new black...The fashion industry is woefully behind on what constitutes 'attractive' in the 21st century.  No longer do men want someone who looks like she's spending too much time giving blood.  At least Miley says so.  And,odd as it feels, I couldn't agree more."

(Blogmeister's note:  Tony Hick's article published in the 11/18/11 issue of Tri-Valley Times)