Peter Paul Rubens 1600s
The Three Graces
Full bodied “goddesses” depicted in Baroque paintings of the 1600s would have trouble getting airtime in our present-day fat phobic culture. Today even Marilyn Monroe, iconic sex symbol of the 1950s, would be subject to a photo shop diet.
- Twiggy 1967
Fortunately, after decades of aspiring to mimic the Twiggy-thin ideal, the well endowed tush is once again growing in popularity. Although I’m not a fan of the Kardashians, I’m grateful for their influence on increasing the acceptable size of the modern woman’s derriere.
Kim Kardashian
2013 selfie
Thanks to Kim, millennials are LESS prone to ask: Does my butt look big?
Diego Velazquez,
The Toilet of Venus
1647-51
Here’s the big challenge. Often an ample behind accompanies a matching muffin top. Despite this pairing of attributes, women are attempting to alter nature. It’s no easy task combining the fashion industry’s skeletal weight standard, with a shapely bottom. Unless you want to live on a Stairmaster and eat celery sticks all day, your tangible options are limited.
Apparently I Love You Often…just not always, applies to everything from your “honey” to your hiney. Although the tempting tush has cycled back into vogue, love handles are still in question. Special thanks to the designer of the Fred and Friends baking cups; reminding us that a muffin top is perhaps… just more of a good thing?
So Lean In everyone.
Move to the middle, and take a bite.
“Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good.”
Julie
Once again…you nailed it! Woman can have an ample, well-shaped rear and bosom but everything else needs to be slim; for most women, this is impossible without their plastic surgeon. On a recent visit to the airport, I watched as a broad spectrum of people exited an airplane. I was surprised to find that about 90% of the men were noticeably overweight in the stomach; I’m talking about them carrying a watermelon up-front, not a mere muffin top. While this doesn’t bother me so much to look at, extra weight in the mid-section is a known health risk.
So great to see you back Julie! Always an interesting topic with a twist of humor. Love your pieces, keep them coming.
Oh Julie this is fantastic and funny timing! My boyfriend and I just had a discussion about “my muffin top” which with the new jeans I had gotten last week, was supposed to eliminate the muffin top with a special cut waist band. Yes, I said “supposed to eliminate”! Luckily my boyfriend likes broad behinds and muffin tops! Mariah Carey is his favorite famous person, again lucky for me. Thank you for sharing the art work from the past, to really grasp how media influences us even 500 years ago. And I agree, hooray for the Kardasian’s though I don’t particularly care for the either, it is nice to see other women who are starving themselves to fit into what media now thinks is in Vogue.
Love you!
Cynthia