Our culture is so wacked about “beauty” and truth is, what’s considered beautiful today (hard-body gym rats, emaciated stick skinny model types) would never have made the cover of Vogue 30 years ago. Evan the bod of famed icon Marilyn Monroe wouldn’t fly on Comsopolitan Magazine in 2010.
What about 250 years ago? Take a stroll through the Getty Museum website — Gobs of portraits of then-considered-beautiful women, painted in the 1700’s and 1800’s — here’s a gorgeous babe who would be BOOTED out of the Beautiful People website. https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/1HC2NA
eLove — GREAT decision — let’s give people of all shapes and sizes the opportunity to find love. My favorite relationship guru, Alison Armstrong says that for every body out there is a man who’s “diggin’ on it” — Internet dating sites are the very best place for people of not-currently-popular body types, as it gives their subscribers an inexpensive way to market themselves, giving them exposure and access to a huge base of people, many of whom aren’t stuck on Hollywood’s interpretation of beauty.
As a personal matchmaker who uses both face and body photos in the referral process, based in the oh-so-image-oriented Southern California market, I have a really, really difficult time matching clients who are heavy, wrinkled, super short men, too-tall women, etc. So much so that I often find myself discouraging overweight people from investing their hard earned money in personal matchmaking. I’m thrilled that eLove is offering this forward-thinking solution.
I’d like to wave a magic wand to broaden the What’s Hot meter in our current culture, and in the process, expanding my ability to serve a larger (pun intended) market. Until I get that magic wand or until Rubenesque bodies once again grace our artists’ canvases and magazine covers, I’m happy to see that my colleagues at eLove have embraced this ever-growing (um…sorry) chunk of our society.
I come from a long line of big, heavy German folks. I fight fat every day with exercise and careful eating, but I try not to obsess over it. I’m so very thankful that I’m married to a man who likes curves and who thinks my face is prettier now (when by bod is admittedly a little chunky) than when I can slip into my skinny jeans. My hiking buddies fondly call me JB – you’ll have to guess at that…and they still love me.
