The first incident was in September. Gabourey Sidibe was far lighter on the cover than she is in real life.
And now, it appears they've done it again with Bollywood actress, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. This was in the Indian version of the magazine. To look at the cover, she's as white as I am (Finnish and German heritage).
Why would Elle do this if they think women of color are beautiful as God made them? I don't generally buy mainstream magazines and was blessed to have a mother who didn't keep them around when I was a kid. As a result, I have a very healthy relationship with my body. But if fashion mags are your thing, shouldn't you be able to bring them home without warped images of what women 'should' look like?
I found myself watching E News on the treadmill at the gym today (6 inches of snow outside), and the porn star dating Charlie Sheen was quoted as saying "Nothing better than a hot chick willing to degrade herself. Can I get an amen?" And this was presented as 'hot!'
Let me pause a moment to count the things wrong with that last paragraph:
1. Vapid, shallow tabloid
2. Abusive, drunk actor
3. Self-destructive, vulgar woman
We women/mothers/sisters need to stand up and let people know this is not right! Racism is wrong, and we will not buy your twisted image of women. Stop glorifying abusers and girls who have no self-respect, and give us strong, smart, independent women in their own skin.
I want my daughter to grow up with the beauty of real women.
Women with integrity.
Women with passion.
Women who fight for justice.
If you want to fight racism in the media, please start by signing the petition at Change.org.
Peace
