Paul Podlucky is right, and has his head on straight. I may not agree with every last detail, but his general view is very sensible. Perhaps with Pluto heading into Capricorn for a long stay he will get the venue he is hoping for. After all, Capricorn represents age and effort; the long climb…possibly being mature will gets its due in many venues. I am sure he understands so well that I hope he sees it does not take away from his major thesis if I note a small objection…

Where I beg to differ is that overweight much of the time is simply not healthy for people. Where it is more genetic than anything else, maybe there are internal buffers. Where it is more cultural or personal, my problem with overweight people is that they are hurting their own bodies, not that they cannot look appealing or even beautiful. Also, being overweight limits your capacity for movement. Before I have people come down on my head with their personal examples otherwise,  I will state that of course there are exceptions; I am writing about the generality.

That being said,  I’m not a fan of too thin either. People should have bodies that suit them.

Hair blow outs two or three times a week?  Who are these people?  I get my hair cut once every six weeks.  That’s it.  Who has time for more?

Also, he talks about sexy, overweight women with skin tight clothes.  That might be fine for a club but that’s not appropriate for work or taking your kids to soccer practice.  One of the places where this country has gotten off track is this obsession with sexy.  How about just neat, well groomed, tailored and sensible?  That can be a great look and it fits for more occasions.  I am tired of all the tight, low cut, suggestive clothes.  He may think overweight women look great with their tight clothes but I’m totally turned off.

Hey Paul…. that real hair, real people, real clothes idea. I love it!!! The only mag I subscribe to is MORE magazine. it’s not perfect. but they do that real people thing pretty well. almost every edition has reader models in it. they do an annual reader model search. WHICH in the past they’ve got flack for because all the winners look like real models. super tall and skinny. so my understanding is that they are trying to change that. they don’t use 12 year olds in their ads. a lot of the products they highlight are actually affordable. BUT… an ENTIRE magazine with nothing but real people and products for real people would be fabulous.

You should do an "instyle" magazine that is only real people. that would be great. Ross… TJ Maxx… high end would come from nordstom. models are all folks off the street. could it be done?

I think Hollywood and the fashion/beauty industry may define "overweight" a little differently than the rest of us do.

It would be nice to have a magazine with clothes that I would actually buy. I routinely see beautiful shirts and blouses in mags with price tags of $250 and up.  Be for real, I would never pay that much for a shirt/blouse no matter how beautiful.  I was impressed with the July issue of Lucky magazine—the whole issue was about getting great style for $100 or less.  Each clothing item, shoe, bag was $100 or less, and it was a really great issue.  It was super to actually see something very nice, look at the price and not fall over from sticker shock.  

I just finished reading Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt this morning, and I went back to restudy the photographs of Consuelo.  Granted, one of the great beauties of her age.  Google her.  The photograph I was looking at was taken in her garden on Long Island.  She would have been in her seventies, and my God, the woman was gorgeous, and not a speck of makeup, of course.  I studied it a long time.  A simple dress, a summer hat.  What made her so beautiful, looking beyond her face: Ramrod posture, slender, but mainly her posture and the fact she was "done."  She had on a dress.  She had on a hat.  She had on some pearls.  She wasn’t slopping around in a rose pink sweatsuit and running shoes.  She wasn’t wearing anything that screamed "My Last Duchess," but she looked every inch one.  I think if people would make just the teensiest bit more effort as they get older…it would pay back in volumes.  Her self determination and discipline are my mantra this summer….and thank God for Pilates with the posture thing.

Postscript on the beauty recession issue: Granted, I live in a large city, but I have seen, and heard from others, that people are not cutting back on their services.  Nails, massage, facials, hair.  I hope the vial covers "this," "this," and especially "this."  It seems women are determined not to let their appearance upkeep go.   

 

I would love to be able to drop $75.00 on a ‘blow-out’ a couple of times a week.  Heck, I can’t afford to have my color ‘done’ professionally…so its me and L’oreal in the bathroom doing the roots.

I always laugh at some of ther advice ‘given’ to us by the celeb set.  Do they ever realize that some of us live on monthly paychecks that equate to one of their visits to a ‘day spa?’  I could buy a weeks groceries on one of their ‘night creams’ retail cost.

Oprah once did a show about ‘Fabulous at…’ and had beauties of various ages.  Christie Brinkley ‘was’ the 50 aged icon…she said (paraphrasing) ‘she locks the bedroom door, has no phone with her, and naps each afternoon.’  The Oprah audience was rapt with attention…and I thought…ahh…lets try running that whole siesta idea past any of our employers…

Again.  Celeb ‘beauty’ is not grounded in reality. 

Read the Real Recessionista View point about living for less, the original!

http://therecessionista.blogspot.com/

 I tried More magazine. The over fifty set wasn’t really represented. If you want beauty and sensibility, try Real Simple magazine or its website. Also try Nutricion Guide from Consumer Guide. Now thats real beauty.

Also if you are over twelve you know what you need to do.  Its been in all the women s magazines and we’ve heard it at home and in school. We know how to take care of ourselves. "But its hard", we whine;" where’s our magic pill?"

This article was a pleasure to read…one of the few "celebritY" stylists I’ve heard the least bit of sense from.  A magazine focused on Median Reality is a fantastic idea, and I hope someone with their feet planted firmly on the ground (in the actual world of average-size, average-income day-to-day life) takes that concept and runs with it.  Well done.

This article was a breath of fresh air! If anyone has picked up the annual Vogue issue that features "all sizes", you’ve noted that their idea of "curvy" or "plus size" seems to hover around a size ten. OK, by today’s anorectic standards, I suppose that might fly, but in the real world most women are struggling to get down TO a size 10 (if they have time to engage in the struggle between earning a living, taking care of the family, and trying to have some semblance of a personal life). But Mr. Podlucky is right about embracing who we are and looking the best we can. And doing so without blowing the budget out of control in order to buy the latest "it" bag, facial spackle or cellulite cream that is being thrust at us. I had an epiphany not long ago when I went through my makeup bag(s) and discovered that I had enough lipsticks in rose and deep red shades to cover the entire state of Idaho. And blush? Fugeddaboutit! Surely there must be a pot of gold buried beneath the rainbow of eyeshadows? But no-o-o-o. I realized that when I couldn’t justify shelling out bigger bucks, I could always rationalize "little bucks" to buy a new lipstick/pot of blush/eye shadow compact. Yikes! It was a wake-up call, all right. All those little bucks really add up. And now that I am semi-retired, do I truly need to run around in full maquillage every day? Good heavens, the very thought is frightening. So here’s to the Mies van der Rohe approach to make-up: Less is More! (But in the background, I think I hear Anna Wintour purring: "Less may be More, but More is Never Enough!")

Who buys $995 Jimmy Choo shoes; $1,265 Stella McCarthy pants; $795 Armani blouses; and a $2995 Gucci handbags?  We have a very comfortable income, but I certainly don’t buy such expensive clothing.

My hairstylist tells me her friends take out multiple credit cards and charge Jimmy Choo and other such designer shoes—even though they can’t afford them. 

These magazines not only give young women poor body image, but drive them into the poor house as well.