Gym Classy Lady: How I Learned To Love Aerial Yoga (AKA Hanging Upside Down In Silk Hammocks)
Weight Makeover Shows Can Be Awful, But Is Suing Rachael Ray Really Called For?
Brave, Badass Teen Speaks Out Against Her Principal’s Abstinence-Only Sex Education
Don’t Blame Your Relationship if You’re Gaining Weight: You Have Control (But it’s Not Easy)
Plan To Booze It Up Soon? Why You Should Hit The Gym First
I Confess: I Want to be Hot Too, But on My Own Terms
Since giving birth in January, Beyonce has become the posterwoman for rapid post-baby weight loss. At a concert on Saturday, she explained to fans (including Michelle Obama and the girls, Sasha and Malia) how she’d shed 60 pounds in just six months: by working on a treadmill and eating lettuce. But of course, she did a little more than just walk and eat salad. More
![Vogue's Version Of Being Body-Positive: A Skinny Woman Smoking [NSFW]](http://www.blisstree.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/vogue1.jpg "Vogue's Version Of Being Body-Positive: A Skinny Woman Smoking [NSFW]")
Well, that was quick. I was skeptical when Vogue proudly proclaimed that they would become the ambassadors for positive self-esteem, but I tried to remain at least a little optimistic. That was silly of me, and I realize that now, as the various international June editions–which were supposed to be about health–have already failed to deliver. Like this “unadulterated” black-and-white spread in Germany which features a bunch of very thin women, including one who’s smoking. Nice work, Vogue. Very body-positive. More
When Katie Halchishick, founder of Natural Model Management and its accompanying blog, Healthy Is The New Skinny (HSN), was an up-and-coming model, she heard some unusual (and unhealthy) advice: eat more.
My experience in the industry was frustrating, because I was fully plus-size at one point–like a size 14–and I was working a lot. And they were really encouraging of that, like “gain a little bit of weight. Stay bigger.” And I was a freshman in college, so I was like, ok. Pizza at three in the morning? I have to. It’s work.
That’s because, before Halchishick (who was kind enough to chat with me last week) founded her professional, size-restriction-free agency, there simply wasn’t a way to be a model if you were in-between sizes. If she couldn’t be a size 2, she had to be at least a size 16–which highlights a much bigger problem: Women are damned if they do (lose weight, because it will end in skinny-bashing), or damned if they don’t (hello, fat-shaming); and which is why, even if you’re not a big fashion fan or even media consumer, the natural model movement matters to you. More
Actress, comedian, singer, and media critic Sandra Bernhard is officially my hero of the day. In a recent Interview magazine piece, in which she was questioned by long-time friend and colleague Roseanne Barr, Bernhard, who has always been an outspoken advocate for body-positivity and being exactly who you are, dropped some seriously amazing truthbombs about beauty, self-deprecation, and why she never  bothered to try to be the “girl next door.” More
Hooray! Winter is officially over, and spring has arrived. Which means cherry blossoms, the smell of lilacs, the return of the sun…and a torrential downpour of body-shaming ads that would like you to think that you have been a fat lump all winter, and that you are unfit for a swimsuit. Welcome to the beginning of “bikini season.” More
One of the things we try to do here at Blisstree is call out body-negative language in the media. And while this may seem frivolous to some, the fact is that the way that advertisers, celebrities, and news organizations talk about and present beauty and the female body impacts and reflects the ways that we talk and think about ourselves. And when you grow up with negativity as normal, like many of us have, it’s hard not to pass it on to the next generation. Which is why model-turned-director Nicole Clark created her documentary, Cover Girl Culture–to alert young girls and women to the many ways that they’re being told that they are not good enough. More
I really want to like Emma Stone. She’s young, she’s got great style, and she’s funny when she hosts SNL. Unfortunately, she’s making it difficult to get behind her, because seems to have internalized Hollywood body-shaming and snarking. In a recent interview with S magazine, she had some pretty negative things to say, both about her own body, and about working out in general. Why, Emma Stone? Why? More
Yesterday, we shared our concerns about Ioana Spangenberg, of 20-inch waist fame, and the media’s fascination with her ultra-thin body. I expressed disappointment in our desperate attempt to “figure out” her body. But in the comments and on our Facebook page, that’s all that happened. And even there, no consensus could be reached. Is why she looks the way she does really the most important part of this story?
Sorry! This poll is now closed.
If you were to believe the headlines on the average, body-shaming women’s magazine, you might think that working out is only good for two things: weight loss, and getting men to love you. But, just like you as a multi-faceted, sentient, intelligent human being, a work out is about a lot more than just looking hot and being skinny (as if those things are mutually exclusive). Regular exercise can improve your skin, your heart, your mood, and even your career. More
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Octavia Spencer has been cleaning up this award season for her role in 2011′s film adaptation of The Help. She’s already received a Golden Globe, and last night, she brought home the Best Supporting Actress award from the Screen Actors Guild. But she’s also gotten something else from Hollywood: the idea that being overweight makes you “less valuable,” according to People. More
Because you’re a good an decent human being, you probably would never attend a circus sideshow, which, back in the day, put “freaks” (often entirely adept individuals who happened to be born with congenital defects) on display for “normal” people to stare at and feel better than. But it seems that we, as people, still have that urge to stand and stare at someone worse or weirder than we see ourselves. And, thanks to TV shows like TLC’s My 600 Pound Life, we don’t even have to leave our houses to stand in awe and horror at just how America’s obesity crisis is impacting the lives of other people. More
Ever since she had throat surgery, rumors have been flying that Adele either lost weight, is losing weight, or wants to lose some weight. Which for the most part is actually really pissing off her fans. She hasn’t confirmed any of the rumors, but even if she does: Why is it a problem? I know it’s nice to see a rare example of someone who’s extremely successful without looking like a supermodel, but it’s not any better to expect Adele to represent one body type or weight range than it is to expect Victoria Beckham to get back to her pre-baby body immediately after pregnancy. Being body positive doesn’t mean hating on weight loss. More
Celebrity sites and magazines alike are blowing up over the small piece of big information that’s been revealed in excerpts of Jennifer Hudson‘s new weight loss book/memoir. The scoop? That she turned down the title role in 2009′s  Precious because she didn’t want to gain the requisite amount of weight. And while she would have been an interesting fit for the role, I’m pretty glad that, instead of a woman who had to gain weight for the role, the producers ended up casting Gabourey Sidibe, an actual teenager who was already plus-sized. More
Last year, I did something I’d been itching to do since I quit ballet as a kid: revisit the barre. Dance class brought me stronger legs and the sense of calm that only classical music can…but came with a small, but unavoidable side-effect: body shame from watching my own reflection lumbering around in a leotard. I stopped going after 9 months for several reasons, but in 2012, I’m determined to go back to ballet, and leave the body image issues at the door. More
