The Big O is my spirit animal and I have loved & learned from her for decades. I have also been a subscriber to O Magazine since it’s inception and have always found it of value.
By now you have most likely seen the picture that popped up all over instagram & the other social feeds and I am writing this post because while it did not really surprise me, it really kinda bummed me out.
I am months behind on reading my mags but I went thru my stacks and pulled out the issue with the blurb that started it all and here is a full picture of the “advice”.
The crazy thing is, so much of the issue is about feeling & being your best & celebrating yourself, which is why I read O Magazine in the first place. And this issue has more variety of fashion sizes represented than any other I have read in recent times.
But this “advice”, a part of the “Personal Style” section written by O’s Creative Director Adam Glassman just reeks of that subtle body shaming that we hear and see way too much.
Instead of taking that question and turning it into a moment of power, the response pretty much says if you are not “perfect” you should cover & hide and under two layers of clothes no less.
Now as a long time reader of O Mag, there have definitely been times over the years where I have read a feature or “advice” and rolled my eyes, which is why I noted above that I was not really surprised.
I think one of the reasons for the obvious disconnect from where we are culturally or better yet where we are trying to be culturally is that Mr. Glassman and people like him live in a certain bubble kind of a world.
For them fashion is all about rules and dictates that have stood the test of time. Never mind that these rules have excluded so many of us in so many ways & have made women feel less at times or make women feel that we are not good enough as we are. They are the rules dammit, these are the things you do if you want to look a certain way. (Insert uppity face pout)
And because of this, I am sure there wasn’t a single moment of hesitation or second thought about the “advice” when he wrote it. Heck he might have even had a chuckle or two recounting some poor, fashion challened soul who wore a crop top that he felt most certainly should not have.
The only thing is, if you are trying to be a modern magazine for modern women who are OWNING (pun intended) their lives completely and fully as they are and making the most of it, it would’ve been so much more valuable & affirming for him to say here are a few ways to wear crops tops if you’re comfortable showing your stomach & if you’re not comfortable, here are some other options and BAM, good advice.
But sigh…heavy sigh…he did not.
Thankfully we women are speaking out and standing up for our ourselves and our right to live our lives by our own rules and not the antiquated ones that only serve to try to make us feel like something is wrong with us. Because, guess what? There isn’t!
And hey Mr. Glassman, the answer to how you pull off a crop top is not that complicated…
