Meet Precious

This week's issue of New York magazine introduces us to Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe, the actress who plays Claireece "Precious" Jones in the new movie, Precious. Now, Sidibe, a NYC-born and raised, 26-year-old, African-American actress, happens to be fat. 350 pounds fat.

The film's director, Lee Daniels, speaks of Sidibe: "'She is unequivocally comfortable in her body, in a very bizarre way. Either she's in a state of denial or she's so elevated that she's on another level.'"

The magazine notes that when Sidibe was 11, her aunt offered to pay for a cruise if her niece lost 50 pounds. Similar pressures followed, but somewhere along the way, something clicked with Sidibe:

"I learned to love myself, because I sleep with myself every night and I wake up with myself every morning, and if I don't like myself there's no reason to even live the life. I love the way I look. I'm fine with it. And if my body changes, I'll be fine with that."

Precious words for us all. . .

Kelly Clarkson, You're Not Alone

A friend of mine recently revealed to me a (new?) trend that took me by surprise. Her daughter, who just began preschool, will sit for school pictures this week. Here's the thing: Parents were offered the opportunity to have their children's photos airbrushed! The idea is that that stray hair, a facial blemish, or any other unsightly addition can be wiped away for eternity.

I'd like to know from parents (and prospective parents alike) if you'd elect to have your child's pictures airbrushed. What factors would you weigh in your decision? Would it make a difference if you could approve the "after" shot, in comparison to the original?

Lizzie Miller

Welcome back, EWHAEDers! I hope you all had a wonderful summer, filled with good food and positive thoughts about your bodies.

By now, you've probably heard of Lizzie Miller, the "plus-size" model who created quite the stir in the September issue of Glamour magazine for bearing almost all, but mostly a little tummy.



Lizzie, who was interviewed along with Glamour editor-in-chief, Cindi Leive, on The Today Show, spoke honestly about her body image, anxious at some times, confident at others. Is Glamour's decision to feature a model like Miller revolutionary, as some readers suggested? In a time when Kelly Clarkson is photoshopped for Self magazine (message: have a big voice, but not a big body), and when Miller's size is newsworthy, I think not. As I said on Today, if you happened to catch it, it's not a revolution, but it's baby steps in the right direction. My hope is that one day, a photo like Miller's won't even elicit a second glance.