Ladies in knickers

[Cameron2012]

I am curious as to wether anyone feels ' empowered' by the pictures in the papers and on media of famous and random women in their knickers, standing with other women in their knickers showing off their ' real' bodies.
I just don't get it, looking at other peoples imperfections doesn't make me dislike my own,stretch marks, big tummy etc any less.
Does it really make any difference to anyone's self body image? does anyone feel empowered by this? Seriously?
Or is it just pictures of ladies in their knickers?

It doesn't inspire me to see any women in their pants, it just annoys me. And depresses me.

I thought it was a pretty good thing when a "real woman" was used to model some underwear I was looking to buy, they even left in her stretch marks.

Beyond selling underwear I don't need to see that.

I've been reflecting a bit more on why this gets up my nose.

I think it's because looking at photos of women always has this baggage of the fuckability test. We're flooded with images of what attractive women are supposed to look like - it's currency in our culture. Is she hot? Is she pretty? How are her breasts, her legs, her bottom? Does she have a thigh gap, bingo wings, a muffin top?

All that making a big deal out of not-conventionally attractive women posing in their undies does is change the parameters of the fuckability test. It's OK if you don't look like a model! You can still be and feel attractive! That matters! That gives you value!

I say fuck the fuckability test. Let women just be. Let's not look. Let's not compare. Let's not console each other that we all look like that underneath our clothes. It's still playing the game. Drop the rope.

Yes to all these comments.

I'm a bit of an ugly duckling in that I could look good if I put effort into losing a bit of weight, taming my hair and buying some decent clothes. So some friends tend to see me as a bit of a project. Their reasoning is usually "you'd feel so much more confident" and I'm always at the idea that confidence should be attached to looks.

The problem of course is that it's true. Media / society / patriarchy / beauty industry/ whatever you want to call it has drummed into us for so long the message that attractiveness = self-worth that we just can't let go of it.

I really wish I could.