This anorexic model’s appearance is so distracting that you aren’t looking at the clothes.
What was Cover magazine’s publisher Malene Malling thinking when she featured a model so emaciated that she looks like a corpse in her magazine? When I saw the picture, I just stared at it for several minutes because I could not believe that photo got past the editor’s desk. I have never seen a model this anorexic before. Her hands are bony, her face is pale and gaunt, her eyes are sunken, and her hair looks dry and brittle. I don’t know how she has the energy to stand, and her appearance is so distracting that I’m not looking at her outfit. She looks so unhealthy that I fear she could literally drop dead at any moment. What makes this so scary is that the model, Lululeika Ravn Liep, is just 16-years old, and a very popular model.
As a result of the Danish magazine’s lack of responsibility, it is experiencing the wrong kind of attention via social media. Politicians, Twitter, and Reddit are expressing shock and outrage at Cover with the hashtag #covergate. Malling responded to the scandal saying, “I have not lived up to my responsibility as a publisher, woman and mother and am truly sorry.” During their apology tour, the magazine pointed out that it recently featured plus size model Diana Graham in the magazine, but I think featuring an anorexic model cancels out that bragging right. It amuses me what the fashion world considers plus size and it is obvious that the fashion industry still has a long way to go in projecting healthy images.
I created StylEnigma in 2014 to celebrate the beauty of individuality and creative personal expression. I love the idea of being a canvas and expressing myself by transforming into the embodiment of my mood or the mood I want to be in. I am fascinated by different beauty and style standards, and fashion instinctively incorporates both. I’ve written for decades and use writing as a form of education, but I haven’t had the time or mental capacity to dedicate to my project for a long time and I’m anxious to get back to creating content about the beauty of individuality.
I’ve never been into cliques or trends because I’ve always believed that personal style supersedes trends. I’ve never been a follower or stressed about being liked because I learned at an early age that you’ll never please everyone, so you might as well be yourself. Of course, that doesn’t come without its challenges. We should celebrate uniqueness more.
I love dark colors like black and midnight blue. I own so much black clothing I’ve been accused of being in a perpetual state of mourning. I love nail art; in fact, I started this blog because of a Nailasaurus nail art post, and before that, I owned a nail and skincare salon. I have a major collection of nail art images I have never posted, which is shameful. However, I’m going to rectify that character flaw by sharing my nail art journey.
As a lupus patient, I am also learning how to make ADHD work for me (a factor in post shortages) and it is challenging. I am also learning how to create and edit videos, using Vine product reviews as the testing ground.
Thanks for hanging in there with me,
Lynnette Southwood
It’s hard to change the industry because while different countries have different standards for beauty, the modelling industry seems to have just one – anorexic.
I so agree! It’s horrible that it’s made so many young girls insecure about their bodies. It’s so wrong for such a large industry to be promoting eating disorders. 😦
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