The fallacy of "big is beautiful"

There has been an emphasis in the media lately of being anti-stick-thin-models and pro "normal" models. Just today I found a slideshow from TODAY that screamed "Big is Beautiful!" On the surface, I agree. I think we all need to get more realistic about body image and realize that not everyone is the same, not everyone is a size 00 and not everyone will wear a dress exactly like it is in the hanger. Somehow, as an average woman who's been big and who's been little and who struggles with body image regardless.... somehow I see this all as a farce . Like a three-ring circus act (with the exception of that one model who posed nude a few weeks/months ago - she and the spread were classy and real). I feel like someone in the media is playing around with the concept to try and appease us to make us feel as if we're being catered to... for now. Here's one generic problem I have: the reaction generally is to counter too-thin by using plus-sized models. I don't have an issue with that, other than it seems like going from one extreme to the other. How about we display a wide range of body type? Secondly, and this is a gripe that I find particularly related to the slideshow (go see it now if you haven't), I don't like the fact that they've taken plus sized models and made them do exactly the same thing as the too-thin ones. Study the pictures... Most of them has been put into an outfit that is clearly too tight/small for them, making them look bulgy when they really aren't. Muffin top is not natural. It is only a product of clothing that is poorly fitted. It makes me sad. I comment on this particularly because I just spent this past weekend at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art and walked into one room and was stopped dead by the beauty of a painting... the beauty of this painting by Frederick Carl Frieseke:

It may not look like much on your computer screen (something seems to be lost to me here...), but I highly recommend that you stop by to visit her the next time you're in town. She's beautiful. The painting is beautiful. Something takes you about the human form. She's not a tiny woman.

While searching for this one, I also found a collection of nudes by Kenyon Cox, my favorite being titled Indian Summer. I am in love with his portrayal of the female body because each of his works is quite obviously a real woman. They are put in pastoral settings and given a mythical air, but they are far from being air brushed.

Just my thoughts... take from it what you will. These are good examples of how to show real women.