Ralph Lauren just lost another customer.

I find great joy and release when writing letters to the editor or those in charge when things piss me off. This open letter to Ralph Lauren takes the cake and inspires me to grab my pen:

Open Letter to Ralph Lauren

While describing one man's disgust with RL's recent photo-shop of horrors, he reminds me that we as individuals have the power to stop companies from distorting our bodies in print. Stop normalizing the thin ideal as the only acceptable choice and only good moral choice. Money talks here and RL won't be getting anymore of mine.

Don't forget to sign your permission slip

Thanksgiving Field Trip Permission Slip

____Your name here____ has permission to enjoy and find pleasure during Thanksgiving planning, preparation, and food consumption. I, the undersigned, recognize many of these foods are not commonly available nor do I usually eat around the other event participants. In the event of a potential emergency and I am unable to eat according to my personal body hunger/fullness cues, the individual action in response to the emergency will be held blameless. I hereby give myself permission to not dwell on this nor allow myself to feel guilt. I will trust that my body will work out this kink by sending less hunger cues in the next few days or so as long as I do not mess with this system.

________________________________
Your Signature                                                       



I hope you enjoy all the parts to your Thanksgiving.
Take care,
Julie

When an airbrush is a cement mixer

What do these have in common?

• Thanksgiving without turkey (or Tofurky)
• Disliking chocolate and peanut butter together
• Fruit for dessert
• Air brushing human bodies to make them inhuman

Check out this link.

The term air brush sounds so fluffy and harmless. This Photoshop disaster on the cover of W exposes the intentional scaring from altering photographs. We know (read: rationalize) this is done to all celebrity photos and finished products appear harmless and beautiful. The images end up looking like no one ever messed with them making changes seem acceptable.

Finding the W oversight transitions my brain to believe altering images is not normal rather it is perverse. Perverse just like a turkey-less Thanksgiving and shunning Reece Cups.

Instead of referring to it as air brushing, we need to say we are sending the images to the cement mixer. Something as harmless as sand, rock, water and air can be combined to create something permanent, rigid and pervasive. Sounds familiar.