Self: Only the Slender Are Worthy‏

Self Magazine recently incensed a great many of its female readers when it chose singer Kelly Clarkson of American Idol fame to grace its cover -- and then apparently chose to Photoshop her picture to make her appear considerably thinner. Self features "fitness, nutrition, health, and beauty advice," and this August issue touts on its cover, "Total Body Confidence," with Kelly saying, "Stay true to you. . ."

Yet given this admittedly Photoshopped (i.e., digitally enhanced or modified) cover, Self is saying that Clarkson wasn't good enough as she appeared in real life, and the editor's blog post on their website, try as it might, did not convince me otherwise. Why didn't the magazine just choose another of the cookie-cutter beauties we usually see on covers emphasizing flawless looks, sex appeal, and youth? (Although I understand even these models are Photoshopped as well, to make them seem perfect.)

I suppose the aim was to celebrate Clarkson for her talent, drive, and confidence, not to mention making a profit off her ardent fans. At any rate, Self has severely undercut its credibility, if it ever had any, by claiming to preach to girls and women, Be the best that you can be, and now revealing its credo as, Only the slender are worthy.

Men may snicker, along with those lucky females who stay forever thin without trying, but an endless deluge of this dogma in its myriad forms is very effective brainwashing. And it does not serve to convert us into dainty eaters with petite figures, but instead drums into us the damaging lesson that we will be judged and found wanting, because extra weight makes us inferior human beings.