Today In Tips: Skinny Models & Sending Rush To Costa Rica

Thanks to contributions from readers on our #tips page, interesting (or infuriating) stories are always close at hand. Read on to find out why women don’t blog and the how the Palm Pre failed to market to women.

• To start off, New York Magazine is reporting an ASU study that found that plus-size models (like the ones in the Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign) can actually make women feel worse about themselves than skinny models. But on the upside, researchers say plus-size models could be great in advertisements for gyms and weight loss supplements, “by making women feel bad enough about themselves that they decide to spend money on those things.” Thanks to commenter okaykoko for the tip.
• The Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente wrote that bloggers aren’t usually female because “It’s more of a guy thing,” eliciting a “Grr, argh” from Kat Amanda Angus. Wente writes that guys seek the instant gratification of blogging and that women lack the public confidence of men.
• Commenter Cairn pointed out this WTF story: A Maryland judge stopped a domestic abuse trial to marry the defendant and his girlfriend. They could then assert spousal privilege to avoid testifying against each other and the defendant was found not guilty. The judge was taken off the bench, but not before he told the defendant “I sentenced you to life married to her.”
• Several commenters wanted to recognize that CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth has died. She was a close friend of Christiane Amanpour and she’s remembered for her guts, humor and dedication in a CNN tribute.
• Qob brought this interesting tidbit: When Rush Limbaugh said he’d move to Costa Rica if the health care bill passed, two guys took him seriously. Now they’re collecting donations for his ticket-first class, no less! If Rush changes his mind, the money will go to Planned Parenthood.
• A post on Ars Technica partly blames the Palm Pre’s relative failure on the company’s decision to market to women. How? By putting a mirror on the back of the phone. Jon Stokes writes: “Palm tried for women and they missed everybody. They should have just tried for everybody.” Thanks for the tip, Fishbear!
• Are you in the mood for pictures of giant genitalia sculptures? Never fear, raineoffire is here to help with a tip on a slideshow of Japan’s penis and vagina festivals. Best caption of the bunch: “Penis festival goers have fun with penis-shaped candies.”

Have a good story tip? We’d love to hear about it, via our tips tagpage here. You can add a tip by entering a comment into the bar at the top of the page (“Let your fingers do the talking”) and ending with the hashtag #tips. Reminder: We appreciate all tips, but do make sure to leave more than just a link. As with all comments, the best tips are those that get into detail and display thought, reflection, and wit.