W Magazine Mocks Eating Disorders

“Fashion Cliques” is supposedly a fun little listicle thingy on page 202 of the September issue of W. The concept: A guide which categorizes fashionable women as one of five different “types.” Including “The Girl Who Eats Her Feelings.”

Let’s start with “eating your feelings.” An eating disorder is a serious medical condition, and for a woman’s fashion magazine to joke about a health crisis which primarily affects females is really inappropriate. This magazine, as a general rule, is filled with pages and pages and pages of superslim models, dressed in the height of glamor. Fetishization of thinness is the business. It’s widely believed that idealized body-types in the media can be a factor in disordered eating behavior, so W should really know better.

But it gets worse, because underneath “The Girl Who Eats Her Feelings,” the copy reads:

Why We Love Her: Full figures are making a comeback.

That’s right, folks. This fatty is only lovable because curves are trendy. News you can use!

Also completely tasteless? The “Virgin Suicide” woman, about whom the text scoffs:

Why We Love Her: She’s a great weight-loss supplement — hang out with her and you’ll learn all about gluten-free vegan muffins.

Ignoring the subtext (celiac disease is so hot right now!), it seems that the author has a problem with body-image — why else would you “love” a person who makes you lose your appetite?