Pirelli calendar 2015: The problem with 'plus-size' models like Candice Huffine

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All this incessant worship of the hourglass, under the premise of promoting 'body confidence' has served to do is replace one very narrow beauty paradigm with another

Pirelli has cast its first ever so-called ‘plus size’ model, Candice Huffine, for its much-hyped annual calendar. For the uninitiated (and there is, lest we forget, no reason why you should be initiated – Pirelli does not sell its calendars to the public) the annual features high profile women posing in something (usually) shiny, latex-like and incredibly revealing. Supermodels and Hollywood actresses have consented to appear on the calendar’s pages in the past, hence its reputation for luxury and exclusivity.

I have a history of adamant refusal to be drawn into discussions about whether women who freely consent to pose in their undercrackers are being exploited, because I consider such conversations a waste of precious breath. I’m not about to start now. Whether the topic be page three, Kim Kardashian’s oiled posterior or the cast of the Pirelli calendar, my stance is the same: Suggesting that these women subconsciously collude with the patriarchy and that their decisions are therefore not their own is not only utterly snide, it’s the sort of attitude that stops young women from identifying as feminists.

(Please note: Candice Huffine is either 5'11" or 6'0" - so this article is height-related)

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