Comments on: Cultural Patterns: One Example At A Time

By: Shirley Kiripatea

Shirley Kiripatea — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 02:39:49 +0000

this is so simple

By: Shirley Kiripatea

Shirley Kiripatea — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 02:39:04 +0000

eww these are hideous as to look at i feel disgusted

By: RJ8888

RJ8888 — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:45:12 +0000

Not to derail the conversation, but the GAP curvy jeans are different from their other jeans. It would be more accurate to call them “big butt, but tiny hips and thighs” jeans (my body type).

As for ethnicities and body shapes, all I know is that I see a wide variety of body types among different ethnic groups every day.

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Sun, 13 Sep 2009 11:26:44 +0000

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By: Bruce

Bruce — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:43:12 +0000

Also you may notice if you look at the picture closely that there is also a hispanic/latina woman as well as an asian woman as well as the black woman. The asian woman is wearing the “Perfect Boot” and the latina is wearing the “Long & Lean” so before questioning whether one group is being stereotyped maybe look at all of them, including the white women. Then it might be more possible to identify the intentions of the advertiser.

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:01:38 +0000

…so Wesley only supports her ass (or supports her because of her ass)? Are we talking emotionally or physically, here?

I’m confused, too.

By: LS

LS — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:41:21 +0000

They also have a version where she is wearing the Long and Lean. FYI.

By: thewhatifgirl

thewhatifgirl — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:12:52 +0000

“If the problem is that black women are represented as “curvy” rather than looking more like the “skinny white woman” ideal, then the solution is to use only rail-thin black models.”

No, the solution is to show more women of all races with a much wider variety of body types.

By: izzy

izzy — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:00:35 +0000

Now I’m wondering if JLO jeans, made for the latina woman body stereotype, are racist. And I’m wondering if it’s racist for me to say that they fit my latina body perfectly well, when 99% of jeans out there don’t.

By: izzy

izzy — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:31:37 +0000

Unless my eyes aren’t working anymore, the black model on the gap website is, in fact, bone skinny. And she is, as far as I can see, even less curvy than the other models, if you consider hip width an indicator of curviness. So, don’t worry – this black model in particular is very far from representing anything other than the white beauty ideal.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 08:58:54 +0000

“it certainly is racist that black women are overwhelmingly represented as “curvy” in a world where the beauty ideal is what white women are overwhelmingly represented as, bone skinny.”

Is it really?

Let’s think about the corrective. If the problem is that black women are represented as “curvy” rather than looking more like the “skinny white woman” ideal, then the solution is to use only rail-thin black models.

This does not strike me as a very good alternative, and in fact it’s pretty close to the status quo – look through any fashion magazine aimed at white folks, and you might find pics of super-skinny Naomi Campbell, Iman, Beyonce, Rihanna, etc., but not any body type diversity in any race.

On the other hand, materials aimed at the black audience tend to account for the fact that we would consider @survy@ a compliment.

By: Nataly

Nataly — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 06:32:13 +0000

And did anyone else notice that the woman with the most butch haircut is labeled “Real Straight”?

By: Nataly

Nataly — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 06:23:21 +0000

I’d say in an ad representing a variety in jean options, it’s grossly problematic that all but one of the women is white, and all of them are incredibly skinny. It’s less problematic that the one black woman is wearing the curvy jeans, until you look at their other recent advertising, which has demonstrated that giving them the benefit of the doubt isn’t necessary–they’re clearly trotting out the stereotypes and racism and this is just another, albeit slightly more subtle, example of the trend.

By: Nataly

Nataly — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 06:19:18 +0000

It’s racist when all we say is a reference to one body type, as a stereotype. Black people actually have a vast possibility for ethnic backgrounds and body types that range from skinny to “curvy”, as does just about any other race.

This might not be the best example, but it certainly is racist that black women are overwhelmingly represented as “curvy” in a world where the beauty ideal is what white women are overwhelmingly represented as, bone skinny.

By: Simone

Simone — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:12:57 +0000

I’m a curvy woman, and I actually find that the Gap curvy fit jeans are a WONDERFUL alternative for the thick-of-leg. It’s a shame that isn’t apparent from the ad.