THE "Best Friends" cover of the June issue of Harper's Bazaar with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie is wrong for so many, many reasons, starting with the little problem that the two have gone way beyond feuding with each other, to flirting with Johnny Law.
But equally glaring is how their faux-bronzed, pencil-necked, blond-extended, small dog-carrying brand of beauty feels so \o7over.
\f7How did the Harper's editors miss it? There's a new look taking over this town: Strong, curvy women are at the top of every segment of pop culture, including film, TV and music. And we're not talking about a certain size 4 Latina pop star who happens to have a round bottom.
This is a genuine super-sizing. It started way back at the Golden Globes in January, when the loveliest ladies in the room were the roundest -- Jennifer Hudson, the ex-"American Idol" who took home the honor for best supporting actress for "Dreamgirls," and "Ugly Betty's" America Ferrera, who beat out desperately thin "Desperate Housewife" Felicity Huffman for best actress in a comedy or musical series.
The viewing public cast its vote for real-life bodies again when 6-foot, size 12 Jordin Sparks was crowned "American Idol," Amazonian legs, arms and all. She wore a stunning orange Empire waist gown by designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka, who reached out to "Idol" producers to dress her during the final week of the show. Just a year before, they were tapping tiny twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for their ad campaign.
How times had changed.
And when Sparks took the stage to sing "This Is My Now" in the finale, it seemed as if pop culture was finally reflecting the reality that the average American woman is a size 12 to 14.
The fashion industry had its own body image crisis, when a full-on international debate about skinny models broke out during the last runway season. And for a while, even the glossy magazines seemed to come along.
Hudson was featured on the cover of Vogue in March, and Ferrera looked sultry on the cover of W in May. Just this month, People magazine ran a story about Sparks "being happy with her size" and included her style tips for plus-size girls. (Size 14 is the gateway for plus-size clothing.) OK! magazine published its exclusive under the headline "Jordin Vows Not to Diet!"
