Turns out , Arsenicmarkets itself as an " edgy " online cartridge open to reader submissions in fine art , picture taking , and writing . The 20 - somethings who run it take the magazine is " sex appeal with a learning ability . " They pride themselves on being " real . "
Real .
It ’s a word being chased by infinite company , magazines , telecasting appearance , and celebrities . You see companies like American Eagle ’s underclothes brand Aerie using un - Photoshopped models with " existent soundbox " in its campaign . Or you have celebrities using Instagram to show fans sneak peeks of their " material " life . And of course , there ’s the obsession with realism TV and everything Kardashian : the most touched - up , plop , and manicured of all the realism show .
Jennifer Bui/Thrillist
And now the desire for realness has leaked into artsy flaccid - gist porn startup likeArsenic .
Demand for what’s “real” has created yet another standard
Our raise taste for what ’s " real " has morphed into creating yet another mantrap standard for women . We ’ve moved aside from the waif - like , ribby bodies of Calista Flockhart and Kate Moss in the ' ninety and toward the strong - thighed , bubble - butt , Beyonce - tastic bodies of the new millenary . But that torso type is still just one interlingual rendition of a body . Newsflash : woman come in all form of healthy material body no matter what year it is . And no amount of dieting or working out is lead to make all bodies look the same .
Today , a " substantial " fair sex ’s torso has lightly tone thighs that glide up to smooth , dead curved hips , which contact graciously with a delicate , narrow waist that showsjust the tiniest hintof abs and up up up to adorable , round , perky breasts ( these never go out of style in the US ) . This newfangled " real " – while perhaps more solid than the heroine - smart mode epitomize by Calvin Klein model 20 years ago – is no less restrictive than previous eubstance ideals . The message : there is still just one way to be beautiful .
Of course these body are existent for some people : specially CrossFit - run , smoothy - crapulence white girls . And that is great for them . in earnest . Their fit bodies are gorgeous . And perfect in their own right . These adult female should revel in the ability and beauty of their strong , capable body .
ARSENIC Magazine
But so should the orchard apple tree - mould chief operating officer who just eat up her first marathon , and the 6ft - marvelous barista who dances salsa on Tuesday night , and the overweight bike messenger who climbs mountains on the weekend . These bodies are also real . And capable . And everlasting . And , by the way , really all-fired sexy .
When “real” becomes monotone
ButArsenic , Aerie – even theSports Illustratedcover model whohas to jade cushioning on her " curves"to accent them against her actually smaller size – only show one reading of dead tone up " material . " We do n’t see imperfections , or reverse triangle - shape bodies , orchard apple tree body , or pear bodies . And if everything ’s an hourglass , we miss what is actually so beautiful about the real material : multifariousness .
From trunk shape to airstream to sex identity to all the different way we can be , if we want to be genuine we ca n’t be monotonic . We ca n’t put the same filter over every image of women ’s bodies . If we want veridical , we require to take some danger , abuse out of the mold of what everyone else is doing , and put unexampled images out into the earthly concern .
All of which is not to say other people are n’t doing real number . They are – and they are doing it quite well . We are living in a " prosumer " society , which is a fancy word for the fact that we , who used to be consumer , are now also raise material for others to consume . societal and media political program have mixed , make us all producers and consumer of glorious imagery thanks to thing like Vine , Instagram , YouTube , and all the great medium platforms yet to amount .
Screenshot via Herself
We now have the power to redefine what women actually look like
This intend we all have part of the responsibility to make up our realness , to put real out there . And people are doing some kick - fanny clobber . Actress Caitlin Stasey started a website calledHerself , which sport not just nude images of women , but their gorgeous living stories as well . Cindy Gallop started the pornography site calledMake erotic love Not Pornthat allow pair to upload aphrodisiacal homemade video for others to enjoy .
And Tumblr ! Well , Tumblr is just a oasis of self - empowered lady taking somevery sexy photos of themselves– and often their partners – for their own fun , and others ' as well .
A fundamental component of the realness and greatness of these case is that women are often self - creating images and stories about themselves . The images may or may not be sexy , but they are most certainly powerful and agentic . These women are more than just bodies . They ’re people , people with stories they are entitled to share .
And that is what ’s miss inArsenic ’s images . I do n’t see any personality , any spirit , any subjecthood in the models who almost always have the same blank stare . It is hard for me to consider that this is who these role model " really " are ; that these exposure capture their nub , other than the fact that they look sexy as hell hanging over a balcony in California .
We have a responsibility to diversify our realness
What is most unsatisfying is there is such potential difference in young startup magazines likeArsenic . For representative , one place has alovely poemby a distaff poet , and yet the verse form is illustrated with the field - less images of more models , not image of the poet . And what relationship do these manikin have to the verse form ? Have they take it ? Did it move them ? We do n’t know because they are n’t secernate us . They are sexy but without content . We never get to see their realness . Real exists . But the word real is often co - opted by medium program that actually only consist of super - flabby - core photos of pretty womanhood inexplicably place with different breakfast foods .
Are these images beautiful ? Certainly . aphrodisiacal ? Sure . Artsy ? Meh . veridical ? Well , someone ’s very filtered version of real . Revolutionary ? Nope .
If you require to be real and you require to be revolutionary , you ca n’t just provide one narrative and one image . Otherwise you really are just a Coachella - lookingPlayboymagazine covered with tattoo , which while it looks cool , is just place ink on the same former boring pin - ups . If you really want to be substantial you ’ve begin to be various , take material risks , show something unlike , and break your own mold . If you require to be real , you ’ve have to resist for something , say something , be something more than just sexy .
" Just sexy " is n’t enough to be real .
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Niki Fritzis a author of feministy and occasionally funny words , a drinker of coffee and whiskey , and a studier of smut … legitimately ! She ’s a grad scholar in the Media School at Indiana University .