Demi Moore called: she wants her nude magazine cover shot back, Britney.

Or that’s what a lot of feedback from the blogosphere says. Naturally, I don’t think that Demi Moore is losing any sleep over what photos Britney Spears takes of herself, or what Britney does with her life. Therefore, I haven’t really paid too much attention to the story.

What I am paying attention to is the deeper issues around the story. I took a good long look at the pictures — they look very polished. Is that the polite term these days? Perhaps they aren’t doctored, but like most readers, I have a hard time believing that people in magazines aren’t touched up in some manner.

Push that Envelope!

I want to see this again.

I’ll give the rest of you a few seconds to bring your chins up off of the ground. I don’t mean to say that I necessarily want to see Britney again, but I want to see this concept again. I want to see a woman right off the street. Bonus points if she’s a plus sized woman. She doesn’t even have to be pregnant to satisfy this little dream of mine. Just being curvy and female would go for a lot more in my book.

I want to see curves, I want to see genuine smiles. I want to see happiness. And if we see another pregnant woman, can we see stretch marks? I want to see reality, I want to see a body untouched. I’m not going to say that this is an easy task, by a long shot - it’s embarassing to be out in the open without some sort of safety net. I still don’t have the guts to post my mug out to the world.

Mr. Deluxe — who is proud to be assimilated into my fashionable universe, I must say — argued with me about the latest episode of Britney. It went like this:

Me: Honey, Britney Spears posed naked on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar.
MrD: So?
Me: She’s pregnant.
MrD: Your point? Demi did that already.
Me: … (long sigh)
Me (continuing on): It’s still a big thing, but we need more. I think it’s important to show that pregnancy is natural, and not “hide” it away.
MrD (sounding surprised): It’s hidden?

He doesn’t see it because dear Mr. Deluxe is an ardent fan of pregnant women. He loves the “glow”, the promise of life inside the woman, and the “wobble”. I didn’t say he was normal. He tells me constantly that he loves women at any size, so long as they’re happy. It’s that accepting, loving attitude that makes me glad I got to him first!

Unfortunately, Mr. Deluxe has a different view on the matter because he has a scrapbook of pregnant women, the way other men collect swimsuit models. I still have pregnant friends that confide to me that they don’t feel sexy anymore, and that their husbands have confirmed this as well, albeit silently. It’s unfortunate either way you slice it.

Do I care about Britney’s photo stunt? Not necessarily. Does it worry me that the popular symbol for pregnancy and womanhood is a girl that barely looks pregnant, let alone real? Of course it does.

So, magazines - won’t you please give me a real woman? Give me curves, give me smiles, give me stretch marks and cellulite. I hope one day that the tide will turn and we’ll get what we’ve been clamoring for all this time: reality.

Tags: britney spears, magazines, plus size, size acceptance, perspectives,