Scott Schuman- The SartorialistTom Sandler
In the world of fashion, women's body sizes are a weighty issue.
Who's too thin? Who's too heavy? Who's in hot water for suggesting one is the other?
Scott Schuman, founder of the fashion site The Sartorialist, caused a stir this week with what some observers considered a backhanded compliment to Milanese fashion blogger Angelica Ardasheva.
Mr. Schuman wrote on his site that he loved that Ms. Ardasheva is "a bigger, curvier girl than most of the other bloggers who you see in the press and tend to represent in the genre."
He also referred to "the sturdy but beautiful shape of her legs."
His description prompted an immediate flurry of comments.
"Seriously...big? curvy? sturdy?
I would weep if I heard your assessment of 90% of normal women's bodies (or mine for that matter)....," one commenter wrote on his site.
"oh my… I know, she's what, a size 6?! 'curvy' indeed… I suppose when you're in the fashion industry for a while this kinda thing starts looking bigger-than-average," wrote another.
For his part, Mr. Schuman responded in defense of his web post, noting that "curvy is a body shape, not a weight." (On her own blog, Ms. Ardasheva also took Mr. Schuman's side, saying she believed his words were misunderstood and that there's nothing wrong with being curvy.)
Further to the weight debate, Victoria Secret model Candice Swanepoel created a buzz for appearing too thin, while modeling the lingerie label this week. CBS News called her "startlingly slim" and referred to her "ultra slender legs and tiny waist."
Meanwhile, Ms. Swanepoel told ABC News she was having trouble putting on weight because of her hectic schedule.
"I've been traveling around like crazy. I get skinnier if I'm very busy. I've been eating steak and everything, so I'm actually looking forward to eating some lighter food after this," she said.
Weigh in: Given how sensitive an issue body size is these days, Mr. Schuman raises a good question: "what is the modern way to speak about size?"