Houlley
Maybe we are both coming at this from our own interpretation which are obviously different. I don't think a less attractive woman would have altered some of the criticism being levelled at the body image premise but this is just a guess.

I am not accusing you of being anti-feminist personally. In the interests of keeping an open mind, I admit that on OLO there tends to be an anti-woman/feminist slant on issues that often surprise me, perhaps that has tainted my own take on the repsonses to this article to some extent.

I think you are looking at it from a female perspective...

'What was it that Kate Ellis was trying to say about body image *by her outfit?*'

A man would pay more attention to what *she* had to say and not even think about what her *outfit* has to say ;-p

I vividly remember my most outspoken feminist friend's excited response to her father driving Julia Gillard around once. Her only question about it to him was 'what was she wearing?'. It even took her a while to work out why I thought that was so funny.

She's never lived it down. I reckon I'm actually more feminist than the average chick who calls herself a feminist.

As Slyvia Jade said...

'Advocating for body diversity is a start- and it is one of the key recommendations put out by Ellis herself. Yet she did everything to uphold existing beauty ideals as we saw with the whole Hawkins debacle. '

The trouble with Kate you see is she isn't diverse enough. It's like a blonde blue eyed chick applying to be a newsreader at SBS to your average feminist.

Houlley
I can only say to that 'viva to all our differences' in whatever shape or form.

It is a shame that there is not more body diversity in the media - when will we ever see a female Laurie Oakes - ;P

I suspect if Amanda Vanstone had done a photoshoot there would not have been the flak, maybe just some unkind comments, given that the body image problem is about striving to be thinner not fatter for the most part.

Although I did read something the other day about feeders and people actively trying to put on weight to become the fattest person in the world. That is different type of eating disorder with psychological isses that are, I suspect, beyond any of our expertise.

Pelican

"I suspect if Amanda Vanstone had done a photoshoot there would not have been the flak, maybe just some unkind comments, given that the body image problem is about striving to be thinner not fatter for the most part."

I agree and Houllie has made this point ad nauseum. Part of the problem that some people have with Kate Ellis is that she doesn't deviate far enough from the current fashion of thin models. However, this obsession with thinness is sometimes blamed for health problems.
It is hard to argue that Amanda Vanstone is a picture of health. Ellis at least seems to be in a health weight range.

Houllie

I apologise if I implied that you are too concerned with tip-toeing around other people's feelings. We all know that you aren't.

Be interesting to put all that aside for a minute.

I wonder if a bloke's social worth, especially as a politician, was judged primarily on looks who the best and worst representatives would be.

Who's wearing Armani this week?