, + &

drshebloggo:

What makes it worse is that each photo’s matching statement involves Ryan Murphy talking about sexualization.  Behold:

• “I love Lea in this role: she gets that sexual thing and that ’50s style of action…”
• “…it’s not afraid to be sexual.” [the film Naya is representing]
• “This part […] is about sexual awakening…” [the film Heather is representing]
• “The 50 Foot Woman was about sexual hibernation turned to awareness.” [the film Dianna is representing]

ELLE doesn’t appear to be communicating that the spread is intended to be sexual.  They cite the style as “retro femininity,” and it’s simply titled “Pulp Fiction.”  No sex mentioned.

Without RM’s commentary, the spread is simply another magazine photoshoot where the standard of beauty is so narrow that it includes only thin actresses who don’t appear to be any distinct ethnicity or race. 

But by publishing the associated descriptions about sex and sexualization, the spread completely exposes the nasty reason that these photoshoots aren’t generally all-inclusive: it negates the possibility that an Asian woman or a black woman or a woman with curves could ever seem sexy.

Ugh.