Bobbleheads

You know those magazines by the checkout lanes at the grocery store – the ones that you wouldn’t subscribe to in a million years, but that nonetheless draw your eye as you wait for the cashier to sort through the ball of crumpled coupons the customer in front of you just surrendered? Turn your mental eye away from the ones proclaiming the latest celebrity infidelities and alien babies, and instead picture the more glamour-oriented, fad-culture/fashion rags – the ones that invariably have a more-gorgeous-than-life woman with windswept hair and out-thrust chest airbrushed on the cover. Okay. Now, hold on, don’t go jumping to conclusions – this blog is not about the ideal of flawless feminity being crammed into our collective imperfect consciousness by every media outlet known to man. Or woman. Let me just say at the outset that this model of perfection does not threaten my self-image; I am fully aware that the models themselves are amazed at the wonders modern photoshopping can do for every imperfection. I got over that issue a long time ago (although I’d probably find myself revisiting it with a great deal of angst if I had a young and impressionable adolescent daughter).

Here’s the thing, though – is it just me or does it seem that these women’s heads are getting bigger every year? I mean, every pic I see lately shows a tiny body topped by an outsized head (often made even more disproportionate by massively volumized hair). I literally cannot think of a single instance where the distance between your ears should be greater than the width of your hips, except possibly with very young children. Granted, most mags are not that extreme, but seeing one that was is what actually prompted this blog (I wish I could remember the name…). Has anyone else noticed this? Is it just me? Seriously, I want to know. Keep your eyes out and let me know if you happen to notice this insidious trend next time you’re stalled by the magazine rack…