And this is the result. See what I mean when I say GoPros are just for surfers and skiers anymore? I totally went into this video of the 2011 Redneck Games expecting something else and came out largely disappointed. I'm not sure why drunken mud pit belly flops are the only the only competition at these here Redneck Games, but we'll just have to deal with that. Where squirrel hunting with slingshots? And large mouth bass spearfishing? And the lawn mower races where each team puts chincy after-market spoilers on the back of their John Deeres? And the mobile-home hitchin'? And the possum roadkill chili cook-off? This just seems more like a social gathering of people drinking around a mud hole with a country music soundtrack than a real video of real redneck games.
Plus-size models are fashion's topic du jour, particularly in light of Vogue Italia's recent cover featuring three curvy, lingerie-clad models photographed by Steven Meisel.
Among the new guard of plus-size beauties is Robyn Lawley, one of the three stunners shot by Vogue Italia and a self-described former "skinny model." She told Models.com (video below), "I wasn't a straight-size model for long. I've always naturally been just a bigger girl. So, I found out I could model plus-size around 19. My sister suggested it to me. I just thought it was for older women, I didn't think I could do it at my age. I was quite offended in the beginning."
Now she's left all those doubts behind, having landed the cover of French Elle this past April in addition to the much-discussed Vogue Italia gig.
The Cut caught up with Lawley to get her two cents on the peculiar world of plus-size modeling and other less conventional topics. Fun facts we learned:
On her diet:
Although I am indulgent with my food, cooking is also a passion of mine. I love to make food from scratch and eating well. I've always been a very active, sporty girl so I get my workouts in. It sucks when people automatically think plus-size girls are unfit, fat girls.
On the advice she'd give to aspiring models:
If being a model is not working for you, stop trying to obtain it. I've seen girls stare at a yogurt container calorie box for hours on end, deliberating whether they should eat it. Look, if it's not working for you, hell, come to the plus-size world.
On her least favorite body part:
My worst feature is my feet. I have hobbit feet from wearing too small shoes while modeling.
Topshop has taken a graphic off its website after being called out by the Daily Mail and various anti-eating disorder groups.
The Mail first spotted the "painfully thin size-zero model" Codie Young on the store's website last week, writing, "The pale young woman with a gaunt face is seen on the fashion stores homepage wearing tiny clothes that hang off her skeletal frame."
At the time, Helen Davies from the British anorexia charity Beat told the newspaper, "This is not the sort of thing we want to see in magazines and on the internet. It's a constant battle against eating disorders and Topshop is not helping matters. For girls who see these kind of images it can be very damaging."
Andrew Leahy, Topshop's head of publicity, since reached out to the Mail, explaining, "Topshop is confident that Codie is a healthy young woman and we do not feel it necessary to remove her from our imagery based on your feature. However we do recognise regretfully that the angle this image has been shot at may accentuate Codie's proportions making her head look bigger and neck longer in proportion to her body. [...] The clothes she is wearing are a sample size 10 so in some instances they may look a little looser than normal."
In any case, Leahy adds, "Topshop is proud of its heritage of celebrating individual-looking girls who offer an alternative more unusual beauty, however we take your comments very seriously," resulting in the removal of the photograph and its replacement with a different pic of the model from another angle.
18-year-old Codie took to her blog, remarking that she was hurt by all of the comments:
The modeling industry has a seemingly never-ending supply of under-20 supermodels in the making, declaring each and everyone one of them "the breakout star of the season."
But amid all of this underage madness, there still exist models at or over the age of 35 (more than twice as old as newcomers Nyasha Matonhodze and Nine d'Urso) who not only still get work, but look awesome doing it.
Considered ancient in industry terms, these models haven't let the number of years they've been on this planet prevent them from scoring coveted ad campaigns or covering high fashion glossies. Lauren Hutton bagged the latest Alexis Bittar campaign at the ripe age of 67, while Kristen McMenamy's flowing gray locks and bikini-clad body graced the cover of a recent Vogue Italia issue.
This group of stunning women prove that, believe it or not, it is possible to look beautiful and model clothing without being a schoolgirl.
After Guy Ritchie's first semi-anachronistic take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes" series took in over $500 million at the box office back in 2009, it didn't take a master detective to figure out that there would be a sequel. Of course, that's exactly what the world is getting.
Robert Downey, Jr. is back with another turn in his charming take on the super sleuth, donning a British accent and employing his trademark wry wit to give life to a Holmes more like his Tony Stark Iron Man character than 19th century wise man. Back as well is Jude Law's bemused version of sidekick Watson.
The villain this time is two-fold: first, "Mad Men" star Jared Harris, as wildly evil Professor Moriarty; and second, whichever makeup designer who decided to give Downey blue eyeshadow for his head-turning scenes in drag. A pretty woman, he does not make.
For old time's sake -- and more information -- check out the feature Entertainment Tonight did on the film back in January.
On a side note, the heavy stylization of the film makes it especially interesting to compare Ritchie's take on Doyle's legendary stories with the BBC's contemporary remake of the same saga, "Sherlock."
