Kelly Osbourne’s Sexy Shape Magazine Cover

By: J. Sydnie Goodwin

Shape

“Is that Kelly Osbourne?!”

You may find yourself asking that exact question while waiting in line at your local supermarket, taking a quick glance at the December issue of Shape magazine. And the answer is… Yes. Kelly Osbourne graces the latest cover of Shape magazine, looking better than ever, and absolutely loving it.

“I was called fat and ugly in the press almost my entire life. I understand that being judged by others comes with territory, but it broke my heart and ruined my self esteem. It sets you up to hate yourself in a huge way. I was so angry about the things people said about me. I truly believe it’s the main reason I turned to Vicodin and ended up in rehab three times. I just hated myself,” Osbourne told Shape magazine.

Everything turned around for Osbourne, when Dancing with the Stars called in 2009, and asked for her to join the cast. She happily accepted. Not only did Osbourne do well on the show, but she also began losing weight and getting into shape.

Now, the trim 26-year-old has shed a total of 50 pounds, and is living a healthy lifestyle. “I never thought in a million years I’d be that healthy girl who wakes up every morning to exercise,” she said.

Osbourne’s transformation has been life changing. She even confessed to getting emotional on the set of the Shape magazine photo shoot, because it was the first time she had ever been in a two piece bikini. Mother, Sharon Osbourne, also got emotional on the set of The Talk, after seeing behind the scenes footage of her daughters photo shoot.

Cheers to you, Shape magazine, for putting Osbourne on the cover. Your readers are real people, and it’s refreshing to see a real person who has struggled with real weight issues on the cover instead of a sickly skinny model.

Marie Claire Readers Protest “Fatties” Blog

By: J Sydnie Goodwin

Marie Claire

A recent post by Marie Claire blogger, Maura Kelly, has outraged readers from across the country. The blog post, “Should ‘Fatties’ Get a Room? (Even on TV?),” describes Kelly’s feelings towards overweight people, and her disgust for them making out on television.

The blog was prompted by an episode of Mike & Molly on CBS, where the two overweight characters share a kiss on screen. “I think I’d be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other…because I’d be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything,” Kelly wrote.

Big mistake.

Within the last few days, the Marie Claire Facebook page has been blown up by hundreds of comments from readers who have cancelled their subscription, and many who have just “liked” the page in order to leave angry comments. The blog has also been the topic of popular talk shows, such as The Talk, where Sharon Osbourne weighs in on Kelly’s post.

The boycott of Marie Claire was then taken further, and a protest was organized to “make a statement that love has no weight limit”. On Friday, October 29, men and women were asked to gather outside of the Hearst Tower at 6 p.m. for the “Big Fat Kiss-in.” Around 20 people attended, while many sent their regrets that they couldn’t make it.

A Marie Claire spokesperson said, “The opinion was that of a blogger, not the magazine. She posted an apology the same day. We consider this matter closed.”

Kelly posted an apology and admitted to struggling with anorexia and having a fear of being overweight, but does that make what she wrote OK? How much leeway and opinion should a blogger be granted when writing for a big publication, as opposed to a personal blog?

Unfortunately the original blog post is no longer on the Marie Claire website, but the Facebook comments speak for themselves. Kelly has tainted the magazine, and I question whether it is possible for such a publication to recover. Is Marie Claire prominent enough to still have readers, or will this ultimately ruin them because of a bloggers “bigoted opinion”?