Tara Lynn Featured On The Cover Of Elle

Tara Lynn is featured in the November edition of Spain’s Elle magazine. The cover displays the plus size model wearing short shorts, a black top, and a leather jacket. The magazine includes a seven-page editorial highlighting Lynn’s unconventional beauty.

On the cover, the curvy model is labeled as “Mujer Real,” which is Spanish for Real Woman. Fashion blogger Alissa Wilson said the cover is a “coup for curvy women.” In the past, Elle has been criticized for only featuring women who are thin. Using a plus size model on the cover was a bold move. However, it is a welcome change.

As reported by Yahoo, Wilson said plus size women are often excluded from fashion magazines:

“It’s in part, a business decision — the European fashion world has received lots of flak for using too-skinny models in the past, so their media has become more inclusive.”

Wilson calls Tara Lynn’s cover a “step in the right direction.” Rather than cloaking the model’s shape, the photos accentuate her curves. Although the blogger loved the photos, she said the stylists should have added more color to Lynn’s wardrobe.

Elle is getting a lot of praise for featuring a curvy model, but their decision to label her as a “real woman” has received criticism. Writer Carrie Murphy said the practice of labeling plus size women as “real” is offensive.

Murphy said the label is harmful to all women:

“Headlines like this, campaigns like this… only put up more barriers between women and serve to perpetuate the idea that there are only two ways to be a woman… You can be a thin model type or you can be a ‘real woman.'”

As Murphy points out, real women come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. Excluding thin women is just as offensive as excluding those who are overweight.

Elle also featured a more curvy model on their “Women in Hollywood” edition. The cover of the magazine’s US edition featured a photo of Melissa McCarthy. However, unlike the other models featured in the special edition, McCarthy was pictured in several layers of wool and cashmere.

Critics said Elle was obviously trying to cloak McCarthy’s curves, as the other models were wearing bikinis. Despite their decision to use a more curvy model, many found the cover offensive.

In addition to appearing on Spain’s Elle cover, Tara Lynn also appeared on the cover of Elle France and Vogue Italia.

[Image via Facebook]