Let’s hear it for the curvy girls

Jennifer Hudson at the 2007 SAG Awards

This year’s award season has been a refreshing change for those of us who sit at home, watching, wondering if the pretty people parading by ever eat.

This year, real women, with real curves, are walking the red carpet. And I’m not talking about the gals who the fashion media dub as “curvy,” just because the actresses dared to squeeze themselves into a size four. I’m talking about the real-looking women, who are ruling the red carpet.

Let’s hear it for Jennifer Hudson, Chandra Wilson, America Ferrera, Sara Ramirez and the other ladies who are proudly showing off their assets.

Just a few years ago, these gals never would have been mentioned in the endless fashion critiques and best/worst-dressed lists that inevitably accompany awards shows. I cite the example of the gorgeous Queen Latifah at the 2004 Golden Globes, as proof. The Queen was one of my top picks for best dressed that year, but she failed to get a mention from fashion gurus Joan and Melissa Rivers and their counterparts. The style shows and magazines touted the best-dressed starlets to be the thin crowd i.e. Renée Zellweger, Nicole Kidman, etc. Sure, they looked great too, but the Queen was stunning that year. And sadly, she was ignored, because she didn’t look like the typical Hollywood starlet.

Queen Latifah at the 2004 Golden Globes


This year, Ferrera earned a “best dressed” nod for her Golden Globe gown from People magazine. And Hudson’s photo is everywhere in that gorgeous gown she wore to the SAG Awards. And despite that everyone is talking about Grey’s Anatomy’s Katherine Heigl, Sandra Oh and Kate Walsh as fashion icons, Ramirez was my pick for best-dressed cast member at the SAG Awards.

Believe it or not, real people, like me, actually like seeing real-looking women playing Cinderella for the night. It’s nice to see actresses whose images aren’t so unattainably perfect that they look as if they stepped off the toy-store Barbie-doll shelf. And frankly, it’s refreshing to not feel the need to give the actresses a sandwich, out of fear they may keel over from starvation while they’re telling us about their Harry Winston diamonds and Gucci gown.

I’m not so naïve as to think that this trend toward real-looking women in Hollywood will continue. I’m just optimistic enough to hope that it will.


(left) Sara Ramirez at the 2007 SAG Awards and (below) at the Golden Globes
























(below) America Ferrera at the 2007 Golden Globes and Chandra Wilson at the SAG Awards

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