Who Thinks This Looks Good?

There's been a firestorm of threats and charges raging on the Internet (and isn't that a shock?) over the criticism of Ralph Lauren's rather badly photoshopped recent model picture. When people published the photo as part of their critique, they received threatening legal notices warning of copyright violations. Now I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on television, but even before we get to the fair use question, if you publish an ad, it's pretty hard to argue that you don't want people to see it. But leaving that aside...

You can see the ad, and some of the commentary (language warning applies) here at one of the more notable critic's haunts. After you look at the ad...go ahead, I'll wait...back? OK...then please help me answer this question: Who thinks this looks good? I mean if it were the picture of a real person who really looked like this, who outside the grip of terminal anorexia would be happy with it? Yet this same Ralph Lauren company fired a model (5' 10" weight 120) for being too "fat." Does not compute.

The only appropriate response, aside from mockery and the offer of "nutrious soup and sandwiches" is found in the words of the brilliant Ogden Nash:

It's fine for women to be lithe and lissome
But not so much so that you cut yourself if you happen to embrace or kiss 'em.