When Will We Stop Body-Shaming Women?

(Image credit: Marie Claire)

published 6 January 2014

In the latest example of Internet fodder that just shouldn't exist, TMZ posted a minute-long video last week of Italian model and actress Olga Kent in a bikini with the infuriating headline, "Hot Italian Model WHAT A FLAT ASS." The purpose of the post? You guessed it—a discussion about whether this woman's bum was too flat. Seriously?

TMZ wrote that its newsroom was "divided" over the question: "Some people think it's way too flat and bony ... others think it's absolutely flawless. So, we gotta ask," the story reads. To put it simply: No, you don't.

While it is a sad truth that objectifying women's bodies happens all the time, this post and subsequent broadcast moment were especially sad. It seemed just as unsettling as body-shaming plus-size women. It's officially 2014—can this be the year we stop doing this to women? Please?

Hallie has worked in beauty editorial for ten years and has been editorial director at Byrdie since 2021. Previously, she was a senior editor at Byrdie since 2016. During her time at Byrdie, she's written hundreds of high-performing stories on skincare, wellness (including fitness, diet, mental health, body image, et al) makeup, and hair. She's a regular on set, helping to source inspiration for makeup and hair looks, as well as interviewing celebrities, models, and other notable women and men in the beauty space.

Before that, Hallie ran Marie Claire's social media and wrote beauty and culture stories for the site, and helped launch Time Inc.'s digital-only beauty brand, MIMI. After college, she contributed to Time Out New York’s Shopping & Style section before landing her first beauty editor gig at Hearst's Real Beauty. Hallie's writing has also appeared in ELLE, Cosmopolitan, and InStyle. Hallie graduated with a BA in Communication Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.