As much as I know I need to shape up, I have accepted, in the past few years, that I will never be a size 10 again. I am busty, hippy. I have a big tummy. But until Joan Holloway (as played by the fabulous Christina Hendricks) came along, I don’t think I had felt quite as alright about that as I should. Much as I love Beyoncé, and JLo, I really have nothing in common with them, shape wise, and their buns and thighs of steel.
Joan belongs to an era when it was OK for women to be properly curvy, but because she’s on TV in 2013, suddenly it has become cool to have curves. She doesn’t try to hide her shape – she wears dresses that accentuate her bust, hips and stomach. And no one could ever say she’s not sexy. She’s gorgeous.
For naturally very slim women, it may be hard to understand just how important that is; but for those of us who will never be really thin, or wear lingerie without some sort of lycra support, seeing a character (and actress) on TV who doesn’t fit what has become the accepted norm is hugely important for our body image. No wonder so many of us have a #girlcrush on Joan Holloway.
Right on. And Joan doesn’t just have curves – she works them and knows how powerful she is.