Body image, Jen Hawkins & marie claire

Gird your loins, girls. The gloves are off and the magazine world is at war over body image and airbrushing writes editor, Melissa Ironside.

It must be a slow news week (no more Tiger Woods mistresses want to come forward?) because the newspapers and blogs are having a field day with the latest marie claire magazine cover.

Debate is raging over whether an unretouched image (A.K.A. unairbrushed piccie) of a nude Jennifer Hawkins on the cover of this month's marie claire magazine is a good and realistic example to young women.

marie claire editor Jackie Frank has told blogger Melissa Hoyer that while Jennifer is genetically blessed it is still a brave thing for her to put her body out there for all to see. "No one has considered the point that Jen has made a living out of her body and that makes it even braver to put herself out on a limb imperfections and all," she said. "Very few celebrities would do this and she deserves a pat on the back for putting that message out there. We are saying that nobody is perfect and even Jen has had her insecurities. Women need to give themselves a brake. We are hardest on each other!"

Jen Hawkins herself tells marie claire that she wouldn't have done this shoot two years ago: “I would have been worried about what people thought, whether it was the right decision – a thousand different things… But over the past year and a half I’ve grown into myself, and I’m more confident and comfortable within the modelling industry. I did it for the experience… It felt quite sensual and sexy. I felt empowered.”

That sounds pretty positive to me!

But not everyone agrees. Radio host Bianca Dye says that Jen is naturally stunning which presents an unfair image to women who, like herself, have "a pot belly and thighs". Bianca has put her money where her mouth is posing in all her glory for madison magazine not too long ago.

So what do you think? Is Jennifer a positive role model to women or do naked pictures of models simply make us feel bad about ourselves?

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