Jordan Peterson’s wrong – beauty ideals have changed, and it’s not before time

Yumi Nu's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2022 cover

Jordan Peterson received a barrage of abuse after his Sports Illustrated cover comments. Photo: Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Yumi Nu's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2022 cover

Jordan Peterson received a barrage of abuse after his Sports Illustrated cover comments. Photo: Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Yumi Nu's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2022 cover

Yvonne Hogan

May 19 2022 02:30 AM

‘Sorry. Not beautiful. And no amount of authoritarian tolerance is going to change that.” So commented Canadian psychologist Dr Jordan Peterson when he tweeted about the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2022 cover featuring singer and plus-sized model Yumi Nu.

The backlash was significant as tweeters rushed to differ. And it seems that Peterson can dish it, but he can’t take it. A few hours later, he announced his resignation from Twitter.

Peterson’s tweet was rude, mean and downright wrong — Nu is stunning by any yardstick, but his comment has shone a light on the fact that our definition of beauty has broadened considerably in the last decade or so.

And while many would disagree that any woman of any size or shape posing in swimwear on the cover of a magazine aimed largely at the male gaze can be called progress for women, there are as many that are happy to see different body types being celebrated.

For so long, society prized one very particular type of beauty, always unattainably thin. In the 1960s and 70s, the ideal was Twiggy — with her waif-like, almost adolescent body. The 1980/90s lauded Naomi Campbell, Elle MacPherson and Cindy Crawford, where the ideal was athletic and tall whilst also being rail thin. And, of course, heroin chic, a lá Jodie Kidd and Kate Moss.

In the 2000s, the Victoria Secret model look (think Heidi Klum) reigned supreme. As the century wore on, #fitspo took over and we all aimed for strong not skinny — even though what we were really being sold was strong whilst very skinny.

However, things were changing. First, there was Sophie Dahl who had a brief career as a plus-size supermodel before losing weight and retiring. Next, there was Beth Ditto — lead singer of punk band Gossip, she topped NME’s list of coolest people in 2006 and appeared nude on their cover in 2007. She again posed nude in 2009 on the cover of Love magazine.

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Also in 2015, we first heard the refrain ‘Every Body is a Beach Body’ in a massive backlash to a protein supplement brand’s ads that adorned tube stations in London, featuring a pneumatic model with the tag line ‘Are You Beach Body Ready?’.

Ashley Graham, a UK size 16, graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2016. “It was a ground-breaking cover,” she said. “Yes, it changed my life, but that cover changed so many other women’s lives. That cover will forever be a statement in the fashion industry that size does not matter. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.”

Yumi Nu's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2022 cover

In 2018, American model Tess Holliday, a size 26, appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan, sparking massive debate in the media about whether or not it was promoting obesity.

What was less covered, but more culturally impactful, was how social media lit up as larger women relayed the boost that seeing Holliday in all her resplendence had given them.

Holliday herself said: “If I saw a body like mine on this magazine when I was a young girl, it would have changed my life.”

That the reporting on Yumi Nu’s cover of Sports Illustrated is focussed largely on the brittleness of Dr Peterson’s armour and the unkind, body-shaming nature of his comment shows how far we have come in those four years.

Also notable is the prevalence of larger bodies in the media and advertising landscape. The ‘Every Body is a Beach Body’ movement is now reflected in swimsuit editorials regularly. Dove has been a market leader in promoting a less standardised idea of beauty — their Be Real campaign started in 2004 — and others have followed.

Bridget Johnson, Executive Creative Director of Boys+Girls, one of Ireland’s leading creative agencies, says the trend is market-driven. We are seeing larger bodies because brands are responding to the market.

“Everyone is looking for it,” she says. “There are some who surf the trend and do as little as possible to appear ‘woke’, but I like to think that is changing because brands are now so much more aligned to society’s demands and I think society has become so much wiser to that.

“The proof is in the brand’s length and depth of commitment. Dove has proven their chops by consistently telling that story and showing up with that story in the same way that Nike have, and many other brands have. There is a lot more sensitivity and openness and demand to show plus-size models and to be more inclusive.”

And what of the criticism that visibility of a larger female body promotes obesity?

“Obesity isn’t caused by something you see,” says psychologist Dr Malie Coyne. “Obesity is caused by a complex array of conditions. Very often, there are significant trauma histories, self-critical thoughts, low mood and lots of psychological factors when it comes to obesity.”

Dr Coyne also points out that less than five per cent possess the body characteristics that are more traditionally shown in magazines and photo shoots. Therefore, the visibility of larger bodies in our popular culture could serve to boost self-esteem.

“It is important for girls and women to know that people have all different body shapes,” she says. “It is hugely impactful to have plus-size models on magazines and Instagram. I think it promotes self-esteem.

“It is normal to be more rounded and it is normal to be your own self and you don’t have to be a skinny minny to be beautiful.

“I am so happy to see that Sports Illustrated cover with Yumi Nu. It is a very positive thing to see this change in beauty ideals. I think it is a beautiful thing.”