Self Magazine's Hot Water

You know, we've all been there. A total foot in mouth situation. You said something that you shouldn't have. But...is this the case with Self Magazine? It has been producing a monthly publication for women across the world for years. They've supplied endless articles about health, nutrition and general well being. Generally speaking, they supply women with a positive outlook on themselves and the world we are building. They are a place for women to come together and support each other through thick and thin (pun intended). With the release of their recent article surrounding the lameness of TuTu's they seem to have missed their mark entirely.

You can see a snap shot of the article and read some of the back story here. Basically a woman named Monika Allen, who is battling cancer, was photographed wearing a tutu at a marathon last year. Self got a hold of the photo and reached out to her asking if they could use it in the magazine. When a nationally recognized magazine asks for your awesome picture - of course you say yes.

Well, unfortunately, they had malice intent. They used the photo to point out what they thought was "lame." Now...I don't know about you, but any woman who is running 26.2 miles is anything but lame.

It's not the fact that Monkia had (and has survived) cancer. It's not that she makes the tutu's for a charity. It's about the fact that they took another human being and humiliated her for no good reason. They failed as writers, editors and compassionate human beings. They diverted entirely away from their "do good" intent. And...that just makes my stomach turn.

They issued an apology. When I read it I got the feeling they were simply sorry they got caught.  I've posted screen shots of both FB and Twitter.

Call me old fashioned, but reaching out to someone online hardly seems personal. Why would she want to be covered in a magazine that did something like this? How is she supposed to trust them again? It's just so odd. It's so odd that they think that this is enough. I would have expected a personal apology that she let something like this appear in her magazine. The insensitivity was absolutely intended and avoiding blame is just going to escalate the issue. 

Now I want to share with you an AMAZING response to this apology on their FB page. 

I can't stress to you enough how amazing I think this is. Jamie is truly a stand up gal who let people know EXACTLY what the problem is and why we wont accept it. Kudos to Jamie and everyone in the running community who has stepped up for what is right. Between t-shirts being made and profits being donated to Monika's charity and twitter exploding with #tutusrock - I know we'll overcome Self's disgusting journalism. Remember - we control more than we think. We can choose to continue to support people who intentionally pin women against one another or we can stand up in unison and support one another. Support every shape, size, color and yes - even fashion decision! Unite in being human and amazing in our individual ways!