The Oprah Magazine responds to ‘body-shaming’ backlash

TRIBUNE MEDIA WIRE – O, The Oprah Magazine, is facing backlash on social media over what some readers are calling body-shaming.

In the June 2015 issue, a fashion Q&A includes the question, “Can I pull off a crop top?” The magazine’s creative director, Adam Glassman, wrote: “If (and only if) you have a flat stomach.”

Hundreds of people responded on social media protesting the magazine’s assertion. Some of the women posted photos of themselves wearing crop tops and included the hashtag #RockTheCropTop.

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Surprised to see this level of #bodyshaming (👎🏻) in Oprah magazine. The feature is about women feeling healthy. Part of health is self-esteem and that's intrinsically connected to body image. Stop telling women what they CAN'T wear. We can wear and do and be ANYTHING that makes us feel strong, powerful, passionate and in charge of our own destinies. I hope young women and women of any age don't feel like they're restricted by editorially imposed fashion "rules." The only rules are there are no rules. Wear what you love, what makes you feel confident, and own it. Confidence is power, and it's contagious. 👊🏽👊🏾👊🏿👊🏻👊🏼👊

A post shared by Tamar A (@tamaranitai) on Jul 7, 2015 at 4:27pm PDT

On Thursday, the magazine released a statement:

“We support, encourage and empower all women to look great, feel confident and live their best lives—in this case, we could have expressed it better. We appreciate the feedback and will be more mindful going forward.”

#WearWhatIWant #PullingOffACropTop #FreeTheBelly #Unbothered #RockTheCrop #RockTheCropTop #NoMoreBodyShaming pic.twitter.com/umIoyRvqO7

— APRIL (@AprilMARANT) July 9, 2015

Telling #oprahmagazine to kiss my big fat belly 💋 #croptop #rockthecroptop #bodyshaming #bodypositive pic.twitter.com/ILfnjAekT6

— Green Ribbon Plus (@GreenRibbonPlus) July 9, 2015

Times I wore a crop top = 9
Times I had a flat stomach = 0 #pullingoffacroptop @O_Magazine @Oprah @OWNTV pic.twitter.com/qlbQVzgmDq

— boardroom blonde (@boardroomblond3) July 8, 2015