On the Internet, regardless of what your write and your best intentions for writing it, someone will find a problem.

It's true. However, it's also true that sometimes they are right and there really is a problem.

I used to co-mod the LJ knitting community. Oh, it's a wild world out there, folks. Don't even get me started on airplanes and acrylic.

I used to co-mod the LJ knitting community.

Uh oh.

I used to co-mod the LJ knitting community.

Uh oh.

Best put those knitting needles down, ladies. . .

Sounds like the mefi spirit to me.

I just commented on your special blog to the effect that, well, I just don't see how you did wrong.

I love your blog, btw.

Honestly, though, the reason fashion preferences go to either the Plank is because the Plank shows off the clothes best, which is why they ended up with long, skinny models in the first place: "That woman is distracting from my clothes."
Given that, there are things that will never look good on anyone but the Plank" or "No Body Fat" or "Tall, Young, and Seems to Not Give a Crap, Let's Call It Joie de vivre"--
It sucks that once you get down to the low end of "standard sizes" you have way more options, but people could change that.

Possible solution: give them a snappy code names.

Oddly, I find this thing that's been happening in which people have completely abandoned the idea of definitions being fixed and factual (?!) and so once you create a name for whatever it is, people tend to imbue it with what they want it to mean in spin and nuance if not complete meaning. This of course makes me insane, but, it also adds a bit of zazz or caché to your site, esp. if they catch on, so we could brainstorm different term for "zero percent body fat, standard sizing" and "can only be pulled off with attitudee that gorgeous tissue drape thing that looks divine sitting there is going to highlight your tummy rolls like no tomorrow.

Or you can enforce the fact that readers have their own agency, yet oddly, that seems harder to pull off.

Note to tech support whoever: the preview and the text do not match up no matter what I do.

Does using the phrase "young and svelte" count as "body policing"?

ahh one of my favorite quasi-editorial cartoons; Bloom County. 25 years on and you're still so incredibly germane...

Opus the Penguin on "offensensitivity".

tbh not saying anyone is right, wrong or indifferent here, just that omg, some folks just absolutely win the internet at the combo of overthinking + offensensitivity and it can sure suck all the joy out of things you'd think would be relatively simple, like a knitting blog, sheesh

also what eth said. I have been a Plank in my teens, and I have been a Barrel when I was stuck in a stressful relationship and medicated it by stuffing my face with Wendy's and pizza. I don't hold anyone accountable for either shape; I did that all on my own. If I was still a Barrel, I still wouldn't blame anyone for being one; these days I'm more of an Hourglass which comes with its own set of pros and cons. somehow regardless I always managed to find clothes that fit and look relatively stylish; random pants rants notwithstanding; there's always the tailor.

high fashion models, having been in the industry, are absolutely supposed to not distract from the clothing; as such they're supposed to be shapeless and somewhat nondescript. They're not going for the va-va-voom there; it's counterproductive.

the fact that we don't have a good style industry for the rest of the myriad shapes out there is frankly up to the consumer. if people didn't buy shitloads of cheap ill-fitting Target jeans and sweaters, they probably wouldn't dominate the market to such a degree. I like that the Swan is doing her own thing and I like that it comes with disclaimers as to fit and style. Honestly if more people had the knowledge, time and wherewithal to make their own stuff I think a lot of the body policing gibberish would become a moot point, but then I guess I'm parading my privilege because classism or fat-shaming or whatever.

yea, exactly: whatever.

tl;dr: you can't win, so don't bother engaging in the crazy.

and oh god dammit now I have that earwormy Hot Chell Rae song stuck in my head...

la la la

whatever

la la la

it doesn't matter...

I think you handled it beautifully and graciously.

don't even get me started on how an empire cut looks over my D cups

I'm right there with you. I love the Empire silhouette...on caryatids. I'm not a caryatid. Let's just say, it's not flattering on me. In fact, I avoid anything that has an overt or implied "this is where the bust is supposed to end" line, like a lot of tops with an elastic gather under the bust, or some wraparounds that don't...quite...wrap around.

Anyway, you got over the initial sharp reaction and made it a good interaction and made a thougtful post and explained yourself and probably improved your blog overall for all audiences. A lot of people would have ended up in a nasty flame war, but you handled it in a totally adult and classy manner.