Hmmm. How diverse are those bodies? Angie is maybe a size 2. Gabrielle and Ana have fairly similar body types and are both 4/6. I don't know who Zoe is. From bust up on the Dirty Sexy Money page, I'd guess she's 6ish.

Air brushing bad skin, cellulite and varicose veins is just good manners. Celebrities are exposed so much these days that there'll be limited slimming because we'll all be able to tell.

As long as their shapes are not altered much I don't have a problem with airbrushing. It's mainly used to hide skin imperfections like celluite,scars, strech marks etc…

Gabrielle looks gorgeous in that photo & I'm loving the cowl halter dress! Even though I don't like her politics, I miss Angie Harmon on Law & Order, although Alana de la Garza is holding her own right now.

As far as the body image goes, this needs to go further. Take it back to advertising and fashion spreads with models that are healthy looking, not the size zero standard we've seen lately.

Mama's Rice and Beans, so I guess you know
Angie supports Obama right.

LOL, just joking

@daria–I'm with Chic Noir in the sense that it's not the dress size, per se, but about how each body is shaped and what are the influences: Ortiz is bustier than, say, Harmon; Harmon is older than Jill, etc. And, of course, Allure is priding itself on the "look-at-our-ethnic-diversity!" angle.:-P

Now, maybe I'm being contrary but, IMO, what also marks "body diversity" is the imperfections: the bad skin, the cellulite, the varicose veins. I'm with Lauren: even with the different body shapes, these real women will become "airbrush angels" (to borrow from Joni Mitchell)…and defeat the story's affirming intent.

MRB: any cellulite on the ladies? Are they airbrushed or did the photo editors lay off the Photoshop a little?

Chic Noir, funny but wrong - Angie's a die-hard Republican and campaigns for them.

Crual Sec: Who were you referring to?

@MRB–any of them, friend.

I don't have anything against fixing up a photo, but this out-of-control airbrush? NO.

Creases, folds and some cellulite humanizes the subject and makes the photographs 10 times more interesting. Marilyn Monroe was a size 14! And she's considered an icon. What happened along the way to the 21st century? Don't know. Voluptuous, curvy women were sexy back in the day, now they are "fat." WTF?

@ MRB–see? You're going to make me pick up Allure to see who got photoshopped myself, ain't cha? All right, I will…I just won't buy it. LOL

Interesting. I love Gabby Union, I always wondered why she never got that much air/screentime. She is beautiful. As for the photoshoot, I'm looking forward to seeing what Allure has to "say" about the "various" types of bodies out there.

I know Mama's Red Beans and rice, I just like teasing you. You have me rolling with the way you have going off on the Obama posts for the last few days. I back Obama but you are a friend in my head.

MRB- A size 14 in the 50-60's, is a size 6 today. Back then,there was no size zero.

Angie is the one who said she would never vote for a woman. Yeah. How very 1950s

Daria please tell us more about Angie's statement. Did she give a reason why she would not vote for a woman.

Um yeah. We need to stop with the Marilyn-was-a-big-girl thing. It's at least 3 dress sizes smaller than it was then, making her an 8 on her thickest days.

I suppose I never paid attention to their bodies. In my head, all (except Jill) are lean with small busts, small waists and normal hips. Angie is the same with 10 or 15 lbs knocked off. We shall see. Never noticed Ana's chest

@daria and Chic Noir–OK, I'm confused. Are you saying that Monroe's 14 is today's 6 or 8?

Yes Cruel Secretary. In today's clothes she would be a size 6.

@ Chic Noir–Hmmm…perhaps…but then Snopes.com–the famous urban-myth debunking website, says this : "A woman of Marilyn's height [she was 5'5"], at the extreme of Marilyn's weight range (140 lbs.), would probably wear a size 12 dress today (which is the same dress size listed for Marilyn in the book 'The Unabridged Marilyn'…."

http://www.snopes.com/movies/actors/mmdress.asp

My point is even if Monroe wore the equivalent of today's size 6 or 8, she'd still would be considered bigger than today's ideal of size 2 or 4. MRB is right: Monroe's rounded hips and big thighs would be seen as an exception in today's modeling/acting environment…or a motivation to be "encouraged" to get liposuction or go on diet pills or a diet so she'll get "better" roles.

"I really don’t know how I feel about [a woman in the White House]. I see the positive parts of it. But, you know, I think there’s something incredible about a First Lady. That, to me, is a woman in the White House. It’s sort of like being parents to the United States, and she takes on the role of mother and confidante and care-giver. Standing behind every powerful man, there’s a powerful woman." –Angie Harmon
She went on to say she didn't want Hillary in the white house which I think is a safe assumption since she's from Texas and a devout Republican.

On women's dress sizes:
Size 14 then was 36 bust, 28 waist, 38 hips
Size 16 then was 38 bust, 30 waist, 40 hips
Those are around my measurements depending on my level of sugar addiction though my bust is 35 :(, making it 8/10. At some places like NY&co, sometimes J Crew, it's a 6/8. My favorite dress is a strapless one from J Crew. It's a 6 and I need to wear a heavily padded bra to keep it up.
In UK, it would be a 12/14 today. It might be a little thick but it's certainly not plus sized.

The cruel sectary- When I hear most men talk about women they find attractive and womanly(sp) its usually women with some curves and a little bit of woman meat on their bones. This is why people like Monroe,J-low and Beyonce appeal to such a wide range of men. I stick figure ideal is pushed by the fashion industry, an industry where there are few straight men in high positions.

I would think one that weighs 140 would wear a 6. I am about 5'4", weigh about 120 and wear o to 4 depending on the maker. I can wear the same clothes even when I weigh closer to 130 I can wear the same clothes. It's just a little bit harder to get them on!