Joe Jonas Is Getting All Sorts Of Internet Applause For Using A Plus Size Model In His New Video
HuffPo – There’s nothing groundbreaking about casting a model as the love interest in a music video. What is new, however, is when that model is plus-size media phenomenon Ashley Graham.
Graham, who has been everywhere in the past few months, can officially add “video girl” to her extensive resumé thanks to starring alongside Joe Jonas in the clip for his band DNCE’s new single, “Toothbrush.”
“We had so much fun shooting the video, especially because I got to hang out in my underwear,” [the size 16 Ashley Graham] told The Huffington Post. “But more importantly, I applaud DNCE for thinking outside the box with their casting. It’s important that every industry, not just fashion, celebrate diversity.”
I thought that was a totally fine generic pop/sex symbol type music video thing — I wouldn’t be quite as enthusiastic as Buzzfeed’s rousing declaration of it being “Hot AF” — and I think it’s a logical thing to use a buzzy chick like Ashley Graham (who’s really milking, no pun intended, the whole “I’m THE Mainstream Plus-Size Model” thing between gigs like this and SI cover shoots). And she definitely looks good by both average girl and size 16 standards, very well presented here throughout the video and if that makes some young big but healthy girl feel good about herself, great. I’ve got no problem with any of it.
But is Joe Jonas a hero for casting a plus sized model chick in a video when you know he’s banging out the Bella Hadids of the world in real life? To me the real heroes are the guys who end up talking to the plus sized friend of a cute girl but run game on them as if they’re not currently housing an entire plate of tater tots the table would have liked to share. The heroes are the men who see some extra meat on an arm on the 4th photo on the girl’s Tinder profile and say “Yeah but she’s still pretty cute and I think she has big tits” and courageously swipe right. Joe Jonas is playing make believe but those men are the ones who really have to do the job day in and day out. Do you thank Ben Kingsley for his tireless efforts for Indian independence when it was Gandhi who was out there starving and coming up with clever quotes? Give credit where it’s really due.