"Give me back my curves!"

Lebo Mashile demanded an apology from the True Love editor for being photoshopped to look slimmer on their November cover.

We've never seen anything like this! After seeing her cover of the November issue of True Love, poet, writer and author Lebo Mashile complained to the editor that she looked too slim.

Rather than cover up the issue, True Love editor, Dora Sithole apologised publicly in the January issue of the magazine, writing:

"True Love would like to unreservedly apologise to our resident columnist one of Mansi's leading literary lights, Lebogang Mashile, for the manner in which we handled her cover image for our November 2009 edition. The cover image was retouched and made Lebo look slimmer than she actually is – something which she immediately brought to our attention…"

After commenting that not only stick-thin models are beautiful, the editor continues:  "It was never our editorial intention to slim down Lebo so drastically as we always ensure that we promote women of all shapes on our cover, hence the choice of Lebo as our cover star in the first place."

If you were on a national magazine cover, would you want to be photoshopped to look skinnier, prettier or less wrinkled?
 

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Tanz 12/18/2009 12:53:37 PM
Well Done to Lebo Mashile for staying true to herself! I can understand magazines using photoshop to tweak images a little like remove blemishes etc. But nowadays they are starting to go overboard. To drastically alter somoeone's image is misleading to the public. I have to say that I respect True Love for openly apologising and acknowledging the mistake, and for standing up for women to be who they are and not have to conform to a certain standard. I think that shows the merits of the magazine and its editor.
sido 12/18/2009 1:29:08 PM
this is false advertising with the purpose to defraud the public and magazines such as these should be held accountable as they are only interested in the bottom line
Nadia69 12/20/2009 9:14:42 PM
Lebo who?
BT 12/21/2009 9:05:30 AM
I am a voluptuous woman too and I truly believe that being a fully figured woman doesn’t take away ur beauty nor does it make one unsexy - and when I read of such my love for Lebo keeps growing strong as she does represent most of us AFRICAN WOMEN.

ayobaness
Seithati 12/21/2009 9:43:42 AM
Well I also taught "wow how did she do it" it really did seem unreal and because I had stopped buying the magazine because of its extreme changes it has made, I bought it anyway that day because I wanted to learn about how she managed to be so slim. So yes that was misleading in the part of true love editor. It is best to stay true to to yourself and thats what lebo did and for that alone she earned respect from me.
Philangenkosi 12/21/2009 10:02:06 AM
I'm one of the African Men who just cannot resist the the big curvey women. Well done Lebo. Big is Beautiful.
Mali 12/21/2009 10:31:38 AM
Thanks Lebo. Love your body, God didn't make a mistake in giving us different bodies. Why should media feel embarrased about what God has created?
fashion sandwich 12/21/2009 10:39:12 AM
people don't want to look at fashion magazines with big women in them. everyone can jump on the self righteous bandwagon and say 'these skinny girls are awful!' etc but if they put chubby girls in all the fashion ads the same people would say 'what the hell, these aren't MODELS!' not everyone can be a model, same as not everyone can be a doctor.
If you don't feel pretty or skinny enough because you see models that are, then it's your OWN self esteem issues that are the problem, don't blame the models. Everyone needs a scapegoat it seems instead of growing up and accepting themselves (warts, saddlebags and all) or changing themselves. I have digressed, but I see such irony in this editor apologising, and them slimming down the NEXT girl on the cover haha
Phillip 12/21/2009 1:33:00 PM
Lebo! You look stunning with all that weight. Editor Please provide her with my address!
TRUTH! 12/21/2009 2:07:33 PM
@fashion sandwich - ag my darling, you're probably one of those girls sticking their fingers in their mouth hoping to vomit, just to feel a little better. i am skinny, always have been, but i see nothing wrong with full figured women dressing beautifully and gracing our cover magazines. get a life, eat and apple and shut the hell up!
talifhani 12/21/2009 4:24:37 PM
Obvious True Love wanted to drive sale, not to make a statement. Since when would women be seen as who they are, this has been with us for long, if she is complaining about curves then they shouldn't have put make up? does she not appriciate her skin....so really it depends how you look at it, and what you want to see and beleive so true love were within their right to alter and coz it talks to their target market....
Richard 12/22/2009 2:10:36 AM
By mere looking at you i feel like crying baby.You are an african lady Ta.
Lolo 12/22/2009 8:58:59 AM
You go girl be proud of your african body let's continue to build the spisit.

i'm proud of you.
Fats 12/22/2009 9:42:37 AM
U go Lebza....we love our curves(we women of Mzansi)...
Tya 12/22/2009 10:38:32 AM
She's too curvy, doesn't look good for me. Her legs were too big for the type of shoes she wore in her previous TL cover. I don't understand all the hassle really, I mean she knows that she's curvy why should she care how other people see her besides it's not like that cover will be reprinted to reflect her true size.I don't feel this woman with everything that she comes with. A lot of people are watching their weight these days and if you come looking like a giant on a mag cover people wont be interested in the magazine. Big ups to TL-it's a message that if you don't watch your weight, we'll watch it for you. Le duletse dichakalaka tse oily le dibacon ntse le re big is beautiful he o ka wa mo who's gonna help you get up?
Tya 12/22/2009 10:57:24 AM
@talifhani- you said it girl-yes take off the make up.@FashionSandwich-I don't agree with the Lebo hassle nor do I agree with your view on models.Your comment has just proven the level of brains models have-it's such a shallow career.
teagirl 12/22/2009 12:20:25 PM
Hahaha go Lebo!
Tell-tale Tilly 12/22/2009 1:39:49 PM
If Lebo were truly as proud as she says she is about her curves, why did she make it so public that she was dieting and dancing and Lord knows what else in order to trim down. Maybe the re-touchers/photoshoppers of the mag were just following her lead.
Tell-tell Tilly 12/22/2009 1:41:38 PM
If Lebo were truly as proud as she says she is about her curves, why then did she make it so public that she was dieting and dancing and Lord knows what else in order to trim down? Maybe the re-touchers/photoshoppers of the mag were just following her lead.
self love 12/22/2009 3:51:06 PM
@lebo, you go girl. there nothing wrong with loving everything about youself and ensuring your healthy. @Tell-tell Tilly. there is such a thing as curvy and healthy. lEBO YOU MY GIRL
Realist 12/23/2009 8:58:52 AM
They gave her back her fat rolls. She doesn't even have curves, just a curve, namely round.That woman rates herself too much given her "urban poetry". What rubbish. Photoshop all the way and help us save our breakfast I say.
lee 12/23/2009 2:25:12 PM
I am a size 32 and have always been skinny but I would buy a magazine if it had a full figured woman on the cover. As skinny as I am I dont like all these size 0 models they keep shoving down our throats. Is that how a woman should be? Looking like she's suffering from malnutrition? Really now!
preshen govender 12/23/2009 4:05:42 PM
i dedicate the song from Lionel Richie : "Three times a lady " to her
Funkygirl 12/30/2009 9:00:00 AM
I respect Lebo's opinion and that she loves her body shape,
Big ups to True Love for proffesionalism and respecting client's needs.
when I bought this issue,I was very impressed with the cover how Lebo changed and I was impressed and it's somehow motivated some ladies who are desparately strangle to loose weight and I even told my cousin to show she can do it too,
Twigess 1/2/2010 2:44:59 PM
Thumbs up to both Lebo (for commenting on the fact that she did not like being photoshopped), but also to 'True Love' for publicly apologising to her. Now that is something one does NOT see everyday.
Tim 1/2/2010 4:47:55 PM
I think that fat women should be shown as fatter than they really are and not charged any more by airline companies for taking over airline seats that they flow onto and they should be given free medication for those with blood pressure or diabetes and where necessary free transplants as required.
Blackroze 1/2/2010 5:16:59 PM
Now dats Ayoba Lebo!!! be proud of who you are!!! let people see the real you!
Ntsako 1/5/2010 2:07:07 PM
This is typical of True Love the same was done when they had Zola on the cover and photoshopped his scars away. I had my article published with them and I sent them my picture I guess I was not pretty enough so they went and got a picture of some stranger along with my article without even the decency of notifying me. True Love for me has really lost its integrity for me.
Imagecon 3/2/2010 10:07:51 AM
I'm currently in the middle of a similar situation. A publication is about to publish an overly photoshopped cover of a curvatious individual I know.We've been asking the publication to try and not lose the person's image by giving her the image they think represents her best. The issue has been put to bed. To some degree the person does not trust that I have it in me to protect her interests as an image and reputation specialist. I've sent emails, called and met with the publication and asked them to rather not give us the cover, pleading with them went unheard.
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