A San Diego woman was thrilled when SELF magazine asked to use a picture of her in a tutu running in the Los Angeles Marathon. That is, until she saw the article.
"The picture appears in a section of the magazine called 'The BS Meter.' The caption refers to a tutu epidemic and basically makes fun of the girls' outfits." (Via KNSD)
"I was just kind of stunned and offended," Monika Allen said. According to her website, Allen makes these tutus—that the magazine called "lame"—because she donates the money from selling them to Girls on the Run of San Diego.
Allen says in the past three years, her company, Glam Runner, has made 2,000 tutus and donated $5,600. WRC-TV reports this race and that tutu she was wearing were especially important: She was in the middle of chemotherapy.
"Had I known how the picture was going to be used, I wouldn't have wanted to send it," Allen said.
Glam Runner's Facebook page highlighted the write-up, which sarcastically says people think the "frivolous" tutus can make them run faster, but that what's more believable is others would run away from them.
As The Blaze, says, "It reads more like a nasty note from a high-school bully rather than a sophisticated women's magazine."
But people have been showering Allen with support, one even posting a picture noting that all the running members of her family wear Allen's tutus, including her husband.
SELF issued an apology on its Facebook page:
"We sincerely apologize for our inadvertent insensitivity. ... We have donated to her charity and have offered to cover her good work in a future issue. We wish her all the best on her road to good health."
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