In all shapes and sizes

Have you seen this picture that has caused so much buzz lately? Glamour magazine had an article recently about women's body confidence and this model is Lizzi Miller. She is a plus-size model (by the industry standards...by real standards, she is the same weight as the average woman today) and she is comfortable enough in her image to pose for the article, imperfections and all.

And I love it. I love that she is not airbrushed. She is not hidden. She is not cinched into a corset. And I love that she is smiling so confidently, as if she is saying, "This is me. All of me. And I love it."

I especially love her stomach. It's a real stomach. It's not the airbrushed 6-pack you often see in so many articles. I think I also love it because I have one just like it.

I won't lie and say that I love my stomach. But I am comfortable with it. It helped me carry and nurture three healthy babies. It's the stomach of a woman, not a little girl.

So, I shared this article with someone close to me in the store the other day. I had mentioned it previously to her and she agreed with me about the need to portray women more realistically in the media. But as soon as I showed her the picture a couple of days later, the first thing out of her mouth was that the woman was pretty but "the only problem is her stomach." It made me sad to hear her point that out so quickly. But that is how we've been trained by years of "perfect" bodies in movies and print. We point out the negative immediately.

The articles that followed after this picture was released stated that the magazine was receiving hundreds of positive letters from women, thanking them for finally portraying women as they really are...flawed, beautiful, and confident. Let's just hope they take it to heart and keep this as as a standard. I know I would rather have my daughter read a magazine that shows women come in different shapes and sizes.