Hourglasses, Sticks, Pears, and Beachballs: Stop Categorizing Women!!

I just finished skimming through an article that talked about Robyn Lawley's recent brave act of posting a picture of herself in a bikini, airbrush and makeup free, and how she has made the leap from straight size to plus size modeling.  She's a size 12.  She's considered a "plus size".  You can read the full article here:  https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/marie-claire/fashion/news/a/24526623/robyn-lawley-shares-unretouched-bikini-photo/  I applaud this, simply because if one woman does it, then others may follow.

It brought to mind a bit of unpleasantness from my own tween years.  I was always a curvy girl. Like a lot of tween girls, I had that extra baby fat that just wouldn't go away, and so when mom took me shopping for clothes I had to wear a "6x" instead of a "6".  I remember feeling ashamed and knowing that there was something wrong with me, because I wasn't "skinny".

Now that I'm forty, I understand that what drives the market and the public's opinion of the female persona is sheer insanity.  Taking a look at Robyn Lawley, I can tell you that a size 12 body on a 6 ft 2 inch model isn't going to look the same as on a 5 ft 6 inch average woman.  This is where the fashion industry needs to change.  We need to get over the expectation that women look like a set of Stepford wives and embrace the differences that all women have:  short, tall, skinny, fat, big hips, big boobs, no ass, no boobs...these traits are not what make a woman.  We need to stop being so obsessed with putting women in categories, just because it's ridiculous.  Have you ever heard a man complain about being "pear-shaped"?  Have you ever looked at a man and thought, he's fat because he doesn't have a thigh gap?  It's gone beyond ridiculous.

It also brings to mind the silly little memes I see on Pinterest every now and then. Memes that proclaim:  Real Women Have Curves.  Excuse me, but every woman I have ever met is real.  They lived and breathed, had children and big, gigantic hearts.  Being curvy is not a pre-requisite for being "real".  Neither is displaying a full set of ribs.

It is my ardent wish that women everywhere would just love themselves.  Become obsessed with being healthy. Become obsessed with who you are.  Inside.  Become obsessed with making good choices, and doing the best things for yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically, and I promise you, what you see in the mirror will improve each day, no matter what shape you're in.