I'm not into "Sports Illustrated".  Because I'm a girl, I think that the swimsuit edition is a complete and utter waste of time.  I completely and utterly expect the male population to disagree with me, and that's totally fine.

I was surprised, though, and a bit pleased, that this year's edition included a plus size model, Ashley Graham. Not because I think women should be flaunting their goods on the covers of national magazines, but because I've never believed that there is any one, single standard for beauty.  

So, when Cheryl Tiegs, (c'mon, we all know who Cheryl Tiegs is, right?  Model, actress, etc?) spoke up about this, I was pretty irritated with what she had to say.  

"I don't like that we're talking about full-figured women because it's glamorizing them because your waist should be smaller than 35 [inches]. That's what Dr. Oz said, and I'm sticking to it," she explained. "No, I don't think it's healthy. Her face is beautiful. Beautiful. But I don't think it's healthy in the long run." -cheryl tiegs, in an article by Francesca Bacardi, eonline.com, 25 feb 2016.  

Tiegs later clarified her remarks via Twitter by stating that she wanted everyone to be healthy and happy, and apologizing to everyone she had hurt.  

Kudos to Cheryl for apologizing and backing off of a particularly ridiculous topic, because I don't like that she's criticizing full figured women just as much as she doesn't like Sports Illustrated talking about it. She's absolutely correct that it is unhealthy to be overweight.  It's also unhealthy to assume that the same standard of health applies to everyone, so we must all conform to one particular image for women.  I've got news for you:  it will never happen.  Genetically, we're not predisposed to be carbon copies of each other.  And while it may be unhealthy to be overweight, I know many overweight people who are healthy.  Case in point:  the very large woman in my yoga class who can do crow.  I don't weigh that much and I can't do crow.  

Women who pick at this issue, and make a big deal out of "fuller figure" women hitting the spotlight are dangerous, because this is the attitude we are trying to overcome.  There was a time when being a fuller figure equated to certain rules in society, and those rules were:  feel ashamed, wear ugly clothes, and slink off into the shadows, because we cannot bear to look at you.

Thankfully, because of women like Ashley Graham who are breaking those barriers and showing the world that beauty is acceptable outside the cookie cutter ideals of the past decades, we don't have to feel that way anymore as women.  And in case you think this bothers me because I, too, happen to be one of those curvy women, that's not the only reason.  It's because people shouldn't be criticized or ostracized because they are different.  Not in appearance, or behavior, or ability. And when you're a sixty something year old model, criticizing a curvy twenty something who just landed (what for her is) a dream job, you really come off sounding like a jealous, bitter old has-been.  If you're really so concerned about health, then make it about health.  Find something positive to promote or talk about.  Share with us your secrets, Cheryl, because at 68, you still look great.  But please,don't make full figured women a target. And especially don't do it while sneaking in a plug for that quack Dr. Oz.