The photo of this lovely, plus size model is currently burning up the Facebook pages of everyone with an opinion on women and weight, which is basically everyone. So far, the photo has been shared 135,779 times by over 190,000 people. There are already over 60,000 comments, equally divided between positive comments on how gorgeous she is and negative comments about how she’s too fat, is probably lazy, will get diabetes, will probably need a hip replacement blah, blah blah. What is interesting to me after reading the comments (not a wise idea by the way, because it just pisses me off!) is how emotional I feel and the memories that these comments stir up for me.
Just looking at the photo, without the commentary, I see beauty. She is lovely, very sexy and has gorgeous skin. She is obviously comfortable in her body and it shows. I would love to see her move, because the confidence she radiates in the photo probably oozes out of her as she walks. She reminded me of a young woman I gave a massage to, who was just as beautiful, but was very upset about gaining weight and told me she was too fat for a massage. I wrote a blog about it called Too fat for a massage???. Needless to say, my heart went out to such a lovely young woman who would feel she didn’t deserve to be touched or to feel good about herself because she was overweight.
I am so grateful to this young woman, and to the beautiful French model above, for reminding me that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that everyone deserves to feel great about themselves, no matter what size or shape, young or old, thin or voluptuous, we each need to celebrate who we are. Love yourself where you are and create your life as you choose. Ignore the commentary and live your life on your own terms.
After Steve Jobs, Founder and creator of Apple, Inc. passed away, many of his most famous quotes were also posted on Facebook and Twitter. As tribute to this inspiring man, remember this: ”Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs
Well, you know me. There is nothing more glamorous and fascinating than a naked girl sitting in a chair. However, I do agree with you, whole heartedly, that we owe it to ourselves to bring out the best of who we are. We need to use our talents for something beautiful and worthy. That requires a staying power that comes only with vision and determination. I have watched you over the years and today, you are worthy. But remember, we all have more work to do; a need to keep on refining and polishing. Every person has the opportunity to receive that inner glow. ~Tom~