Stylish with Substance

We're bringing images of different, normal, body types to women young and less-young! Click here for all entries.

(This is a week old, but I need to spread out the topics here, yet this is important to feature.)

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Here is America's Next Top Model winner of a plus size(? whatever) cycle, Whitney Thompson, with Chenese Lewis, the creator of "Love Your Body Day", which is October 20th. We should all start that love before then, though, and try to adore ourselves a little more every day. This might include attempting to get healthier, but we shouldn't hate "on" ourselves if we're not there yet.

It's easy to do that body loathing though, I know. For instance, take how I'm not even plus sized yet I'm not as thin as "plus size" models, especially in the tummy; and how that could drive me crazy, but I’m better than that. I’ve learned it’s not a negative thing about me, it's a societal quirk. I've recently at least lost the fat in my face; I have long to go with my waist, but I'm celebrating my milestones. When boulders get in my way, like weight bounce-ups from stress or insomnia (ever lie in bed a while then get really hungry, eat and pass out? Yeah, stinks!), I'm trying to focus on the positives. I've still maintained one inch from my waist and two from my lower stomach --- all lost and kept off (as long as it's pre-breakfast, that is). And that's great for now.

The important thing is to stay positive, or anything we do will likely be a failure. Whether that’s about our weight or beyond, we must focus on rewards and successes. One great thing about my recent 7 pounds lost? My higher energy! I’m dancing randomly now, which will help me further.

The point is that even if we are actually unhealthy, it won’t get us healthy to put ourselves down. And we’ll only get bigger if we let the bullies get the best of us. We’re still us on the inside, and there’s always enough to love on the outside of anyone. Just ask your boyfriend/spouse! Don’t have one? Know that you can snag love at any size, so why not find some for yourself from your own heart?

You may have noticed here and here that I'm trying to start a movement. A pro HEALTHY female form movement. This is my second post, actually, but the first of my IMAGES to get the image more out there. That's what it's all about: seeing is believing, in this case  that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes!

Here we have Britney Spears, seen recently. OK hardly anyone is more out there than Britney Spears and her images, but it's mostly smack talk, isn't it? Well anyone would actually say grown up Brit-Brit looks great here. Woohoo! But I want to point out how she's smokin' hot and lacks a superflat six pack. This is real, and this is very sexy.

She's making me feel great. Her stomach may yet be smaller than my own, but these images do help me to feel like I definitely don't need a near-concave tummy to look absolutely, perfectly, happily and healthily sized.

Read more about what caused this campaign from this blog post, then check out a related Facebook page.

If you spot some normalcy in a celeb body on the web, comment!

Photos from UK Daily Mail Online.

*Update* This piece was long and I was so upset ("my feewings wuh huwt") that I just wanted it posted, so I later made revisions to improve its readability, just improve the article's quality. (We should all simmer on huge entries!) Enjoy!

This outrageous (literally) GAP ad is the buzzing news, destined for infamy:

"Put some pants on!"
Small Text: "Because we can't all look good in shorts."

Photo: Huffington Post & Stephanie Marcus

Ex-squeeze my love handles, er I mean, sexy hips?

How insulting!!! As someone of the cellulited-gender - yes, entire gender (heck even a man I know *hushnottelling* has some on his rear end), and past the stickly teen years, I'm horrified. I fear further for  the eyes of the larger-sized than I.

Ugh. I call for a boycott/protest of GAP. Quick, someone start a Facebook campaign for that one! Check! Done! Look below to "like" the page! (Related in the buzzosphere, Target boycott, read all about it, if you haven't yet.)

Seriously (although I'm dead serious about the boycott, too!) though, cellulite is normal. What's abnormal is airbrushing and photoshopping. What's wrong is hiding normal, yes even healthy, bodies from public eye.

And what I learned recently, a while before this ad, is that "public eye" does not just mean magazines and TV. It means beautiful, healthy, slightly less healthy, etc., women of small, medium, large sizes - great legs or not - are afraid to bare those legs. But we have a right to bare legs! Because we feel our legs are "less worthy" than those in fashion ads (please!), we might opt only for bermuda shorts. Even when those shorten us (our legs), and therefore, widen (our entire frames). Short-shorts lengthen like a great pair of heels. So yes, they even thin us out, if a pear-shape is our problem.

Asking the question, "should some people not wear shorts?" (the Frisky) due to this ad is understandable coming from a shocked viewpoint. But asking that question is also akin to asking,

"Should female human beings not wear shorts?"

It's ridiculous. Sure, not all women have cellulite - but they should merely wait a few years. Even thin, toned middle-aged women get cellulite ... as low down the leg as the back of  the knee. Still, we can't ban shorts for women over 35, can we? What about those with beautiful curves and cellulite at 19? When will it end?

The slippery slope argument can be made, and made well I believe, in the shorts debate.

I've already written my plea to women of today in a draft for a future post about staying cool & stylish in the summer heat, but I will steal from it.

Don't be afraid to bare your cellulite. If you don't feel hot enough to stay cool in the epitome of summer fashion -shorts, you might just be wrong. Curves and cellulite are absolutely normal, and we need more images of these things, of real women, in the world. ... I won't be ashamed of something that's absolutely average.

Maybe I hate other parts, but I can live with even the least thin parts of my legs, and the rest of the world should too.

What about you? Please make some sort of pledge. Comment, Twitter, Facebook, Blog.

And please like the "cause" on this Facebook page that I did just create.

The code is below. But it's hard to read.