"Real Women Have Curves?"... No.

So. My name is Liz and this is my body:

I'm not thin. I'm not skinny.

I'm pretty curvy. I have a big butt, my legs are big in comparison to my upper body, and big natural boobies that can be very annoying at times.

I have lost over 100 pounds and I am pretty damn proud. 

However, I want to step on my soap box and say that I loathe the term "real women have curves". I heard women at work talking about it today and then I saw this article on "The Huffington Post". I hate the divide that is among women, a lot of it brought on by society and the media. I love women and I am all for "girl power". When I was in the cosmetics world, one of the best parts of the job I had was improving a woman's self esteem. I also enjoy promoting my girlfriends in every way I can. 

I see no point in jealously, cattiness, and most of a divide. We all need to lift each other up, not tear each other down. 

ALL women are beautiful. If you are thin, fit, slightly overweight, "skinny", and/or regular. The quote needs to read: "real women are who they are". We all come in different shapes and sizes, and we are ALL real women and beautiful.

In comparison to that, I don't like articles celebrating obesity. If you click the link I have above from "The Huffington Post" it has "regular" (and I use this term mocking, just look at the pictures" modeling in lingerie. Here is an example from the article:

I am not judging these women at all. I would be their friend in a heartbeat, I would support them, and they sre probably very intelligent, successful, goodhearted people - not to mention brave and confident. That alone is beautiful. I don't know what their story is or their struggles. 

However, being that much overweight with a significant amount of body fat is NOT healthy. This is not what we need to promote amongst ourselves and especially the youth. When I was 274 pounds in 2008, I felt depressed, fatigued, and down a LOT. I was very overweight. People would tell me to just "love the skin I was in", however, the skin I was in, was killing me. I was on the verge of heart problems, clogged arteries, and diabetes. That is not anything to celebrate. It will literally amaze you to see how many issues with our health that can be cured solely by being fit and healthy. 

Now that I have lost over 100 pounds, I feel like a brand new person and all of those potential diseases I could have had are gone, my physical and my health are in tip top shape. That is something to celebrate. That is beautiful. 

I say: "Real men AND women come in all different shapes and sizes. Real women are intelligent, confident, and know their self worth. Real women know that their outer appearance does not define them, but takes pride in their health."

Lets work on empowering one another and helping when we can. A divide amongst what is beautiful does no good for anyone.

To view another post on my view of women, jealously, and friendships click here..