[Gemme]

Originally Posted by hippieflowergirl

".....the phrase "plus-sized model" is a relative term. Whitney [Thompson...the 'PLUS SIZED' winner of a cycle of "America's Next Top Model" a few months back] says she's a size 10 and though in the modeling world, that's considered big enough to call for a forklift, in the real world that's considered, dare I say it...pretty normal.

Yikes. This sort of thing makes normal girls feel even worse about themselves. They see this fairly trim woman being praised as “plus-size” and then think, “Well, if that’s plus-size, I must be grossly obese!”

I'm conflicted with what you are saying, Kathlene. On one hand, I watch ANTM and have been very happy to see that Tyra has actively selected and promoted girls who do not fit the "model" stereotype. I loved that Whitney won her season too. So, in that particular situation, I think this is a wonderful thing.

However, I see your point that, even though it's a good thing (above), our viewpoint of what is and is not obese or normal or plus-size is very distorted.

I'm not someone who may be 'qualified' per se to discuss my personal body issues here (though I LOVED what June said about body issues coming in all sizes), but those who are struggling, please know that, no matter what you see around you, you are not alone.