Challenging Society's Standard of Beauty

I have to admit, I'm having a little trouble understanding why it is that there are some women out there who are completely okay with having a fuller figure, while others are completely ashamed of theirs. I have never been a size 6, so growing up this way has taught  me to love myself as I am....a beautiful full figured woman! It makes me sad to see women literally crying when they come to me, saying how ashamed they are to be a size 6! I will never be a size 6, no matter how hard I try. It's just not the right size for me and my body type. I would have to literally starve to be that size, and for me, it's just not worth it. But to some ladies, who grew up being a size 0, well, this is utterly depressing. 

This is where self worth comes into play. In our society, we as women are made to believe that our worth is based on how we look, and the size of our clothes. That somehow, that makes us who we are. Well, it is part of who we are, but not all. A healthy self image comes from feeling good about who you are as a human being, and being okay with being imperfect. I have never bought into society's ideas of who I should be, because I know that if I'm always striving to be good enough for fashion's standard of beauty, i.e., a fashion model's size, I am guaranteed to be disappointed. I'm not made that way. It's just a fact I've had to accept, and I've moved on. I've created my own standard of beauty for myself that is attainable, and realistic. And healthy. Instead of beating myself up for being a plus size, I embrace what I look like, and make myself look as great as I possibly can! And it shows! I get more double takes than a lot of thinner women with less self-confidence, and it's all because of my attitude toward myself. I love the person that I am. That is the key to being beautiful....self acceptance, and love for who you are as a woman. After all, women were created to be beautiful, and there's no way we could be anything else....CC