Having been a fairly voluptuous woman for my entire adult life and having fought against my own body for decades, when this picture originally appeared in V Magazine it was incredibly validating for me.
I was blown away when my husband pointed it out to me in an article that he'd been shown at work. It seems that V Magazine put out a "Size" issue awhile back to show that plus size women are utterly gorgeous and to address the problems of the horrible eating disorders that are affecting so many of us today, both young and old.
You'll immediately notice that she's completely naked and totally gorgeous and when my husband showed her to me I was astonished. Here's a very fulled figured woman with all of her voluptuous curves on display for the world to see. His response to her beauty told me more about how he'd seem me in all of our years of marriage then words ever could. I'd always been ashamed of my very curvy body and here was the guy that I loved telling me that he found it really sensual and beautiful and that he wanted me to feel as confident as she did.
It's started me on a quest that I will be sharing with all of you here. I'm usually a very confident woman, but until recently I've spent my life worrying about every bite that I've taken and the constant stress of trying to diet and not diet definitely hampers this particular foodie.
Now I spend my time enjoying my food in a way that I haven't ever before. I'm giving myself permission to eat as if I were starving, because though I'm not even remotely thin, emotionally the effect has been the same on me as if I've been denying myself forever. I already eat very well but I'm no longer going worry about every squeezing this size 14 body into a 10. The extraordinary by-product of that freedom is that I'm not always hungry.
I''ve been letting my body decide once and for all what it wants to look like and I'm giving it the gift of full exposure. No more hiding my arms, no more looking for clothes to disguise my fuller curves. Cleavage exposed! I'm aware that my struggle with body acceptance is not unique at all which is why I'm going to bring it here into the forefront. I'm enjoying sharing my appetites and I'm warning you now, like my curvy body they are huge! I'm betting that yours probably are too!
Whether you're large or small, thin or voluptuous, we all deserve a chance to create the voice that is as expressive, big and bold as we are. This is my no holds barred attempt to create a place for us all to enjoy ourselves and get better acquainted with ourselves! If my candor provokes you- good...if it inspires you even better. We are all hungry for authenticity and what better place to start than with our bodies. Passion doesn't have a size and neither does beauty. You'll definitely see delicious recipes and you may even see a vibrator or two. What you'll probably see from time to time are articles about the safest, natural cosmetics to use and probably because I'm pretty passionate about animal rights and sustainable foods an article or two about our relationship to animal testing, factory farming and the makeup products that we use. There's room for us all in this conversation and that's the way that I like it and I hope that you'll enjoy this amazing video of Kate Dillon talking about her struggles and ultimate successes as a plus-size model. She's really inspiring!
The picture of Tara Lynn was originally in V Magazine. The quote by Marilyn Monroe is of course vintage Marilyn Monroe!
