I have not had a two-piece swimsuit, let alone a bikini, on my body since the late 70’s. I have never been a reed of a girl. And when I say never I mean that I have always been curvy. I entered my “womanly” years the summer of my 11th birthday and wore a “training bra” a year or so before that. In high school when all of my friends were flat-chested sticks I had curves. I was fit and lean. I was very athletic. But I secretly longed for the Twiggy body and the long, straight, hair perfectly parted down the middle that all the girls had, all of which had been out of my grasp.
My whole life Christie Brinkley has been my ideal. She is a couple years older than me but her beautiful golden California blond look seemed like perfection to me. This article for People Magazine was written two years ago. And guess what? Today she is still close to perfect in my eyes. I watch the Victoria Secret fashion shows and admire those examples of fit perfection. I think they are stunning and always look like they are having so much fun. But I know that they have to work hard to maintain that look and perfection comes at a price.
But now rises the big debate. Sports Illustrated has opened the box with it’s annual Swimsuit Edition. For the second year in a row they have hired the beautiful full-figured model, Ashley Graham, to grace their pages, this year winning the highly coveted cover. With that there has been a bit of an uprising from the stick section. Several big named models, including 68 year old former SI swimsuit model, Cheryl Tiegs, think it’s wrong to glamorize the plus size woman. They say it is putting the stamp of approval on an unhealthy lifestyle. I should add that Ashley dislikes the term “plus sized” and thinks it’s an outdated label. The Lincoln, Nebraska native wears between a size 14-16 and had her big break working for Lane Bryant as their lingerie model in both print and commercial advertisements.
To the credit of SI, they have gotten mountains of email and online input from fans who LOVE the idea of a real, curvy woman being showcased. Studies show that over 100 MILLION American women wear a size 12 or larger. With numbers like that it only makes sense to include one of us in the Swimsuit Edition, doesn’t it? Now don’t get me wrong. I love the sticks. They are beautiful and brave and highly paid for what they do. I am just happy to bits that the real girls are getting some well-deserved attention!!
Besides, who is anyone to judge if someone is fit or unhealthy for being a size 2 or 22? I think that we each have to live in our own skin and we are all beautiful. Being happy today where you are is all that really matters.
What do you think?
Let’s hear it for the curvy girls!
Sending love and light your way,
Dana says
Thank you, Pamela. You are absolutely right. ?
Pamela Olivas says
Should we also assume that being a stick is healthy? Not necessarily. Besides, we all have different body types depending on our ancestry, genes, etc. For someone to have a curvy body and want to be a Twiggy is not sustainable and in my opinion, unhealthy. I celebrate the women who have filled out chests, shoulders and hips. Yes, we can all eat healthier and that is what is important so I’m raising my objections to people who think there is a one size fits all because it just isn’t true!