Want to be skinny?

Okay girls. Summer is coming up. We all know what that means. We begin looking at our bodies after they’ve been covered up all winter, fed with Christmas feast and Easter candy. Wanting to look good in swimsuits in a few months, most of us will begin to hate on our bodies. And for the majority of us, not a little hate, but a lot. We will then do things to our bodies that are less than healthy in order to achieve and “ideal” body, like a flat tummy and skinnier thighs.

This very popular "photograph" is almost all Photoshop. The girl's back, stomach, and most of her ribs were airbrushed out, arms and legs slimmed, legs lengthened by at least ten inches, hair added below the shoulders, etc. The retoucher completely REMOVED her navel and her left arm. She doesn't look like this in real life... this is not attainable by humans.- Julianna Young on Pintrest (excuse the slight nudity)

It’s no wonder we mistreat our body as society’s idea of beauty is unattainable for most human beings. Some of us will never have a completely flat belly, and some of us will always have thighs that touch.

The other day I received in the mail a Land's End swimsuit magazine. I opened it and began to look at the pictures, thinking this woman (pictured below) had a very nice body:

As I flipped through the magazine I came upon the sizes. 1XL, 2XL, 3XL. WHAT?! This is a plus size magazine???!!! I was horrified. If this is plus size, how in the world do they expect women to look like the models in regular sizes without being unhealthy? Here are some more pictures of these beautiful women.

Click to enlarge the picture 

I say these women are not plus size. Just because their thighs touch does not mean they are heavy. These women are curvy and feminine. Their bodies remind me a lot of Marilyn Monroe, who was, by the way, considered one of the most beautiful women of her time and loved by men everywhere.

Now, don’t jump to conclusions. I’m certainly not saying if your stomach is flat, you’re not healthy, and I’m not saying if your thighs touch, you are healthy. Know what is healthy for your own body, not someone else’s, and strive for that, not some photoshopped model’s seemingly perfect figure.

HEALTHY is always better than SKINNY, and a beautiful FACE is nothing without a beautiful HEART.

Here are some pictures and quotes I found various place on the web (thanks to Pintrest and Tumblr!) that I love enough to share with all you gorgeous ladies: