It should come as no surprise when we say that media portrayal of the "typical" female body over the years has been troublesome at best. For many years, it has portrayed the "perfect" female body as one that is a nearly unattainable fantasy, and that portrayal has driven females of all ages, shapes, and sizes to develop eating disorders, feel bad about their own bodies, and try to be someone they may not want to be at heart.
Over the past year or so, however, I have seen a shift in the way the media has treated the female form. It may be slight, but I feel like we're finally making progress. While I absolutely think women of all shapes, sizes, and colors should love their bodies, I also love to see when women outside of what the media calls the "typical" body size can help make other women like them feel empowered, strong, and proud of their bodies.
Take plus-sized model Ashley Graham, for instance. According to ETOnline.com, she will soon be making history by being the very first plus-sized model to grace the pages of Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue.
In an advertisement for swimsuitsforall's latest campaign, #CurvesInBikinis, Graham sports a tiny bikini to help spread the word that women of all sizes can be proud of their bodies, feel confident, and be just as sexy (if not sexier) than the rest of the women in the pages of the best-selling Sports Illustrated issue.
“I know my curves are sexy and I want everyone else to know that theirs are too," Graham said in a statement to ETOnline.com. "There is no reason to hide and every reason to flaunt."
Now, just to clarify, Graham will appear in an advertisement in the pages of the swimsuit edition that hits newsstands on February 9 — she will not be featured in the magazine's normal swimsuit pictorial or on the cover.
While we would love to see Sports Illustrated give Graham a chance to wear her bikini in a pictorial someday, just the fact that she will appear in this issue is a huge step for women of all sizes to embrace their bodies. There is, no doubt, still a long way to go, but this is a great start.
Check out the below video if you want to know more about Graham's ad and the #CurvesInBikinis campaign.
And if you're wondering why I care so much about this subject, it's because I have a six-year-old daughter of my own and I want nothing more than for her to grow up in a world where she doesn't have to be judged, shamed, or made to feel anything less than amazing about her own body shape and size. Let's continue to spread the word and help women everywhere feel great about themselves!
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