Sizing Up the Competition

Texas beauty queen denies ballooning to size 6

That was the headline on a link to a news story today.  

I am not sure what makes me more disgusted:  the article or the idea.  Since when is a Size 6 considered large?  And to describe it as "ballooning to a size 6?"  What kind of world are we living in?  What kind of ideals are we teaching our children?  What kind of torture are we subjecting women to?

Dove Soap has a "Campaign for Real Beauty."  Tri Delta Sorority has an "End Fat Talk" campaign.  There are many reminders that "real women have real curves."  These stories have been well covered and promoted by media outlets.  And yet those same media outlets still describe it as ballooning to a size 6.

Why do we allow the media to dictate our self-esteem?  Why do we use Hollywood's criteria to judge our self-image?  Why do we allow our self-value to be equal to the number on clothing tags?  Why do we allow the number on the scale's dial to be more important than our IQ?

Personally, I know in my own mind that I am more than the number on my tags or the number the scale blinks at me.  I know I am worth more than the media or Hollywood thinks.  I know my best asset is my hourglass figure.  I love my waist.  I love the way it is balanced by my roughly equal curves above and below.  I think I look damn good most of the time.  And I do not care what the number on the tag says.  Nobody but me, the salesclerk, and the dry cleaner ever see the tag anyway.  What difference does it make?  Why should I be ashamed of my curves because they are size 6 or larger?  What right does the media have to tell me how I should feel about myself?

So what if the beauty queen did gain weight?  What difference does it make?  Is one no longer a beauty queen if one is larger than a size 2?  Is she no longer beautiful?  Does tipping over 100 pounds or over a size 2 automatically make one ugly?  Where do we draw the line?  When do we stand up to the media and say "FUCK OFF, BASTARDS!"  How many women does it take for Hollywood to listen?  How can we change these ideals?  What can we do to teach our children that all women are beautiful, no matter what size they are?  When do we, as women, stand together and say we are beautiful no matter what size we are?  How can we stop the use of negative, hurtful words?  When are real people more important than an unattainable ideal?

I am a real woman, with real intelligence, real curves, and a real life.  Neither my size nor my weight matters in any of that.  My one woman's dollars may not make much of an impact when withheld from companies who think it does, but I will not compromise my principles for any that do.  And none of this real woman's dollars will go to any company that advertises, sponsors, or otherwise supports Texas Beauty Pageants!

(I realize that women who are naturally small are subjected to the other end of the scale, being told they are too thin, or being accused of being anorexic or bulimic to stay that way.  I do not not mean to exclude smaller women, but not being one, I cannot speak to their experiences at the hands of the media.)