The original essay

A lot of my friends are women. A lot of them seem to think they're too fat. Why? One of the main reasons is that there are cultural "ideals" which are unrealistic, and unhealthfully thin, and especially targetted at women, though men are certainly a target as well.

There is a viscious circle involved here, among other things. Since the cultural "ideal" is super-thin, advertising targetted at men often uses super-thin models. This reinforces the "ideal" with both men and women.

Then there is the diet industry. Companies make lots of money marketing diet products, diet foods, diet books, etc. Diets can create temporary weight loss, as people not naturally thin force their bodies towards the cultural "ideal." Long-term, most people go back to normal eating habits and gain the weight back. Worse, after many diets, the human body will begin to learn that it can't always get all the food it needs, and will tend to store up more, leaving a net weight gain.

People are bombarded with all kinds of subtle and not-so-subtle reminders of the "ideal." I haven't even figured out all of them, but Barbie dolls (proportionately impossible, I've heard), weight loss advertising, fashion magazines, peer pressure, and even parental suggestion come to mind. I have found myself feeling negative after not being able to fit into the same pair of pants I used too.

Well, I want to make a stand. I want to say here that any size is fine, that your body is unique and beautiful the way it is. I recently saw a sign near a natural foods store that said, "I lost 40 lbs in 2 months, Free Sample," and a phone number. I took a big black marker and made it say, instead, "Don't Diet! You are beautiful just the way you are." I came back a few days later, and it was gone.

So, I decided to do something bigger, and here it is. I got some inspiration from Body Positive, About-face, and a few naked strolls on the beach, seeing people who are not models being perfectly comfortable just being themselves. Oh, speaking of naturism, I also found this essay from a nude resort helpful.

What I really want inspiration from is you. How can I improve this site? As this is all there is for the moment, there's much room for improvement. I can include submissions, photographs, and basically anything that says, "Real people of any size are beautiful! Learn more about people the media wants to ignore here." Or something like that.