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What is a “Real Woman?”

real woman

We got an outpouring of comments last week when we posted Lizzie Miller’s photo from the September 2009 issue of Glamour, touting her as a “real woman.”

Lizzie Miller

When I called her a “real woman,” I was referring to the fact that she wasn’t overly photoshopped, but several commenters made a really great point about something else implied by that headline: did that mean women who don’t look like Lizzie aren’t real? Of course not! Today, I wanted to celebrate real women.

woman laughing

We come in all shapes and sizes, and as I’ve mentioned here before, I think that true beauty comes from within. Your size doesn’t define whether you’re a real woman any more than the color of your hair or skin. We’re all real women!

woman laughing

I think that media outlets do glorify impossibly thin models, so I was thrilled to hear from Amber Huffman, a gorgeous model who proves that you don’t have to be a size 0 to be beautiful.

amber huffman

Like many commenters pointed out, though, some women just have a high metabolism, and part of the backlash against the heroin chic models we’re used to seeing is that thin women are subject to a lot of envy. A woman who’s a size zero is as real as a size 12 or a size 20.

happy women

I think that what we really need to see is a shift away from talking about dress size and towards talking about health and happiness. What do you think?

happy women

 

Image Credits:

  • Laughing mannequin. Creative Commons photo via gematrium
  • Lizzie Miller. Photo via September 2009 Glamour
  • Happy woman. Creative Commons photo via anuarsalleh
  • Woman laughing photo via Shutterstock
  • Amber Huffman photo by Gene Starr, used with permission
  • Happy women photo via Shutterstock
  • Girlfriends. Creative Commons photo by AngieSix

Written by Becky Striepe

My name is Becky Striepe (rhymes with “sleepy”), and I am a crafts and food writer from Atlanta, Georgia with a passion for making our planet a healthier, happier, and more compassionate place to live. My mission is to make vegan food and crafts accessible to everyone!. If you like my work, you can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and .

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