Pictures of “normal” women

In one of my entrepreneur Facebook groups someone posted pictures of “normal” women used in an ad campaign by a Canadian lingerie brand. They showed women with small boobs! Women with big boobs! Women with butts of all shapes! Women with freckles! And *gasp*...even cellulite!

Needless to say, the post fired everyone up. These otherwise professional people quickly started to attack this realistic portrayal of the female body.

Some women of the group pointed out that no one praises the D student or sets them as an example for others to copy. Following their logic, why would we ever support or accept women with imperfect bodies? These businesswomen implied that all women could, and should, make an effort to get into better shape so they could be more “desirable.” Then they said that cellulite is only real for those who are too lazy to do something about it. It made me wish I could see below the shoulders on their Facebook profile pics to see how much hypocrisy was being concealed. :)

Finally, a guy hugging a pretty blonde woman in his profile pic made the most ignorant comment: why would the Canadian company advertise purposeful neglect of one’s body? Well done bro, now go sit in the corner.

There were some faint attempts to explain that bodies are all different and valid and beautiful.  A couple of shy voices pointed out that having cellulite can be linked to a genetic predisposition. Some women even dared to propose that not having a “perfect” body isn’t the end of the world. That actually, this is where the world begins. The normal world, as it should be, in which we start showing humans as they actually are, and we start selling products advertised by regular, imperfect people to regular, imperfect people.

I wish we could all be so brave as to flood our social media with images of our normal, imperfect, bodies. I wish we could show our cellulite, celebrate our stretch marks, and show the glory of saggy breasts that nourished and fed babies. But it’s not always that easy. And why should we have to justify our bodies to the world, anyway? 

My kids often see my body with all my lovely imperfections. They like my flabby belly, stroke it and play with the excess skin and fat. It’s cozy and part of me. All of them know where they came from and how. I hope that in 15 years my sons will remember that a woman’s body doesn’t have to be “perfect” to be powerful. I hope they won’t have any illusions about how a woman looks or should look. And I also hope that they won’t be superficial but will stand by their partners and continue to love and appreciate them if and when their bodies change.

The reason why I want to see women like me on billboards is not so that I can have a peace of mind about being “normal”. I am normal - whatever that means - and the rail thin lingerie model is not better than me. I want to see normal women being shown to the world so that their images can help stop the madness of self-hatred. Images of normal women, without airbrushing, are some of the best things that can help destroy the poisonous myth of the “perfect body.” Because we all have perfect bodies that are deserving of love and respect from ourselves and others.

And I’m sorry to disappoint, but I’m not a lazy internet troll who would get her satisfaction only if everyone else was miserable. I follow a healthy diet, work out regularly and there is STILL cellulite on my bottom. And you know what? It wouldn’t have bothered me if society hadn’t filled my head with nonsense and tried to convince me that it should.