Where Do Big Girls Belong? Everywhere!

There's a revolution going on, and you, girl, are the banner bearer. And despite the title of this article, it doesn't matter whether you wear a size 20 or 2 -- the size acceptance movement is for everyone. American women (and girls!) are tired of the ideal changing every few years from 'waif' to 'All-American beauty' to 'Baywatch Babe'. Why is it that none of us seem to feel that we're 'just right'? When magazine models began to have so unhealthy an appearance their look was dubbed 'heroin chic', the backlash began. Did you know Kate Moss was thinner than Twiggy when she began modelling? And nobody ever aspired to look like Twiggy.

It was my business partner, Sandra, who made me think about the pressure on girls today. Pressure to be as thin as Kate Moss or Sarah Michelle Gellar, when many of us were born with bodies tending more towards Rosie O'Donnell or Carney Wilson. When we were in high school Sandra never lacked for dates, or friends -- she never missed a dance or function, or sat along the wall. And although there were some painful moments for her with insecure people who had to put someone else down to feel good, she knew she was pretty and loved by a large group of friends. We graduated twenty years ago, and now I wonder what happened to girls during the years in-between. Finally, you're being liberated from the media-inspired tyranny of the 80's and 90's. Although 'size acceptance' has been trumpeted in the media as all movements are, it really began with real women and girls like you. Girls who realized it didn't matter what size dress or bra they wore, they were still beautiful and proud of it.

The leaders of this movement are Camryn Manheim and her rallying cry, "This is for all the fat girls!"; Emme and her cable show Fashion Emergency! (e! at 6:30 weeknights) and your spokesmodels, Mia Tyler and all the Venezia jeans models. The amazing success of Mode magazine and its' spinoff, Girl, have validated the need for fashion 'zines that are woman- friendly. All women, all girls, all sizes, shapes and colors. Girl in particular emphasizes the latter; while Mode was designed for larger women, Girl is for every girl, everywhere. Their models are a rainbow of ethnicity and range from slender to curvaceous. They both teach the same philosophy of living; Don't hide, don't be ashamed, be proud and in the faces of anyone with a problem about who you are.

The biggest surprise about the size acceptance movement is how much all women have embraced it. My friend Christine, a size 6, loves Fashion Emergency! and thinks Emme is just about the most fabulous model around. Mode gets letters every month that begin...I'm a size four, or six, or ten, and I love your magazine!

The media is the message, girls...love yourselves, look your best, accept your friends and know you're beautiful. If you need a little help in that direction, check out the Lane Bryant/Venezia Jeans online fashion shows at: http://webevents.broadcast.com/lanebryant/fashionshow99/.

Looking for books on the subject of size acceptance? The acknowledged favorite is Real Gorgeous: The Truth About Body & Beauty, by Kaz Cooke. This book was given 5 stars by reviewers at amazon.com, and one reader from Texas bought a second copy to donate to her high school library. Other books on the subject to check out:

Girl Power: Young Women Speak Out

Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls

No Fat Chicks: How Big Business Profits Making Women Hate Their

Bodies: How to Fight Back

Daughters of the Moon, Sisters of the Sun: Young Women & Mentors

On the Transition to Womanhood, by Linda Wolf , by Terry Poulton, Edited by Marilyn Singer, by Hilary Carlip