I'd Much Rather Be A Brigitte Than A Skeleton

As someone who writes about fashion I am all too aware of size zero being the new six. There is a disconnect when the average American woman wears a size fourteen, yet the models on the runway look like ten-year-old boys.

This is a topic I am passionate about. As are other bloggers. As a woman, and the mother of a daughter, I am disheartned every time I see a model like the one above. Yes, there are some women who are naturally skinny - who can eat a healthy diet and just stay skinny, but they are the excpetion. Most women who look like that model spend their lives hungry. The short and long-term impact on health is not worth being able to slip into those size zero jeans.

As a heterosexual woman I can unequivocally say that I find the Brigitte's of the world much sexier than the Keira Knightly's. If I were a guy I would want to cuddle up to a woman with some meat on her and something more than just skin covering her bones. I know I don't want to crawl into bed with a man who is skinny, so why would a guy want that in a woman?

I am somewhere in between these types. Tall and not really curvy, I'm not skinny, not obese but far from a Kim Karedashian. I find many ways to beat myself up - if I only had bigger breasts, a smaller waist, rounder hips... or if I could only rock those skinny jeans and look tiny. Women dissect their body parts like forensics specialists - thighs that aren't smooth enough, a belly with some padding, breasts that aren't as perky as they perhaps once were, we pick ourselves apart and lose sight of how spectacular we are.

I can grow my hair and wear a nude lipstick, but I will never have the sex appeal of Brigitte Bardot. But I can be the best me I can be. And honestly, the biggest part of sex appeal comes from loving yourself and knowing  the man (or woman) who gets to be with you is very, very lucky indeed.

Perhaps that's the takeaway we need to remember: Being sexy and desirable isn't about being perfect, it's about embracing yourself whether you're a size two or sixteen. Honestly, there's nothing sexier than someone who is comfortable in their own skin and is enjoying themselves. Whatever your body type - super skinny to curvy, just own it and have fun!