I have been cooking up this blog in my head for a few weeks. Well actually, it started more as a rant in my head, that turned *into* a blog post. But I hope you won’t mind. It all began with Teen Ellie. Not her fault, I must add, but still….
First here’s a pic of my oldest, she is 15 and is probably in fairness a good 2 sizes bigger than most of her tiny teeny peers, as well as being at least 2 foot taller too! She stared getting very nasty comments on her blog, formspring and tumblr accounts about her weight ages ago, all stupid stuff, but I could tell it hurt. Then just before Christmas it got really nasty. These “people” started saying they they hoped she’d die, that she was a fat, ugly, nothing basically. It got kind of out of control, like things often do online. Everything is anonymous and it turned into mob bulling, although, she did have some nice strangers leaving kind messages too. I wanted her to give it all up for a while but being a teenager she ignored me, swore at them a bit and then came up with the idea of a new blog. One where she found drop dead gorgeous pictures of models the same size or bigger than herself, she linked it to her other social networking sites and soon had lots of people following it, a truly great big f**ck you to all the evil folk I think, and hopefully a good inspiration to others in the same boat. I don’t know how long she will post to it, it might end up as Aidan Grimshaw’s hottest looks blog or something by next week, but I am very proud of her both inside and out.
The whole thing has also made me quite ashamed of my own weight issues. I have been a ample bottomed and big boobied size twelve since having baba Milly, and I have really struggled with it. I have always been slim, its part of who I thought I was, and somehow (I am ashamed to say) I felt like less of a person for not being that way.Reading posts and tweets as well as listening to my pals talk, I think this is what allot of other girls think too. Its all about seemingly *being in control* of weight, of life, of everything.
But where did these disgusting people on Ellie’s blog, (and me, shame face) get their screwed up image of perfection from? I started googling what beauty means to me. And this is what I honestly though I wanted, I mean maybe not to the extreme of some of these pics but close to it, super skinny bronzed limbs say control, success, youth, everything. Don’t they?….
I started to be quite disgusted by it all when I really looked at it, not the people you understand, I know some people are just naturally super thin or have their own body image issues and also often have youth on their side. What really bothered me was that I actually “believed” I could look like this, and what lengths I would probably go to to get it. I think the diet and fashion industry often set us “normal” folk up to crash and burn, “just drink this shake”, ” follow this meal plan,” “wear these £300 jeans,” and you too can look like this. Which of course, when you really think about it, is never gonna happen. Lets face it, most of them don’t even look like they do in the magazines anyhow!
Anyway, I am probably rambling a bit now, (jumps off soap box). But what I did find also, happily, amongst this sea of skinny folk was some kick ass women with fully loaded curves. Who would gladly eat a burger AND fries and don’t want to apologise for it. In fact I found so many that I can’t include them all here, so this is part one, of the curves ahead girl crush blog post.
Soak it up girlies, and join me in not beating yourself up anymore, it really is quite freeing you know, honest ! And I have to say thank you to teen Ellie for showing me the way, its a surprising thing that happens (if your lucky) when your children begin to grow up, they start teaching you stuff too, Bonus!
First up, Christina Hendricks . The actress from TV series Mad Men Won Esquire’s “Sexiest Woman Alive” tittle last year, she beat out Victoria secret model Adriana Lima and Megan Fox for the title . Go GIRL!
Hendricks said in a past interview. “In the beginning, it was odd to have so much attention brought to my body type,” “I thought, ‘Uh-oh, brace yourself.’ But everyone has been so positive,” she says. And so they should be, you rock misses! Humana humana ;D
Second up is Emily Towner. She is a 17 year-old plus model from Georgia, and this year she was featured in Italian Vogue. The tide is a changing! (maybe..fingers and toes crossed)
Lastly, for now anyway, the totally rocking Kate Dillon-
She started out as a fashion model at 17 as a underwieght model, but as she grew up, and put on weight she began to loose jobs. After a break away and some eating disorder issues she started plus size modeling and became one of the most famous faces in the industry. She has also been named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” multiple times. Gawd she is gorgeous!
Tiny _note_ : I feel I should just add, I am not saying I am going to stop trying to be healthy, I got a cross trainer machine for crimbo and everything! I am just going to try and stop slimming down to Cheryl Cole size. To be honest, if I only ate an apple core once a day for the next 3 months i am pretty sure I still wouldn’t look like her. And I do *so* love a good steak and chips, and blue cheese, and red wine, and chicken Cesar salad, and cream and butter and bread and chocolate…. 
Tags: bullying, Christina Hendricks, dangerous curves, happiness, Kate Dillon, parenting, plus size, Plus size role models, skinny celebrities, teen, weight
Fabulous post. There is so much more beauty in curves and womanly than starving and waif like!
Hope Ellie continues to rise above the bullies, sounds like she’s doing a fab job, hope she keeps up her project! She’s beautiful too!
xx
Thank U for reading and commenting Wicked Mama (loving you name! ) and I wholeheartedly agree curves rock! and I do think, although it maybe a little naff to say… its really the self confidence that comes from with-in thats sexy, if you don’t have that you cant have that wiggle, right!? Xxx ;D XXX
I LOVE this post. And your Ellie totally rocks–what a beauty.
The emaciated look should be illegal to advertise. My own daughter is 9 years old and not quite the skinny minnie everyone around her seems to emulate. And it’s hard on her, especially since her own mom (that would be me) is quite tiny. And believe me, I am not one to rub my miniscule stature in her face. I’m just a small person, barely 5 feet 2 inches tall. She’s got her dad’s build, which is anything but fat though can be described as muscular. She doesn’t have a belly. She’s just a solid kid.
Last year, her so-called friend not only called her fat but pointed at her full lips and asked rhetorically and quite snarkily, “why are your lips fat, too?” My hands balled up into tight fists when I heard this.
I think Ellie should be my daughter’s roll model from now on. In my eyes, Kate Dillon’s got nothin’ on her (can you hear my New Yawk accent, Helen??).
Happy New Year, my twin.
xxoxRichela
Thanku for leaving such a lovely comment Richela, I will be sure to tell Ellie that she has become a role model for a very sweet girl all the way in New Yawk Xx ( am I doing it right ?;)) ..that is when I actually get around to telling her about this post…she hasnt seen it yet…gaaaw, hope she wont hate me! Xxxx
Another great blog post! It’s true – women SHOULD embrace how they look. We all have things we don’t like about ourselves and weight is one of those things that always seems to be a preoccupation with the media and society in general. Ellie sounds like a great girl by the way and good on her coming up with the new blog post idea – let the pictures speak for themselves I say!:) I can’t stand people who pick on other people because of the way they look! People get teased for being too fat and too thin and too this and too that – you can’t please everyone can you? Nor should you try to! Easier said than done sometimes, but the key really is to just feel comfortable in your own skin – I reckon working out goes a long way in helping you feel good about your body – you see a difference when you start toning up a bit even if you’re not any lighter. Plus lots of feel-good hormones get released when you exercise so you can’t really go wrong can you?:)
Very true Sophie, I used to LOVE the gym before Milly was born, but just cant seem to find the gym bunny mojo at the mo
I do have a shiny new cross trainer tho, so watch this space, I will be puffing and panting my way through many tweets in the near future ;D xxx feel-the-burn! XXX
I’m sorry Missus, but why haven’t the big guns picked up on you yet ??? FANTASTIC POST Helen. Totally logical, honest, beautiful and inspiring to read, and of course The Super Gorgeous Teen Ellie will move on from the scum bullies because she has you as a role model. Massive love xxxx
Hehe, i wish I knew how to be picked up by the big guns … it would be great!
As always, thanku so much for reading and leaving such a lovely comment, it really spurs me onto more ramblings 
you are the best-est best-est 
XXX
Fabulous blog post & well done Teen Ellie for responding on the way she did. My eldest step daughter is a larger girl – like her dad she has a big build and is very tall. She has always loved stogy food & in her teens was not the size she wanted to be. Unfortunately she resorted to vomiting to try and curb her weight. It was a hugely difficult time but the media images along with her wanting a quick fix are what we believe led her to these actions.
I am very happy to say that she is now at Uni and it has finally clicked that being the weight you want to be is about being healthy. She eats more healthily & exercises. She will never be a size 6 but looks incredible and has taken control of the decisions about what she eats.
You are very lucky to have such a well adjusted, sensible young daughter and you must be very proud of her.
Oh jenny that must have been awful, really really awful. So glad she is all better now. I think your right about media images, and also there is a shocking amount of websites dedicated to *help* these kids to do these things. Really sick, I had heard of them but found a few whilst reserching this blog and honestly took my breath away. Best of luck to your girl with her uni studies, at least you know she is a strong kid and she can take that with her into her future XXXX
Gorgeous curvy real women, well done you for posting this…. and well done for having a young daughter who has her heard screwed on.
Mich x
Thanku Michelle
Not sure I had much to with it, she is far more savy than me already, I call her *saffy abfab 
* I just really hope she stays that way, there are alot of folk out there seeemingly hell bent on messing with your head XXXX
Helen, this post is fantastic. I’m so sorry to hear about the idiot posters on your daughter’s blog though…. What complete imbeciles! Ellie is bloody gorgeous!!!! I’m a curvy size 12 too and I dieted constantly for about ten years pre-Daisy! Its only in the past couple of years that I’ve realised how unattractive those stick insect celebs really are and I am mortified when I realise how much of my life I wasted aspiring to be like them. Lets start a diet rebel revolution!!!! Curves are HAWT! x x x Oh and PS Christina Hendricks is my new no.1 girl crush! Wow!
Great post and well done Teen Ellie! I wish us ladies would stop worrying about the number on our clothes labels and concentrate more on feeling comfortable in our skin.
Firstly – Go Teen Ellie! She is gorgeous (just like her Mummy) She obviously has a lot of inner beauty too to be able to stand up for herself. I think confidence is the most beautiful quality a woman can have. There is a reason we are all different shapes & sizes – life would be boring if we were all the same wouldn’t it?! xxx
What a great blog and well done to Ellie for standing upto these low lifes.
I am a very petite size 6/8 and I hate it, I would absolutely love some curves so make the most of them girls.
xxx
OMG how can people be so nasty! well done Ellie for rising herself above it and showing the real meaning of the word beauty! This is such a lovely post and teaches everyone a few lessons! Hope Ellie’s new blog goes well!!! xxx
Fantastic post lovely. Give teen Ellie a big kiss from little Ava Ellie and me. You must be so proud of her, turning all that negativity into something so positive. Have to say my bottom have always been J lo esc. Even when I was a size 6 student and hubs wouldn’t have it any other way! Yay fir size twelve’s! Xxx