Big is Beautiful

Great post. All of it.

To the OP I read two questions in your post.

What do we think of the big is beautiful idea?

and

What do we think of the idea that we shouldn't be judged on size/weight?

#1 - I find many things beautiful that others may not, and I am pretty sure others see beauty where I can't.  So big can most definitely be beautiful to some.  

#2 - Agree completely with this, don't judge people on size and weight.  there are so many other fun things you can judge them on: fashion, political views, what bike they ride, whether they completed the ironman race before getting the tattoo or wearing the shirt, how high their seat is, do they own a gun...see the list can go on and on....

I agree with a lot of this.
But as someone else mentioned, I think there's an underlying motivation to let girls/women know that starving themselves to look like the photoshopped images in the magazines is NOT healthy and NOT beautiful.

I think the message is, or should be rather, more of an "inner beauty" message - which I agree with. 

I would rather see the message of "Healthy is beautiful" - as "healthy" can come in varying shapes and sizes.

This is the campaign I could get behind. 

I'm not sure if I will say this right...

BUT, making judgments on appearance is natural and always happened and will continue to happen.  I would prefer not being told what I personally think is beautiful or not.  That's up to me.

I also think that what people think of me motivates me to some point.  I want to be attractive to others, especially my wife.  I don't want to be an embarrassment to her.  Whether it by hygiene, weight, odor, whatever.

However, if you can't look the way you want due to medical reasons, or simply don't want to put in the effort, then your only other choice is to accept it and be happy with it.  I had to finally accept I will probably NEVER have 6pack abs and I can accept that.  If you constantly beat yourself up based on what OTHERS think of you, that's a "you" problem.  Like most things, change yourself or change your acceptance of yourself.  Don't expect society to change their perception of beauty just because you are insecure.

Oh, and more than size, I think humor and confidence is beautiful.  Not that fake confidence, but the real thing.  I have been attracted to people that are probably far from conventionally beautiful based on that.  Oh, and Asians. 

The bottom line of the message is self acceptance.  That's an important thing for everyone of any size or gender.

However, there's a very fine line between acceptance and complacency.  If an overweight person is unhealthy, which is the case more times than not, could a campaign like this help push them further down the path of avoidance and denial that their bodies are actually sick?

Like Lisa said, what we need is something that refers to HEALTHY as beautiful, and healthy comes in lots of different shapes and sizes.  That type of campaign would show women (or men) of all different varieties.....

.....but perhaps not those grossly overweight.  You can love yourself but yet still know that you absolutely need to change for your own well being.  Keeping yourself sick because you're unable to change your behavior is not a beautiful quality.

only counts if it is the krispy kreme challenge.