Survey Says...Day #7

Did you participate to learn something about yourself, or to show something about yourself?

1. Both.
2. both,i think all woman should be positive about ourselves and each other.Telling someone that feet are tiny or there eyes are beautiful etc takes almost no time at all,and the woman you said it to will be walking on air
3. i am not afraid to strip off, i'll do it anyway, no matter how bad i look, i would love to show someone my nude body, and see if i can still make people smile with m
4. Both! To validate myself as being nothing more or less than anyone else who contributes. It's helpful to me and hopefully others to see we are all beautiful in our own unique way. and our unique indidualality is a gift to use in our own way. for better or for worst.
5. I wanted to participate to let people know that "normal" does not exist. We are all different and that is good and natural.
6. I participated to show something about myself. To anyone looking at the photos, they may just see another caucasian girl's portrait. To me, with the way I'm standing, the cock of my hip, the movement of my arms, the poise of my legs...all of things reference me back to a moment where I felt completely free of any and all judgement, whether from myself or others.
7. To learn about me and to show about me.
8. Show something.
9. learn
10. Both!
11. See how I felt seeing the words I was writing
12. both!
13. no. In fact, I would pose for her, but it's more like I think my photo's would need to be doctored up a bit, so don't think I would.
14. I'm not sure.
15. I haven't posted my photo and for some reason never will. Though I totally supportive this project! I just like this project so I come and visit.
16. It showed I enjoyed getting naked in public way more than I thought I would. I like to think this was an outlet for my confidence.
17. I just wanted to help the project.
18. To show support for a fellow artist.
19. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.
20. I wanted to feel pretty. And I did.
21. Basically my answer to number 6. :D
22. I participated to show that I am brave.

 Come take the survey!

Survey Says...Day #6

Why did you choose to participate in this project? Were your reasons political or personal?

1. Personal
2. personal,our bodies are never political,unless we start being told waht to do or not to do with them.Grrr
3. perhaps i could get some feedback, perhaps I'm wrong, and i am really a beautiful 53 year old man
4. My reasons are personal and very private but involve me taking back the night this way too. Thank-you!
5. I believe that girls and boys alike should grow up with realistic and healthy ideas about what their bodies should look like, as well as how to remain healthy (eating habits, exercise, etc.).
6. Personal. I wanted to celebrate the way I felt about my body. It was extremely liberating and thrilling to me to see those pictures of me for everyone to see, even if they don't know who I am. And they are a good reminder to me that there was a point, and there will be another that I will feel that good about my body.
7. Personal and political. I love your blog in that it shows people what every day people look like. We have become so highly sensitized to Hollywood bodies that we don't know what normal looks like.
8. i came across your site through thisisawoman and though I'd put my 2 cents in.
9. personal I thought it would be interesting. I have just found your blog and in wonder why more people cannot accept themselves as they are and accept being au natural
10. Up until a few days ago when I seen this website, I have never seen more than 2 people who were "normal" even my mother has been telling me to go on a diet. I think I am beautiful, I know that I am beautiful. I have been trying to accept myself the way that I am, and be healthier. NO, that does NOT mean getting SKINNIER. That means eating RIGHT and loving myself. Being happy, etc. My mother has lost a significant amount of weight, and she tries to shove it on me also. Says I should eat this, because it is only 100 calories a serving. I personally do not think that eating a 100 calorie breakfast, consisting of only seeds, is healthy. You need to feed your body, you need to be happy with your body. If I could, I would show every woman, or girl out there that not everybody is perfect. People describe me as stunning, beautiful, I've been told that I am the definition of beauty. You look at my face and that is what you see - I bet, most women think that under my clothes are perfect boobs, and a clean stomach... want to know the reality? One boob slouches more than the other, they're very oblong looking in my opinion. I've got random black hairs on my chest/boobs (****like a lot of women do*****) I have two tires, one around my ribs, and one at my hips... they're very unattractive, and large. I have cellulite on my butt, my thighs, stretch marks, you name it. If a picture of my body, and face would change the way people think... I would probably do it. I would like to change the way someone thought about their body, for the good.
11. Personal...might help writing the truth ?
12. I chose to participate for personal reasons... just last night, I came across The Shape Of A Mother. that led me here..
13. No, I like Gabby who has a pretty cool idea for a site. This is just an easy way to maybe give her a little bump. Safety in numbers!
14. Personal.. I was having a particularly "bad body" day, and I wanted to do something to snap out of it.
15. I didn't know there could be a political reason. I just like human bodies. It's natural.
16. I just wanted to be able to say "I posed naked and looked damn good doing it!". After reading this blog, I am so happy that it's going to a good cause.
17. I'm trying to get more comfortable with my naked body! Also, I really fell in love with the idea of the project. It's very liberating and refreshing, seeing all these pictures on the website of men and women who look NOTHING like the people you see in magazines! It really makes me feel good about myself seeing how the rest of the world looks naked, because it helps me remember that all our bodies are quirky and wonderful in their own ways
18. Personal: as an artist myself, I have been exploring the mature male body as an object of residual power and beauty.
19. I have always wanted to be naked on the internet, haha, but also I thought it was important to embrace myself and say "this body is fine right now"... I had made excuses for a while while secretly hoping to be in better shape at the time, but finally realized it had to be then, no matter how I felt.
20. The political is personal when you're a woman And I wanted to feel pretty
21. It was a challenge to myself to see if I could actually just show my body to a stranger without cringing away because I feel fat. I did it and it felt great!
22. I participated as a mark of defiance against a world where a girl isn't allowed to feel comfortable in her own skin, where you must be perfect to be beautiful.

 Add your own answers to the survey.

Survey Says...Day #5

What, if you could, would you change about your physical appearance? 

1.  Um, my skin & its tendency to freckle, my shoulders as i feel they are too broad, my breasts as id prefer them fuller, rounder & perkier, oh, my nose because its crooked..my teeth..my hair..my geez probably most things :/
2. my funny fred flinstone fee.I am a size 5 and vvveeery wide.And my stubby peapod toes.I am with someone who has my feet.love it
3. be born again, and stay away from food
4. at times everything,and others absolutely nothing; my faith and beliefs have saved me dozens of times.
5. If I changed one thing, I'd probably begin focusing on another until I became obsessed. Therefore, I must chose to change nothing.
6. My stomach and my back has extra cushion that irritates me. I notice it giggling way more than the average person. I think my cheeks are too chubby, giving me these awful dimples when I smile. And I would love to have smaller breasts, not because I don't like them, but because they are heavy and hurt my back.
7. make my stomache flatter
8. I would lose all excess weight.
9. Well, I would lose about 30kg, tone my flab, clear up my skin. Nothing most women wouldn't do.
10. none
11. Hm, my physical appearance.. I'd take some stomach fat away, other than that I would leave everything. Boobs and all.
12. Lose weight,less skin on tum after pregnancy,firmer chest.smoother skin.
13. After having my baby, my stomach was left so saggy! I would like for it to tone up quicker.
14. slight nose job
15. My tummy- after my second child was born, I got that fat overhang thing. I'd also like to lose about 10 pounds to get closer to the weight I was before my second child.
16. Stronger.
17. I would have a size 34C,would raise my height by two feet, correct my feet and slim by thighs(just a bit, everyone thinks they are wonderful already). I wouldn't loose weight because if I was 5'8, 156 would be perfect (maybe too thin)
18. In an alternate universe, I would want to have bigger boobs and less stomach fat. But in this universe, even if you gave me enough money to have those operations, I'd pass. I would definitely feel weird about changing what I have, and I don't think anyone I'm close with would approve of me making those changes.
19. Flatter stomach, larger chest. Just like everyone else.
20. I would like to be more muscular, and I'm working on it, by slowly bringing exercise back to my routine.
21. Prettier face, some work on the chin and nose, permanently waxed brows, no acne, thinner, better-shaped (not larger) breasts, firmer ass, metabolism at the speed of light, and waxier ears because I love cleaning them
22. Probably the size of my breast. I feel they get in the way sometimes of people actually see me.
23. If I could, I would make myself taller. Less hairy. There's a myriad of things I would change, but those are the two main ones.

Head over to the survey and answer for yourself.

Stripped #66

Stripped #65

via Glamourdaze.com

Link Roundup: February 2012

• Seriously. Look at this. David Jay's SCAR project will make you cry.
• What clever commentary! Classic nudes get the Photoshop treatment in Anna Utopia Giordano's Venus Project.

Stripped #55

A Confesssion (Warning: Possible E.D. Trigger)

Hi guys! I have something to tell you. This is why my posting has been so sparse lately.

When I started Stripped, I was taking a year off from school because of illness. I had a lot of free time to devote to this project. But when I started school again for my junior year, things got a little (read: insanely) busy. However, now as a senior, I find myself with a measure of uncommited time again (yay!).That's not why I've been AWOL, though. A contributing factor, but not the main reason.

Let me say now that I'm fortunate enough to have wonderful, positive people in my life who tell me every day that I am beautiful and valuable. And a lot of the time I believe it. Heck, I even have strangers stop me on the street all the time to tell me how attractive I am. I believe these people maybe a good 70% of the time.

But here's the deal. That 30% of unbelief is pretty feirce. I deal with a lot of my own body-hate every day. Over the last year I've changed sizes multiples times and gotten (even!) taller. I am a stranger in my own body right now. I've always had the feeling (the fear, really) of being a kind of brute, some kind of hulking she-monster. I was always taller and bigger than everyone I knew. I was able to pick up my teachers with one arm when I was in middle school (yes, I tried it, to their dismay). I was taller than all the girls, and taller than all the boys too.

Society says that girls (and women and "ladies") are supposed to be dainty. I'm not dainty at all. A lipstick-loving super-femme, yes, but not tiny and precious and pocket-sized. And that makes me feel really bad some times. Bad enough that I skip meals and obsess over calories. Bad enough that I want to sit down and cry. Sometimes bad enough that I really want to die, because I feel completely helpless and hopless and estranged from my body.

And then I think about all these beautiful bodies I've photographed over the last two years, how brave and wonderful all these people are. How I'm suppsosed to stand for something with this project. I'm not saying I don't belive my ideals. I really, truly believe that all bodies are beautiful.. But some times I simply can't believe it about myself, no matter how hard I try.
And...It makes me feel like a hypocrite.

Really, it comes down to this: how can I reconcile my feelings of insecurity with my pro-body stance?

I wish that I was some super-person who never felt any negativity towards her own body, but I'm not. I'm just as fragile and insecure as the next person. I love you all, and I'm going to keep this project going no matter what. I just wanted to get that off my chest (pun, maybe?).

Stripped #54

Stripped #53

Stripped #52

I don't want you to think that I'm dead, guys.

Because I'm not. Neither is this site. STRIPPED WILL NEVER DIE!

I've just been kind of really, super busy. Like, multiple-brushes-with-death kind of busy.

However, summer's coming up, which means I'll have some free time (i.e. time to update the site)!

Of course, as always, I'm taking online submissions. And if you get lonely, you can always take my survey.

- G

Survey Says...Day 4 (Updated!)

What have been the major factors in shaping your opinion about your body (family, friends, media, etc.)?

1. Early childhood experiences, the relationship between puberty & the process in its newly acquired sexualisation, the way in which the media distorts the human figure to unrealistic dimensions. Id also have to mention the transition from childhood to teenagehood again as my experience in the first year of secondary school was both baffling & distressing, i believe the way in which you become accepted by your peers be it negatively or positively has a huge impact on your early adult like perceptions of yourself. For me, highschool proved quite negative in the early years as self-worth/esteem is so easily moulded by the opinions those around you & the instinctual need within you to find acceptance can distort your personal self worth substantially.
2. My girlfriends have all the female surgeries out there,and they are still beautifulLoosing your breasts,uterus etc doesnt make you less sexy,\i believe the strenght within and determination is in our eyes and our soul.
3. i want to still meet ladies, but no matter what i try, i will always have a podge
4. Mostly the internet,and the media and the fluid,ever changing measurement of all things female.
5. My mother walked around naked on a regular basis as I was growing up, which I think helped me form a realistic image of women. However, the media tries to sell whatever idea makes the most money, and it is generally at the cost of women's self-image.
6. I stay away from media as much as possible, because what it portrays is so unrealistic. I will continue to envy friends who are smaller than me, with smaller boobs and less ass than me. But I've also had the pleasure to meet and work with some amazing ladies who have been teaching me to love and flaunt my curves, which has been such a gift.
7. Whether or not a man wants to have sex withme
8. Being weighed in grade school; peers in grade school, middle school, and high school. My mother, with her constant dieting and putting me on diets. My dad calling me fat.
9. The people around me. In high school they were size 8, I was size 10 (Australian sizing). I was curvy, they were not so much.
10. For awhile it was society up until now
11. In school I was made fun of, I remember distinctly one day when I was in class. On the chalk board you had to write your name when you excused yourself to go to the restroom. I finally grew the courage to go up in front of everybody to write my name on the board, not only did the guy behind me holler "it's a FULL moon out tonight!", but when I came back, my name had been erased and in place of it was "Diseased Cow".... Did I mention this was the second time this boy had done this to me? (this was in the SIXTH grade, I am now 21, the first time he had done this to me I was in the FIFTH grade.) Ever since that first day, I felt terrible about my body, my face, everything. Recently something just clicked in my head.... I have no idea what triggered it, but it happened, and I feel great about it. My opinions on my body have changed.
12. Media and friends...and family expectations
13. High school ruined my self confidence.
14. Older brother use to pick on me and caused some low self esteem. Not much other than that.
15. I am constantly bombarded with negative (and sometimes positive) thoughts and feelings about my body based on the media. It's hard not to compare myself to other moms I know.
16. I think it's the media; all the images floating around.
17. All of the above! My nana thought I didn't eat enough. I'm really into fashion and politics. And we know there are a lot of hidden messages there.
18. Definitely the media. It took me a long time to learn that almost nobody looks like women in magazines, and more importantly, if I was doing a photoshoot they would photoshop me until I looked that perfect! That doesn't just apply to me, I mean they can pretty much make anyone "ideally" beautiful with a lot of makeup, lighting and photoshop. My friends have been all different sizes and as I've gotten older I've realized how quirky all our bodies are! Aside from icky friends who tell me that I'm underweight or I have ugly hair, my opinion about my body has been shaped positively by my social life. My family is very conflicted; my dad believes that a healthy body is all that counts while my mom believes that being heavy is worth feeling guilty over. In general, though, I would definitely have to say that the media has given me the most information about how I should look.
19. I was severely underweight as a child and young adult, so I never had a "masculine" body at any point in my life.
20. My parents were generally good about my appearance but sometimes would make stupid comments about "do you really need to eat that?" I've gotten both more insecure and more resolved to be healthy after forming friendships with a lot of people recovering from eating disorders. When they complain about their (beautiful) bodies it is hard to stay rational and remember that just because you are bigger than them doesn't mean you're less attractive. But seeing how insane their EDs have made them, and the warped way they view the world, made me only want to stay healthy and avoid falling into that trap.
21. Family.
22. My negative feelings about my body come from the media and cruel people. I have learned to love my body on my own and with the help of those closest to me who see my body as it is and love it.
23. Friends have affected me the most in body image. Listening to them complement themselves or put themselves down makes me instinctively compare myself to them.

Head on over and give the survey a whirl.

Survey says... Day #3 (Updated!)

What do other people think about your body?:

1. I don't completely know, i brush off compliments like a nasty bug on my shoulder for the most part, i assume that if they admire it any sense then they are beautifully, kind persons, the kind that can see your features in a far moreonly a positive light. So to summarize id say they
2. I am 5'5 115 ils,I am fit and friendly to all.I have been propositioned everywhere.Safeway,carwash,pet stores,you name,they are there.I think my nature attracts men,I am always smiling,and happy
3. don't know, no one wants to see it. don't blame them
4. The jury is still deliberating that question. But it seems to change with time and the effects of being a mom in a mom body.
5. Many people think I am too thin. I was actually happiest with myself when I was about 10 lb lighter, but I have a much healthier perspective now. A previous boyfriend commented many times, "the thinner the better," and I believed him for a while until I stood back and realized that I had an unhealthily obsessive lifestyle.
6. I like to think most people like my body. My mother spent most of my life until very recently telling me I ate too much, and was too fat, just because she was a size two at my age and is now borderline obese thanks to medication abuse and other health problems. I've only had one man look at me naked and tell me I was gorgeous, and it hit me harder than a ton of bricks.
7. Lord only knows. I figure since my husband is a porn adict he hates my body
8. I am sure most people think it's fat.
9. No idea. Well, my husband doesn't seem to mind, but he's biased.
10. I don't know
11. They all say that they wish they were as tiny as me, I'm 5'2" and 165lbs... I'm not tiny, I just hold myself the way that I feel is "beautiful".
12. I hide it so don't know ... partner seems to still like it
13. My Fiancée loves me for me, as does my family... But as far as strangers, I do not ask. I would rather them not look at me.
14. They always wonder how I stay thin. I usually tell them my secret is to eat a wide variety of foods, and don't stop moving.
15. I really don't know. I know my husband likes it.
16. No idea. I never ask and people never tell me.
17. They think I'm small, with a big butt. But not deathly small. Not big either. Just right!
18. I think most people would approve of it. My friends are really accepting of nudity, they've basically taught me that everyone has their bodily "flaws" and when you're all naked together you're all pretty equal! I think my family is okay with my body because I am not outwardly unhealthy (as in, being overweight, or another visible problem). I get looked at by guys fairly often so I think I have a desirable body.
19. They like it.
20. I think they think I'm too skinny sometimes, but usually healthy, just small? I don't know.
21. That I'm thin and pretty, I'm told
22. People usually have two opinions of it. Some absolutely love it while others absolutely hate it and call me fat. Those who do almost always love the size of my chest. I really hate it when people call me fat just because I am several sizes bigger than a skinny girl. Then again fuck them they are missing out on the coziness.
23. I've been told I'm sexy, pretty, cute, ect. The rebound is whether or not someone is interested in me because I have big boobs.

If you want to contribute, click the link and make your voice heard.

Stripped #51

Stripped #50

Stripped #49

Survey Says... Day #2 (Updated!)

How do you feel about your body?:

I feel sorry for it, i hate that it carries me through each & everyday & yet i struggle to find a day in which i truly appreciate all its wonder & glory. I have spent many years punishing it, mutilating & ridiculing it, a day in which i feel the slightest bit of contentment with my body is a great, great day, those are the days i carry it proud, care for it & most of all love it..But my challenge to fully accept my body in all its imperfections will be a long & chaotic one. This is what i fear most for my body. This is our relationship. I am proud of my body.I am strong for my size have born 3 very large babies to term.One csection,10lbs4oz,and two more vaginally with forcepts.9;ll,and10'2.Took forever for the csec scar to heal,and 28 years late it is quite visible,belly button to crotch.Took me along to to accept it.Oddly men never say anythink about it when we explore ourselves for the first time.lol i put my naked body on film the other day, i couldn't believe that was my body, i was very disalusioned.....the truth....i feel ugly I am constantly on the edge of mania,depression,and absolute fear; trying to find something to validate my inner sense of "beauty". Knowing that everything in our society is increasingly subjective to the temporary values and standards of a disposable society. Generally I am very pleased with my body- health, shape, color, texture, etc. The media and other people often make me feel more negatively or positively about different aspects of myslef, but sometimes it is my fault for comparing myself to others in the first place. It fluctuates every few years. When I first started college, it was the worse it had ever been, thanks to negative reinforcement from those around me. It was the first and last time I suffered from bulimia. Then I got help, found my beauty again through dance, and felt better than I ever did before. When I took the shots that I did for the Stripped Project, I felt the best I had in years. Now I'm somewhere in between. I look onto the photos of me with longing and envy. I keep trying to find that place again where I can look at myself in the mirror as a sensual, sexy human being. I dont know, hate it most of the time. Just wish no one had to ever see it so then I could just be me and love it. I hate it. Meh. Could lose some weight. Tone up. But it could be worse. comfortable My body is a subject that troubles me... I love it, I've been growing to love it more and understand that I'm not the only one who has a little extra. Hate it I am 6 months postpartum, and I feel that I would like to lose some weight.. I am beginning to accept my stretch marks and saggy breasts. Has it's flaws like everyone else, but on the surface, I look a hell of a lot better than 2 of my younger brothers. 5 Years younger. My feelings about my body yo-yo from one day to the next. Some days I feel great about it, and others I just feel so fat. I'm a middle-age man. I'm slim, but my body has some flaws, so sometimes I wish I had a "better version" of a body I guess. That depends on the day, but usually pretty okay. I do worry about my squishiness time to time, but I've gain 15 lbs and I still think I can fuck anyone. I'm kind of ambivalent. On the one hand, I am thin and I think I have a pretty face. On the other hand, I am kind of "bulgy" in some places and I feel like I have "problem areas". I am also kind of annoyed at my body, because it turns out I have autoimmune problems. So, I'm not too attached to it (figuratively speaking, of course). I really don't feel like it defines me but I think I'm very fortunate to be skinny, because it is much easier for me to get favors and positive attention than a bigger girl. I wish it were not that way, but I KNOW that there is a serious bias against big women in our culture. I feel lucky that I'm not on the "other side", but if I could get rid of that bias on my own I would do it in an instant. I would love for it to be healthier looking, i.e., more athletic, but it's not, so I am exploring ways to become more interested in it. Most days, I like my body. I've gained and lost weight in the last few months, and at one point I was the heaviest I'd ever been, but I got nothing but positive feedback about looking healthy. But then my anxiety got worse and I lost the weight again, and now I feel like I look spindly and not as pretty, plus I know I was healthier at the other weight. But I still feel weird about not "appreciating" my weight loss. It's complicated. But I have also been appreciating my body in a different way, recently, through yoga. I know how thin I am and that I'm pretty but I want to be thinner and prettier Most of the time I find my body beautiful. It's curvaceous and plump. I do not have a slim figure at all, I love how my body has character. At times I do find myself bummed that I cannot fit into the clothes that other slim people look so chic in but then again they will never look the way I do in the clothes that fit my shape so its a give and take. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and almost always proclaim "Damn, I am really fucking pretty" I feel that I am okay. I'm pretty, but not anything remarkable. Head over to the survey to contribute.

Survey says... Day #1 (Updated! With New Responses!)

Time for the results from my SURVEY!

I asked readers "What is beauty?" and they replied:

1. Its opening up your eyes wider, it's a feeling, an expression, self-objective perception, its physical, spiritual & emotional and it truly is everywhere.
2. beauty is the lovely,good stuff inside yout mind and bobyI amproud of my,
3. The Adult female naked body, there is nothing more sublime, then a naked women between the ages of 18 and 118
4. Beauty is that something inside each person that makes us comfortable being us. And,It works fine until we begin to have our self belief challenged by the world around us.
5. The positive feelings we get from experiencing (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, or tasting) something that pleases us encompass beauty. Sometimes in expected places, sometimes unexpected, it is finding pleasure.
6. Beauty is the ability to see yourself as a whole item: full to the brim with intelligence, self-worth, sexiness, femininity (or masculinity), poise, and all the sugar and spice that makes you feel nice. More specifically, beauty is whatever you make of it. Some people feel most beautiful when they are dressed up and glamourous, some feel most beautiful wearing men's clothing. And some people feel most beautiful with no clothing at all. Beauty is about inward reflection.
7. It is something visual that makes me happy
8. Mother breastfeeding her baby.
9. How you feel
10. Something that that is seen or felt from within ones own mind.
11. The way you act or feel, I believe. The way you talk, the way you love... you've got a choice to be beautiful.
12. Confidence,happiness and being at one with urself
13. beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
14. Personality first. Higher sense of compassion 2nd. 3rd would have to be a killer body.
15. I think beauty is being confidant in yourself.
16. It really depends. One definition is "healthy," but when you see a patient fighting to survive you can't say s/he is not beautiful.
17. That warm fuzzy feeling you get when you look at something.
18. That's a really good question. I think it's something that someone possesses. I feel like I either think someone is beautiful, or I don't. I definitely am not talking about looks alone, I mean the "whole package".
19. Stillness.
20. Beauty only counts to the beholder, and it's something that makes you happy. That's why we see beauty in the eyes and looks of the people we love, no matter what they look like.
21. Highly subjective yet very culturally ingrained as one ideal
22. Beauty is what you perceive as being pleasurable to you . The quote "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" definitely says it all. It varies from person to person.
23. I don't even know how to begin answering this.

If you want to contribute, click the link and make your voice heard.

Stripped #48

Stripped #47

Is ‘fat’ really the worst thing a human being can be? Is ‘fat’ worse than ‘vindictive’, ‘jealous’, ‘shallow’, ‘vain’, ‘boring’ or ‘cruel’? Not to me.

- J.K. Rowling, The Daily Mail (5/12/06)

Guest Post: Suzanne Willis

So after a long day at work, I was quite excited to come home and relax and just watch TV. Now since my lovely Pittsburgh Penguins had been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, I had no choice but to scroll through the channels of my TV and try and find something else. Well low and behold, on NBC, The Miss USA pageant was on. After careful consideration, this is what I have decided.
REASONS WHY I WILL NEVER BE MISS USA:

1) I am not a size 0. This program began with these young women basically gyrating across the stage in their bikinis. Not one girl was the size of the average American women. So, seeing as how I am not a twig, I cannot compete.

2) Now let’s just say I am able to twig down, and I decide I want to run for Miss USA, I still won’t make it because I cannot acquire the right “mermaid” esque dress, or the right “accentuate the positives dress.” When the young women were doing their walk across the stage, they were asked why they picked the dress that they wore. BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT DEFINES A WOMAN. So seeing as how I do not know the difference between an A-line and a Sweetheart style, I will never be Miss America.

3) I love America. I love being from the United States. That being said, I do not feel the need to hype up Amuuuuuuuuurica every two seconds. So When this next young lady (and the future winner who bears a striking resemblance to Kim Kardashian, who again represents the average American woman obviously) was asked about competing in this pageant, and how she wasn’t going to let finances be an issue, she began to talk about how she was going to sell her car, which was a Ford, because, “we buy everything American.” Well I guess me and my Honda can’t compete with the winner of Miss USA. So because I do not own an American car, I can’t be Miss USA

4) I fail at pretty poses. At the end of this two hour debacle, they had the women pose so the judges could get one last look. THEY STOOD THEIR AND MADE DIFFERENT FACIAL EXPRESSIONS ALL THE WHILE WEARING A RITZY DITZY BALL GOWN. So seeing as how I lack the poise and balance to stand prettily, I will never be Miss USA.

5) I am not a Victoria’s Secret model. On the Website for Miss USA, they had all 50 contestants pose in lingerie. They also had it so that the girls could be rated on a scale of 1 to 5. I want to point out that most of these girls averaged a 2 or a 3. I am wondering what a 4 or a 5 looks like. These women claim that they want to inspire young women. Inspire them to what I ask? Pose in their underwear? The Winner of last year’s pageant talked about how she was so glad that she was able to inspire young women to dream big. Since when did “Dreaming Big” become about winning a beauty pageant? What happened to wanting to a doctor, or a lawyer, president or even just accomplishing what your heart desires? Why does your future have to be based on your looks?

Finally, I would just like to say that it sickens me how much the media and music and television promote that women have to look a certain way. It makes me so sad that women think their worth is based on their looks. Be happy with yourself. Do not let someone or something define you and make you feel inferior. If there is something about yourself that you don’t like then go change it, but don’t risk your health or your sanity for vanity. Being a woman rocks. I may not be entirely comfortable with myself, but I am okay with not being Miss USA.

Stripped #46