Throwing my weight around

The truth is, I will never be skinny.

There. I said it.

I. Will. Never. Be. Skinny.

It's just not in my genes.

At my smallest, I was able to fit into a size 8 - and that was when I was running several miles a day, three or four times a week (I was also in my late 20's and still had a working metabolism).

Now, I'm almost 34 years old, have had two kids, and normally (when I'm not pregnant), I am a size 14. I'm not ashamed to tell anyone that. (For the record, the average woman in the U.S. is also a size 14).

I have hips and curves and a butt. I've got lumps and bumps and what I like to call my "baby pouch."

Sure, once I'm healed from my recent c-section I can diet and exercise and tone up my curves. But I will never by skinny. I will never be a size 4 or 6 (or 2 or zero). I will always be curvy and have some lumps.

And I'm OK with that.

Yeah, by the fashion industry standards, I guess you could say I'm "plus size." Whatever...I say I'm "me" size. I would like to have smaller thighs and a flatter tummy, but I am OK with what I've got. And, my husband loves me - lumps and all.

But, if I have one pet peeve it is with Hollywood and the fashion industry and their obsession with weight.

All one has to do is watch the recent red carpet arrivals at the Golden Globes or the SAG Awards to see how skeleton-thin many of Hollywood's biggest stars are. I don't find these actresses to be beautiful or attractive -- they just look emaciated and very hungry.

I really want to feed them a pizza.

In the latest "thin-is-in" news, former fashion model Tyra Banks has been targeted by the tabloids for being "fat."

Now let's consider the facts: Tyra Banks is 5 ft, 10 inches tall and weighs 160 lbs. Is that fat? Hardly. From what I saw on this morning's Good Morning America, Tyra looks healthy. Sure, she's not "runway model" thin (i.e., so rail-thin that you can see her ribs and hip bones), but then again, Tyra isn't a model anymore.

And for anyone to call her fat is obnoxious and irresponsible and is just adding to the pressure that young girls and women already feel to be super-thin.

On a related topic, in The Blade today, there was an article about how Hollywood is finally noticing "real women" - the article talked about how at the recent award shows "full-figure" actresses like America Ferrera, Jennifer Hudson and Chandra Wilson were recognized for their acting talent (apparently despite the fact that they are "plus size" women).

It leaves me to wonder what kind of message that sends -- should we believe that one has to be thin in order to be successful? Why do we need to point out that "plus size" actresses are winning awards? Shouldn't the focus be on their work, not their dress size?

As a mom of two girls, I worry about what kind of pressure my daughters are going to feel to be thin as they get older. It is my responsibility to eventually teach them to accept their body type - whether they are tall and thin or short and curvy or somewhere in between.

A message needs to be sent out to young girls and women everywhere - you don't have to be model-thin to be successful. We need to start accepting our bodies - curves and lumps and all - and take a healthy approach to weight and size. Until that happens, girls will be starving themselves in the belief that they must be skinny to be happy and successful.