Every day, I strive to live my life guided by my soul, to face the world with an open heart and an open mind, to see and celebrate the beauty in everyone and everything. But something I spotted on the internet this week was so ugly; it completely shook me out of my soul space to the point where I feel it must be explored here. A few days ago, nearly every major news website or TV entertainment show chose to cover what they viewed as a shocking and newsworthy event. That event was singer, TV and movie star Jessica Simpson on stage at a chili cook-off -- wearing a pair of so-called "Mom Jeans." These reports were totally and completely focused on the fact that a beautiful young woman has, as she has grown older and neared her thirties, gained a few pounds. And that she chose to perform for the public wearing a pair of pants that failed to mask this fact. As an expert in building self esteem and helping women discover their inner beauty, I was, understandably, distressed by the attention this non-event has received in the media. Instead of forcing herself to conform to someone else's standard of beauty, Jessica Simpson chose not to hide her new body, but to share it and celebrate it, no doubt providing self esteem help to the women and girls who saw her perform. After all, if this normal-looking body could be viewed as beautiful, so can other bodies in all shapes and sizes. But instead of celebrating along with Jessica, the media chose to rake her over the coals for abandoning - at least for now - her quest to maintain the cookie-cutter, size-zero body favored by Hollywood celebrities. What kind of self image message does that send to normal women, who lack the access to personal trainers, personal chefs, plastic surgeons and all manner of artificial enhancements that enable this beauty myth to live on? It is time for women - and their sons, fathers, husbands, brothers and friends, to reject this false standard of beauty and embrace the New10 Paradigm. It is time for all women - in all sizes, shapes, races and colors - to be celebrated for their unique, individual beauty, both outside and in. Luckily, this past Sunday, my faith in humanity was restored, at least a little bit. There on stage at the Super Bowl was Jennifer Hudson, an award-winning actress and singer who has never been a Size Zero. As Jennifer took the stage to sing America's national anthem - her first appearance since a horrible tragedy shattered her family a few months ago - the media raved about how beautiful she looked. They raved about her outfit. They raved about her poise. And they didn't mention a word about her size. When it came to Jennifer Hudson, the media finally got it. They saw the beauty of her heart. They saw the beauty of her soul. And yes, they saw that physical beauty can come in all shapes and sizes. Now if they can just learn to apply that same standard to Jessica Simpson - and all the rest of the beautiful, soulful, loving, REAL women out there - we'd really be getting somewhere. Copyright (c) 2009 Dawn McIntyre
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