A plus-size woman has been selected to appear in MAC's new video campaign and she hopes that her selection will bring awareness and body positivity to all the girls struggling with their body image right now. Luzmaria Vargas, from Anaheim, California, is the first of six people selected to model. And as she says:
"I don't have a gorgeous body, I don't think I'm beautiful," she said. "But look at where I'm at. I don't need a gorgeous body."
plus size model
It's truly sad that Vargas feels that way about her body. As women, we are trained to find all of our flaws. Some of us are better than others, but by and large, we all do it. I often take photos of myself in yoga poses in order to analyze the pose and I can also see every flaw in my body. Every place I think could be improved, every pocket of "fat," both real and imagined.
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But what a waste of time. Who is to say what constitutes a "gorgeous body?" Do I have to wait until I look like Heidi Klum before I can love myself? That seems insane, right?
We have such short lives. Such very short lives. And yet we spend a great deal of our time on this Earth obsessing over every flaw. How silly. How wasteful. I would challenge myself (and all women) not necessarily to believe we are gorgeous, but to understand that it simply doesn't matter. "Gorgeous" can mean something as simple as this: healthy. It can mean strong. It can mean capable. It can mean getting up every morning and doing a little better than you did the day before, taking on new challenges and accepting the reflection in the mirror as being part of all that is our wonderful life.
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Is her body gorgeous? Yes. In the way that we are all gorgeous. In the way that we are all flawed human beings trying to put our best selves forward. She is an inspiration. We all can be.