There's a certain magic that comes with being a celebrity. They are dynamic; they are engaging. In fact, even though we never meet them, they often become role models. Through their work, they invite us to look into ourselves and find the magic inside each of us. For plus size women, these role models also have something that we often have very little of - confidence. Even those female celebrities who struggle with their weight and body image seem to know that they have something magical and unique, and that it has nothing to do with the size of their derriere or the number on the tag of their blouse.

Like all human beings, starlets come in an endless array of shapes and sizes - they come in the slender variety by the dozens - and they come in the not-so-slender category, like fuller-figured retired supermodel Tyra Banks. Season after season, Tyra uses her popular show, America's Next Top Model, to champion plus size women at every turn. It was very exciting to see a plus size model finally win the title of "America's Next Top Model," Whitney Thompson. And no conversation about plus-size role models would be complete without Oprah Winfrey - the queen of the modern-day weight battle.

So what is it about these particular women? Is it that they love themselves just a little more than the rest of us? Or is it simply that they ask US to love ourselves more - and to own EVERYTHING magical about ourselves that has NOTHING to do with our bodies?

Because I think that most of us look at their struggles with weight and often think, "Who cares?" When I see Wynonna Judd or Oprah struggling with their weight over and over, I never stop being amazed that they would even CARE about that. They are accomplished and fantastic, after all, and their beauty is NOT up for debate. So the question I am then led to ask is this: What does that say about me???

Much to my amazement, time after time, the answer is that I stop seeing myself from the outside - as a "plus size" woman - and instead, I see myself as a PHENOMENAL woman. My beauty is also not up for debate - not even by me! And it does NOT depend on the size of my a**.

Believing that our worth is proportionately tied to our size (in adverse ratios, I might add) is as awful as believing that it is tied to our race, or our bank account, or the neighborhood we live in. It's just another form of lies and false division. The WORST insult is when I do it to myself.

That is why I so often write about the importance of plus size fashion and having a killer wardrobe - because I am NOT going to let my magic be overlooked just because I'm hiding in the crowd, embarrassed about my weight. There's so much more to me that really matters in this world. My style matters. My vision matters. My PASSION matters. My ability to inspire others, my capacity to spot great ideas, my savvy when it comes to marketing and positioning - all of that matters. My fat a**? Not so much. And that, quite simply, is how I feel about that.

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