I drew the image above as a reaction to something that left a nagging feeling in the back of my head.

Last week, I was shopping at a bookstore downtown when I came across the print below.
While it is beautiful and quickly got my attention, I’m just tired of seeing the same body type over and over in fashion illustration, and fashion altogether. I am not into thin-shaming in any way, and I don’t discriminate against any size. It’s just that less than 5% of women have the body type that is constantly being shoved in our faces. I think I speak for all of us when I say we’ve seen enough thigh gaps for a lifetime. I’d like it if women of all shapes and ethnicities could be represented (and this is coming from a white woman who usually fits in a size small, not that it should matter). Show me the diversity that I see in the city everyday. Show me that women of all walks of life can be included in what we define as beautiful. Then maybe when we hear phrases like “Just love your body”, we can actually give it a try.

So many of us can be really critical of the way we look, trying to fit into someone else’s idea of beauty, even when it’s not physiologically possible.
Your body is amazing. It does so much for you, and the least you can do for it is to stop judging it. Be kind to yourself. (At least for today).

Have a lovely weekend, xoxo

PS: see more of my illustrations here.