I sincerely try not to share any link to skin, but this is important.

Today I read an article about the new Calvin Klein model. Her name is Myla Delbesio, and she is getting a lot of attention for being plus-sized. How plus-sized? She is a whopping size 10.

Yes, you read that right. Here is the article link, but to spare you any offense, I quote:

Booking an underwear campaign for such an iconic brand would be a coup for any model. But it’s especially notable for Dalbesio, who, at a size 10, is what the fashion industry would—still, surprisingly—call “plus size.” (“In fact, not so long ago plus size models were around size 10-12, but that number has recently shrunk to an 8,” said Cosmopolitan earlier this year, while PLUS Model concurs that models “between size 6 and size 14” are typically considered plus size.)

Pretty stunning, isn’t it? This model spent years abusing her body, just to get to a “straight size,” which means a size 0-6. After nine years, she has finally found acceptance for 42-inch hips. Hallelujah!

As crazy as this all sounds, it is all true. Women friends, be strong and be well. Thin? Well, if that’s your genetic disposition, you’ll just have to live with it. If you look through family photos, though, and see a lot of pudgy ladies, maybe those extreme efforts you are taking in order to be a “straight size” are really just compromising your future health and present contentment. It may be time to stop hating your fat, and start loving your life. Eat well and move your body as much as you can every day. Build all the muscle you can build, but stop the madness. This woman is news, because she is a size 10! The fashion gods of Calvin Klein deemed her good enough to sell their underwear. And, not even their “regular” underwear, mind you. This is how they describe it:

The Perfectly Fit line was created to celebrate and cater to the needs of different women, and these images are intended to communicate that our new line is more inclusive and available in several silhouettes in an extensive range of sizes.

Emphasis is all mine.

Ladies, something’s wrong here, and I think the answer is staring back at us in the mirror. You know, that full-length mirror. The one you keep trying to avoid. We can’t blame the menfolk for this. We have got to own our own compliance with a manufactured norm that was devised to build an industry that earns 40 billion dollars ($40,000,000,000!) a year off of our self-loathing.

Stop the madness, women! This is ridiculous. You have the power to say, “No! I refuse to believe this lie that says beauty is defined by a number.” If you don’t, nothing will change. If nothing changes, do you really think they’ll ever stop putting on the squeeze?

Listen, I know that number on the scale is a heartbreak for some of you. I understand. This is all you have ever known of your worth. It has always been determined by a number. I know women desperate to please their husbands who never stop reminding them they don’t add up. I totally get that. I live in America, too. But, because I live in America I know I have the freedom to change my thinking. I have the right to say, “No.” Wives, your weight is a matter between you and your doctor. If your husband cares that you aren’t taking care of your health, that’s another matter all together. Thank God for that man, and go for a walk. Just remember that a number on a scale cannot be the sole indicator of your health. Being fat does not mean being unhealthy. It means being FAT. Can fat lead to certain diseases? Well, yes, it can. So can breathing air. So can drinking booze. (Do we really want to go there?)

I may have gotten myself into a whole mess of trouble here, but I hear it too often. Women hating themselves, because they’re fat. Women occupying good brain space with Lose Those Fat Toes, or Five Secrets of Thin Nazis. It is time we begin to discern what is truth, and what is really just a massive attempt to distract us from living the life God has given us to live. Sisters, we will all stand before the Lord one day, and I can guarantee you there will not be a bathroom scale at His throne. The Lord will not calculate your BMI at the Pearly Gates.

Am I saying it is more holy to be fat? Absolutely not! I am just asking you to recognize the oppression of striving for a number on the scale, and to not let any number determine your worth. We have precious few days on this earth. None of us know the hour we will be called into His presence. Should we really be giving so much time, money, and effort to something that is most certainly of this earth?

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21, KJV)