Blogger Stella Boonshoft Doesn't Care If Her 'Big Belly And Fat Arms And Stretch Marks' Offend You TheGloss

"This picture is for the boy at the party who told me I looked like a beached whale."

WARNING: Picture might be considered obscene because subject is not thin.

And so starts blogger Stella Boonshoft‘s post about body acceptance, especially her own body acceptance. Originally posted on her Tumblr The Body Love Blog, the New York University student created such a stir with the image of her in her underwear proudly smiling, that Humans of New York picked it up where its received almost half a million “likes” so far and 60,000 comments on their Facebook page.

The image, one that some would find shocking in a culture that is so obsessed with being thin, is meant to evoke thought and responses. Although the majority of the comments on the Facebook page are very supportive and positive, there are those (trolls as we call them in the blogosphere) who do not find the beauty in Boonshoft. However, these are the people to whom she speaks out to in her post:

This picture is for the strange man at my nanny’s church who told me my belly was too big when I was five.

This picture is for my horseback riding trainer telling me I was too fat when I was nine.

This picture is for the girl from summer camp who told me I’d be really pretty if I just lost a few pounds

This picture is for all the fucking stupid advertising agents who are selling us cream to get rid of our stretch marks, a perfectly normal thing most people have (I got mine during puberty)

This picture is for the boy at the party who told me I looked like a beached whale.

This picture is for Emily from middle school, who bullied me incessantly, made mocking videos about me, sent me nasty emails, and called me “lard”. She made me feel like I didn’t deserve to exist. Just because I happened to be bigger than her. I was 12. And she continued to bully me via social media into high school.

Colleen

I literally just posted an entry similar to that (but without photos) on my own blog. Good to see the body positive fever is catching.
http://ginandjudgment.blogspot.com
scallywag

Ultimately one has to wonder why all the fuss about the image of Ms Boonshoft in a bikini, but then again perhaps we ought not be surprised as so often society affirms that’s a woman’s value is contingent on her appearance and whether she approximates a desirable image which might be quite ironical given the fact that most women showcased to portray the ideal form are the minority, paid quite well to maintain that image even if sometimes it means bouts of their own self loathing and unrealistic and often unhealthy non eating habits.

http://scallywagandvagabond.com/2012/10/stella-boonshofts-bikini-photo-sparks-body-image-debate/
Emma88

You go girl!!! I’m about her size and I feel exactly as what she described.
You are pretty in every way, shape and form, never ever let them “win” is the people who bully who are so disgusted with themselves that they have to bring other people down.
I’m in awe of this, it really takes a lot of courage to do it, be proud of that! =D
I wish you the best.
Emma88

I’m in awe of this, it really takes a lot of courage to do it, be proud of that! =D
I wish you the best.
Dawn

The Gloss is hitting it out of the park recently – topical, relevant, feminist, entertaining.
http://www.facebook.com/monica.delcoro Monica E. Del Coro

I applaud her!!!! she is very brave!! :D And youre point its true very true people should love their body!! But on the other hand also know that being overweight can be deprimental for your health. It can cause cardiovascular problems also high blood presure diabities etc. Trying to stay healthy with your correct weight for your height and age is the correct way to be “skinny”. Being healthy is important. Know i desagree with the TV super model impossible skinny that is not realistic, im talking about being healthy and active!!! :D
http://www.facebook.com/americancwgrl87 Jessica England

She’s a beautiful woman. Unfortunately there will always be someone out there that enjoys mocking others. I applaud her for being bold enough to rise above them.
Abtin

Omg, how I hate this. It’s NOT ok to be fat! I don’t understand why everyone is going all “yay let’t be fat there’s no problem with it”, it’s fucking insane. There are even more obese people than starving people on our planet, which is even sadder. While some poor kid is starving to death in Africa, you’re eating your cheeseburger at Macdonalds, thinking there is absolutely no problem with what you’re doing. You at least have the chance to have a healthy body, and choose not to. A spoiled piece of fat fuck.
- woo
  
  I’m about her size, and I can bench 80k, deadlift 130k and squat 115k. I’m vegan and eat a mostly raw diet and my nutritional stats are A1. How somebody looks has zero to do with their health. Yes, some people are clinically overweight and also unhealthy, but some are clinically overweight and doing just fine.
  
  Anonymously attacking somebody online is the definition of being a ‘spoiled piece of fat fuck’.
- Waaa
  
  She’s even on treatment for her high blood-pressure… Good for you that you can bench that much and that other stuff, though it is not relevant. And she is not clinically fat, she’s fat because she eats too many burgers, just like 1,3 billion other fatties on our planet. Each day I work to pay for charities to help starving african children, and then I see fatties liker her in Macdonalds overeating, and throwing the rests. It makes me so angry.
Carol

Stop eating so much, you pig!
CurvyGirl

I think she looks AMAZING!! Im “over weight” and dont have a single health problem. My blood pressure is fine, My sugar is fine.. Never had ANY health problems. and Im happy with who I am! If you dont judge me based on my looks.. well thats your loss hun!
Celia

Shame on anyone who has taken to writing nasty words about being fat. SHAME ON YOU. Grow up. You’re right that it’s not something we should strive for but its certainly not something that deserves belittling or abuse. You have NO right to go around calling people fat fucks, and you know why? Because there are literally hundreds of other things that you could be freaking out over that qualify as unhealthy and you chose this?? Grow up. As a healthy female I can say that I got there no thanks to people like you. In fact, I struggled day to day knowing there were people like YOU are calling me names behind my back, assuming I was stuffing burgers down my throat instead of broccoli. I didn’t need people telling me that I was fat. I knew it! So don’t go around acting all high and mighty like you know my life. I was working hard. And it was my right to do so. If I had chosen to say “fuck it” and eat what I want then that was my right as a human. Because it’s my fucking life and people like you don’t encourage people to get healthy. You just make them ashamed, and self conscious the rest of their lives. People who were once fat and got fit will FOREVER be scarred by the words that you throw out. Get a life. Stop worrying about someone else and judging them to the point of disgust. It’s a waste of your time and mine. As HUMAN FUCKING BEINGS we should be supporting each other and striving for a better world. If you want people to be healthy then stop the verbal abuse and start guiding people with a plan and proper motivation. If you can’t do that then get lost and find something else to do because no one appreciates it.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=838700566 Tina Stachura Newby

Obesity is not a desireable thing. Alcoholism is not a desireable thing. Chronic Halitosis is not a desireable thing. Being “Tone Deaf” is not a desireable thing. Male pattern baldness is not a desireable thing. Wearing clothes out of season is not a desireable thing. Spending too much time online is not a desireable thing. After all of this…and I could go on…The inability to empathize with others who have different struggles, different bodies, different genetics and most importantly, different lives than you is CERTAINLY not a disireable thing.