I can't imagine what they'd think if I were in my underwear on there :O

Wow this makes me feel sick. The Dove ads came out in Europe awhile back and I remember thinking that America would have a hard time with them, being less tolerant of women outside of the size 2 realm. It just breaks my heart that these BEAUTIFUL women are seen as fat or unhealthy. I always loved the Dove site in the UK, representing more realistic (and not totally realistic because we know that there are many many women out here over size 12) women in life.

All I can really say is beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I am almost positive that the man who wrote that article must be blind (not to mention stupid).

Well wishes. Oh btw - you look AMAZING!!!

I agree with all of you. This ad campaign is great. My husband and I have seen a little segment on it on the Today show and we were both pretty impressed. I think that it's a little discouraging being a size 16 myself to think that I'm bigger than them---isn't that sad? These girls look great and are a COMPLETELY healthy size, yet we are used to seeing size 0-4 models in magazines telling us that is the standard. That is what we should all aspire to? HA!

Last night Mo'nique was on 48 hours (or 20/20, or Dateline---I'm horrible at keeping track), but she is a plus sized black woman who was SOOOO great in her interview. My husband kept saying, "she is hilarious". She is a funny lady, with a very serious take on being overweight. She says that she is healthy, active and happy....if people have a problem with the fact that she is overweight, that is their fault.

I'm not necessarily into the whole "accept me just like I am fat rolls and all" concept....I want to be accepted, but I (and that is capitalized for emphasis, not just to be grammatically correct), I am not happy with where I am yet and that is why I strive to keep working at myself.

I commend the people who are pushing to show more of REAL women who are the true standard of healthy living and hope to see more of it in the future.

I think they are all beautiful women. Big? Not at all! Big compared to the anorexic images of women shoved in our faces every day everywhere we turn? Perhaps. But not in my eyes. They are all well proportioned beautiful women.

Well, I had to keep looking back at the picture to verify that these truly normal size, attractively curved women were actually being called 'fat cows'. These are the same women that men are loving and marrying (and bonking). I'd love to see the bashers on a poster in THEIR skivvies - I suspect we could do alot of return bashing. Don't get me wrong, there are alot of good men out there, but as I get older, I do notice that men by nature seem to have their tongues hanging out at any sweet young nubile (sometimes scantily clad) woman.

I think that if we all could be accepted as we are now our weight loss battle wouldn't be as difficult.

Before I got so heavy to the point of hindering me physically, the hugest aspect of my weight was how bad I felt about my appearance. I mostly was upset by how people perceived me. I'm talking even being slightly overweight. This put me into that vicious cycle of being depressed, then eating to feel better, then gaining more, etc.

I didn't want to go out, I felt sluggish, etc. All contributing to the problem.

What still boggles my mind is that I look worlds better and I'm still not accepted. It happens to be rolling off my back this time because I'm happy with my progress and that's making me feel good.

Even at a size 14 (that's what I am) people who compliment me say things like "you're getting there". I'm probably more active and healthier than them.

ggrrrr...

BTW when I called hubby to the computer to check the women out and give his opinion of them in true male style he quipped "I would do a few of them..".Yes, not the prettiest of comments but made me think that perhaps ALL men are not wired to see a 'typical' woman as undesirable. That perhaps the polls are true, men DO like to see a curvaceous woman as opposed to a stick thin waif who has forgotten how to eat. Dunno, think the women were all gorgeous!

I love these ads. They're realistic and they're beautiful girls. The really tiny girls aren't necessarily healthy - look at Kate Moss. She was rail skinny but at a price. I hope she can come back one day as a successful 'healthy' person. I've actually bought into this marketing and purchased Dove products. Happily they're really good products so I'll keep buying them.