America's Next Top Model Whitney Thompson Exposes Naked Truth About Body Image
(CBS) The battle of body image just got a little easier on the eyes.
"America's Next Top Model" season 10 winner Whitney Thompson has left her clothes at the door to headline this year's "Love Your Body Day."
The event, created by Thompson's poster mate, Chenese Lewis, hopes to help women accept themselves and feel good about their bodies, regardless of the size.
The National Organization for Women (NOW) "launched the Love Your Body campaign in Sept. 1998 as a national day of action to speak out against advertisements and images of women that are harmful, offensive, disrespectful and demeaning," the official site says. "Activists around the country say "no" to twisted beauty standard."
Thompson, a 22-year-old beauty from Florida, has had plenty to say on the subject since becoming the first plus-sized model to win the television contest.
"People don't realize that we have a billion dollar diet industry working against our self esteem. There is always a new product out selling us happiness if we 'finally' shed those pounds," she says on her blog. "If you want to change your body, then eat whole foods and get more cardio. However, I think that it is important for people to learn to love their bodies, regardless of shape or weight before they make the decision to change it."
Thompson, a size 12 to 14, has done well as a plus-sized model. She is signed to Wilhelmina and launched her own jewelry line 2009 called Supermodel.
In February, she also became a spokesperson for the National Eating Disorder Association. According to the organization, as many as ten million women and 1 million men are battling eating disorders of some kind.
Many believe the fashion industry has done it's fair share to promote unrealistic body images.
Thompson agrees.
"I wish that America would outlaw airbrushing," she wrote. "If a model can't take a good photo without being airbrushed then they shouldn't be a model. Then, people would see that models are real women with flaws and I think that everyone's self-confidence would benefit."
Check out "Love Your Body Day" here.