Stella Boonshoft, a New York college student who started a blog on self-acceptance in order to help others deal with body image isssues, has become a viral hero.
Why? For putting her curves on full display in this bikini photo:
Boonshoft, who writes The Body Love Blog and who has polycystic ovarian syndrome, wrote "My body must be a revolution" along with the image above.
"Picture might be considered obscene because subject is not thin. And we all know that only skinny people can show their stomachs and celebrate themselves."
"I am not going to stand for that. This is my body, not yours. MINE."
As Boonshoft's photo - and cause - spread virally, she was asked to sit down with the Today Show on NBC. She obliged, and was forthright about the topic of bullying.
"I think people are cruel because they are uncomfortable seeing an image of people who are not thin," said Boonshoft, whose photo has been viewed 2.4 million times.
"I found that after so many years of struggling with my body image that really there was no way to justify the bullying as a child and as a teen."
Brandon Stanton, who appeared with Boonshoft on Today, created the Humans of New York project, a collection of street portraits in the city.
He initially took his own picture of Boonshoft clothed but later made a decision to use Boonshoft's bikini photos, which she says mortified her at first.
She later decided it was the right choice, for the right reasons:
"It took a lot of years of soul searching to decide this isn't right, and I finally came to a place where I was really happy with the way that I looked."
"I wanted to leave a message to the bullies who tormented me."
Between this and that Lady Gaga underwear photo, consider the Body Revolution in full swing. Time to stand up and fight back against the bullies!
Why? For putting her curves on full display in this bikini photo:
Boonshoft, who writes The Body Love Blog and who has polycystic ovarian syndrome, wrote "My body must be a revolution" along with the image above.
"Picture might be considered obscene because subject is not thin. And we all know that only skinny people can show their stomachs and celebrate themselves."
"I am not going to stand for that. This is my body, not yours. MINE."
As Boonshoft's photo - and cause - spread virally, she was asked to sit down with the Today Show on NBC. She obliged, and was forthright about the topic of bullying.
"I think people are cruel because they are uncomfortable seeing an image of people who are not thin," said Boonshoft, whose photo has been viewed 2.4 million times.
"I found that after so many years of struggling with my body image that really there was no way to justify the bullying as a child and as a teen."
Brandon Stanton, who appeared with Boonshoft on Today, created the Humans of New York project, a collection of street portraits in the city.
He initially took his own picture of Boonshoft clothed but later made a decision to use Boonshoft's bikini photos, which she says mortified her at first.
She later decided it was the right choice, for the right reasons:
"It took a lot of years of soul searching to decide this isn't right, and I finally came to a place where I was really happy with the way that I looked."
"I wanted to leave a message to the bullies who tormented me."
Between this and that Lady Gaga underwear photo, consider the Body Revolution in full swing. Time to stand up and fight back against the bullies!
