28 May Celebrating Celebrities?

Ok, I admit it- I like to read about celebrities.  On one site I frequent, typical headlines include, “XYZ Celeb Debuts Incredible Post-Baby Body” or “ABC Reality Star Shows Off Slim Bikini Body.”  Upon closer inspection, I’ve noticed that these articles make me regard my own body with increasing frustration and contempt!

A several weeks ago, however, I found a refreshingly different interview at Ladies Home Journal.  Mariska Hargitay stars in Law & Order: SVU and has three children.  As the daughter of 1950s and ‘60s bombshell Jayne Mansfield, Mariska inevitably faces questions about her body.  But in a thin-obsessed culture and profession, her answers are surprising.

Of her curves, Mariska says, “I love my curves because they scream, “I’m a mama!” … I’m just grateful that my body is healthy. I want to be on this planet for a long time, so I try to eat things that make me feel good and make me strong. But I also love food and I love life: Some days having that extra bowl of pasta and a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup means more to me than being thin.”  Did a successful Hollywood actress really just say that?!

And considering her body at age 49, Mariska says, “Things are sagging a bit — I’m not going to lie. But am I going to be upset about the sag or am I going to look at my three gorgeous kids and my husband and count my lucky stars?”

Now that’s the kind of attitude I want to have about my body!  Imagine – if instead of beating myself up about my cellulite, an occasional candy bar, and my creeping weight, what if I regarded my curves as a blessing and as a mark of my womanhood? Fortunately, I have much more to say than “count my lucky stars.”  I can thank and praise the Lord on high who “knit me together in my mother’s womb,” blesses me beyond measure, and gives me a body that is healthy and strong.  That’s something worth celebrating!

We recently held our Body Matters conference that addresses body image issues with which women struggle.  Reacps can be found here:  The Body Masked, The Body Created, The Body Managed, and The Body Redeemed.  Video and aduio of the conference are available here.