I’ll admit, not now nor have I ever been a size zero.

I’m ok with that, I mean I wish I was a bit thinner, but not bad enough to be a zero. However, it has become good in the eyes of society to be thin, thin enough to see bone. When did this happen?! In the past, icons had curves, a figure that was substantial.

I’d like to take a moment to point out that Marilyn Monroe was a size 14. Not 1, not 4, but a 14.

She was there, you couldn’t see her bones, she had an hourglass shape, everyone loved her. Men were gaga for her, she was a screen star, she was an iconic figure.

So why does the culture now feel that the smaller you are the better?

Simple, if you wanna be cool you have to wear the name brand items and if the name brands only go so high that’s the size you need to be or smaller.

As I gleaned through the Internet, my eyes caught on to a story, “He doesn’t want larger people shopping in his store; he wants thin and beautiful people,” Lewis said. This caused me to freeze. Had I read that right? My eyes skimmed the page rereading the interview. Yep. He (Abercrombie’s CEO) publicly said that Abercrombie pretty much didn’t like people over a size 10, or someone who wasn’t sunned and surfboard ready.

I was in total shock.

Shocked not because I love Abercrombie (which I don’t), but shocked at how shallow society has become. I felt insulted and angry with this man who I didn’t know because he had basically called out every single girl who didn’t fit his “pretty mold.” Ironically, he didn’t fit his “pretty mold” either.

Thousands of teens are insecure about how they look in comparison to their peers, celebrities, magazines and now clothing stores.  College cheerleaders who are size 4 are told they are too fat, and actress Jennifer Lawrence was ragged about being overweight, while others like plus-size model, Mia Tyler and actress Rebel Wilson are comfortable in their bodies. Queen Latifah even speaks out about her insecurities and now she is positive role model for girls.

“It was a very vulnerable time going from being insecure about my body and who I am to becoming comfortable with me. I had to tune out what the hell everybody else had to say about who I was. When I was able to do that, I felt free.” Latifah said in a interview with Ellen Degeneres.

Rather than condemning them for not fitting the mold, society should follow after these women’s’ example and reinvent the way beauty is seen. Some of the girls who are sizes larger, are healthy looking, they look natural, not about to break in half.

So many groups like Dove are trying to bring awareness to affects that pop culture and it’s advocating for pencil thin people have on girls. These groups are trying to change the world’s paradigm of beauty into something more than just skin deep.

Now I don’t really care much for the name brand clothes, not because I can’t fit them, (which I can), but because at the mall, the workers are rude, the perfumes bombard you and overwhelming you with 50 different scents and honestly some of the clothes aren’t even that cute.

Admittedly, I have worn Hollister, Aeropostale and American Eagle, but never will I again wear Abercrombie & Fitch. Why support the ridiculous mindset of the company for the popularity?

I would rather be healthy looking, apposed to showing off my rib cage. I look up to icons like Monroe, Wilson, Latifah and Tyler. They are better role models for girls than what society has deemed appropriate to look like.

It shouldn’t matter how popular you are, what brand you wear, or what size you are for that matter, what should count is what’s on the inside.