The comparison stops here.

I stumbled upon an article on www.elle.com this morning, and what I read really made me concerned.  The following picture appears on the website.

Photo from http://www.elle.com/Beauty/Health-Fitness/Body-Image-Is-Our-Ideal-Shifting?cid=el:otb:beauty:Body-Image-Is-Our-Ideal-Shifting:

The caption underneath read:
The average American woman wears a size 14. Is it possible our ideal body type is shifting from very thin to more realistic?

Regardless of whether or not our ideal body type is shifting- how on earth could Elle run that montage of photographs?  How many of the women in those pictures are a size 14? There is no way one can compare Gabourey Sidibe and Nicole Richie, or Kim Kardashian and Angelina Jolie.

There is no way. 

Instead, can't we all focus on changing the state of food indulgence in this country?  Nearly everything we eat is processed, fake, loaded with additives and chemicals...

On my trip to Italy last November, everyone warned me that I would gain weight.  I accepted this, and said you know what, five pounds won't kill me.  I want to enjoy the cuisine and the wine.  Lo and behold, I LOST five pounds, and I contribute this entirely to the fact that every, single, solitary meal that I ate in Italy had been prepared fresh.  Fresh fish, pasta, vegetables.  And we walked- EVERYWHERE.  Perhaps if we weren't such a bunch of gasoline asses in this country who would rather have McDonalds than spend some time preparing our own healthy meals, we wouldn't have this issue with "the changing body ideal".

Rant over.