Eve Ensler

It is my proud pleasure to be from the same species as this woman. She embodies and empowers all things female. She was nominated by CNN as America's 'Best Feminist'. Whether or not you have heard her name, you have probably heard of her most famous works; "The Vagina Monologues".

This playwright and poet was devastated to hear a friend of hers' interpretation of her own body. She realized something had to be done to enhace communications between women and other women, but more importantly between women and their own bodies. We are strangers in our own land, disgusted and afraid.

As a result of her play, she began V-Day; an organization designed to increase the awareness of and cease violence against women worldwide. She has since become quite the activist fighting for women and their needs all over the world. She has since written "The Good Body"; a personal inspiration and mission for me. This play was the main catalyst for me to begin this website, this project. This time she explores the war we hold with our own bodies; not just a lack of understanding, but an active anger and fear towards. It all grows from the hatred she has for her own stomach, and it branches out to include stories from women of every age, size, shape and culture.

One reason I wanted to highlight this woman is for her particular kind of beauty. She is attractive in a physical sense, but certainly not "breathtaking" or "irresistable" by the worlds standards. It is her heart, her mind and her spirit that you cannot resist. She is an intellectual beauty, and inspirational beauty, not merely one of body.

Eve Ensler makes it her business to improve the quality of life for women everywhere, and for that we should be eternally grateful. If you yourself are interested in helping, her websites offer many solutions, from donating money to donating time.

Help this woman change the world before it falls into the hands of our daughters and granddaughters.

Dakota Fanning

She has won MTV awards and Kid's Choice awards. She has been nominated for S.A.G. awards. And she is 13 years old!

This young woman has quite an impressive resume; do you realize she has worked with Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, Reese Witherspoon, Helen Mirren, Kate Hudson, Joaquin Phoenix, Brittany Murphy, al Pacino and Sean Penn just to name a handful?

This precious, talented child has the look of a sweet angel, but she has tapped into her great acting abilities to pull off some weighty roles. Most recently she has been the subject of controversy over an independent film called Hounddog. In the film, Fanning portrays a little girl in 1950's Alabama who loves blues music. It gets her through the poverty and abuse in her life. There is a scene in the movie where she is raped by an older boy, and when audiences found out they went crazy. Groups were protesting that the film be shut down and that the director be sued for inflicting this experience on an actress who is so young. (Read more about the controversy here)

Fanning took an extremely mature stance on the whole project. "You have to prepare your children for things that happen in the world. Everything isn't rosy."

This beautiful, talented and intelligent individual deserves the immeasurable praise she has received for her craft, and I hope she is an inspiration to little girls everywhere.

Helen Mirren

For every woman who has ever scoffed at an "anti aging" campaign, I present Helen Mirren. This beauty was born July 26, 1945 (get out your calculators, ladies) and has aged amazingly. She isn't flawless, not even close. There are deep set wrinkles around her mouth and eyes (most likely from laughing), and gravity had taken a slight toll on her body.

Who cares?

This woman was invited to meet the Queen of England, thanks to an incredible portrayal of her majesty. Mirren has been referred to as "the ultimate thinking-man's sex symbol", and rightfully so. Whether or not she is a fox (and she is), she possesses class, intelligence and talent. Not to mention a fierce wit.

I commend Dove Beauty products for their "Real Beauty" campaign, and specifically for their "Pro-Aging" campaign. Why try and fight the inevitable? Why not embrace it?

Plus, if you can pose nude at that age and still crack a smile, you deserve the world!

Keira Knightley

This is the body of a woman who works hard. Thanks especially to movies like King Arthur (which, by the way, Guinevere kicks @$$), Knightley has adopted an extremely hardcore workout.

However, a body this good makes people suspicious. Knightley just recently ended a lawsuit against an English tabloid magazine that essentially blamed her for the death of an anorexic teenager. The tabloid posted super-skinny pics of Knightley (on the beach and such) and suggested that she had an eating disorder. The headline read: "If pictures like this one of Keira carried a health warning, my darling daughter might have lived."

Knightley was rightfully offended. She won the case and was awarded $6000 (3000 pounds). She doubled that money, adding her own $6000, and gave it to BEAT, a charity for people with eating and mental disorders.

Super-skinny isn't my look of choice (thank goodness, because it is not in my genetic code), but if you can pull it off, rock it. Every body is beautiful, in every shape and size.

Sara Ramirez

A Broadway star. A television star. A true beauty and inspiration.

This gorgeous woman gives pride to voluptuous women everywhere. Not to mention hispanic women. This Latina Diva was born in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico in 1976.

She takes pride in her size. When asked about a certain scene from Grey's Anatomy, she responded:

"Nobody from the show said I was too heavy. Instead they wanted me to dance in my underwear."

Don't you wish we could all have that pride? That kind of self-appreciation should be more contagious. Pass some on today.

Personal Mission

There are beautiful women that see an ugly woman in the mirror every day.
There are skinny girls starving themselves to get the attention of some boy.
There are older women trying every cream and procedure to remove the signs of age from their face.
We live in a society that demands perfection. Someone has decided on what is "normal" and "appropriate" and "acceptable" and women kill themselves every day to fit that mold.
I am here to tell you that every woman is beautiful.
This blog will explore the rampant negative self-image that weakens our stability. If people think fat is disgusting, I will show them just how voluptuous and natural "fat" can be. If people are afraid of wrinkles, I will show them how wise and beautiful their grandmothers are.
We must fight this fight together, every day and on every field.
In every woman there is beauty. And in every woman there is the power to inspire.