Have you met Hilda? She’s the playful, funny,
active, strong, and gorgeous pin-up girl illustrated by Duane Bryers from 1957
into the 80s. She’s also fat. And she’s sexy. These last two adjectives don’t often fit
together in our modern culture, but they were not always the antonyms they are
treated as now. In another era Hilda
was considered healthy, desirable, and zaftig, but if she showed up in the
typical doctor’s office nowadays, she’d likely be sent out the door with a
handful of dieting brochures and strict admonitions about cutting down on the sugar
and fats and showing up for gym bootcamp.
Yet she was a successful calendar girl not in spite of her size, but
because of it.
I first met Hilda many years ago at a friend’s
house, where framed illustrations of her frolicking and cavorting at the beach
lined the wall above the tub in the bathroom.
It was love at first sight. Hilda
does everything… swims, sails, paints, plays outside wearing nothing but
flowers, ropes cows, climbs fences, loves nature, plays guitar, and enjoys a good book in her
rocker garbed in her favorite red-long johns.
Sure, she was originally painted as a calendar girl for the enjoyment of
straight men and the depictions are totally sexist.
She’s still my hero.
See what you think here: http://www.toilgirls.com/hilda/gallery.html
If you look on the expressions on Hilda’s face, you
see a carefree self-confident woman unafraid of a little adventure, who’s
willing to embarrass herself, because life is worth the fun and the thrill of
it. She’s outdoorsy and active, but
knows the charms of a warm fire and a soft bed.
She doesn’t think twice about wearing a bikini; her belly and her big
thighs are part of her charm, and she knows it.
In fact, she must live someplace rather warm… you get the sense that her
preferred dress would be nothing at all, that the flowers are added out of
respect for the modesty of the viewer, but not her own. She enjoys her body, and doesn’t see it as a
barrier to climbing trees, balancing on a fence, or swinging on a tire
swing.
When it comes to body image issues, I think a good question to ask
ourselves is “What would Hilda do?”
Would Hilda be afraid to show up at the pool in her
flowered swimsuit? No way.
Would Hilda show up in yoga class, do her best, and
rest with a sigh into savasana? You bet
she would.
Would Hilda stand in front of the mirror and give
herself a hard time about her butt, and put herself on a strict diet? Never.
Hilda’s success as a calendar model over thirty years tells me
something about men too:
Men find big women sexy.
Men appreciate women who are active, confident, and
not afraid to make a fool of themselves.
Men are attracted to women who are unselfconscious
and enjoy their own sexuality.
This may not be true for all men, but many more than
you’d think, if not most. By the way,
for all those same-sex loving women out there, I have it on good authority the
exact same thing is true for lesbians.
If Hilda can be sexy and confident, why can’t you and I?
Let Hilda be an inspiration to you, whatever size
you are, remembering that your ability to love yourself is not decided by
billboards, fashion shows, or your dress size.
Look for other Love Your Body role models all around you in the
world. They are out there. I’m always on the look out for new ones, so
let me know what you find.
And finally, consider becoming your own Love Your
Body role model, the person your friends look to as the embodiment of
self-confidence and enjoyment in life. It’s
a role well-worth playing.
Love Your Body Blog Part 71
