Did you hear the one about the plus-sized burlesque dancer who not only knows that she’s “fat” but also that she’s beautiful? Lillian Bustle recently gave a powerful TEDxJerseyCity talk, during which she admitted to being a wife, someone who’s fat and — most important — someone who’s beautiful. Says Ms. Bustle, “We as women are programmed to tell each other that we’re not fat because to many people — both men and women — fat is the worst thing that you can be. I’m five foot three, so I call myself short. I’m married, so I call myself a wife. I weigh 240 pounds, so I call myself fat. And I am beautiful, so I call myself beautiful. And I’m all of those things at once.”

I applaud Ms. Bustle’s attitude and spirit. Self-worth and self-love are two of the main mental ingredients necessary to create positive change (including getting to a healthier weight — no matter what you define that number on the scale to be). I have stated in a recent post that if we actually love and care for ourselves — even as we are now in this very moment (no matter how many pounds overweight or no matter how far away from any kind of goal) — we become more likely to encounter faster success.

Think about it… If you know a good friend or family member that’s facing a challenge, you want to help them out. But if it’s someone you have distaste for, you don’t really care if they succeed in their quest or not. Well, time for you to think of yourself in a more affectionate way and afford yourself the very same degree of care that Ms. Bustle affords herself.

You can watch Ms. Bustle’s TEDxJerseyCity talk below, courtesy of YouTube and also click to Mic.com for more on her body positive message.

Photos Source: Mic.com

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