Stella Boonshoft Bikini Photo Turns College Student Into Internet Star
by Free Britney at .Stella Boonshoft, a New York college student who started a blog on self-acceptance in order to help others deal with body image isssues, has become a viral hero.
Why? For putting her curves on full display in this bikini photo:
Boonshoft, who writes The Body Love Blog and who has polycystic ovarian syndrome, wrote "My body must be a revolution" along with the image above.
"Picture might be considered obscene because subject is not thin. And we all know that only skinny people can show their stomachs and celebrate themselves."
"I am not going to stand for that. This is my body, not yours. MINE."
As Boonshoft's photo - and cause - spread virally, she was asked to sit down with the Today Show on NBC. She obliged, and was forthright about the topic of bullying.
"I think people are cruel because they are uncomfortable seeing an image of people who are not thin," said Boonshoft, whose photo has been viewed 2.4 million times.
"I found that after so many years of struggling with my body image that really there was no way to justify the bullying as a child and as a teen."
Brandon Stanton, who appeared with Boonshoft on Today, created the Humans of New York project, a collection of street portraits in the city.
He initially took his own picture of Boonshoft clothed but later made a decision to use Boonshoft's bikini photos, which she says mortified her at first.
She later decided it was the right choice, for the right reasons:
"It took a lot of years of soul searching to decide this isn't right, and I finally came to a place where I was really happy with the way that I looked."
"I wanted to leave a message to the bullies who tormented me."
Between this and that Lady Gaga underwear photo, consider the Body Revolution in full swing. Time to stand up and fight back against the bullies!
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Comments (26 Total)
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Bullying happens on both sides of this issue, and I am kinda of sick and tired of it. I work out, and I mean "beastmode" type of hard in the gym. I'm a wife and a working mother, but I make time to eat right and exercise all on a budget. For my hard work, I get the "skinny bitch, so eat something" comments all the time. If I said, "fat bitch, put down the burger and pick up some weights" I would be the wrong one, right? I hear, "Oooh, girl, you have no boobs for that dress!" (34B unfortunately) I can't turn around and say, "Maybe you should try wearing tops that, oh I don't know, FIT YOU". Nope, I would be wrong again. There are two sides to every story, and YES, while the media is saturated with images of skinny women, it does NOT give bigger women the right to abuse. Just because you're fat doesn't mean you get to treat me like shit.
im sorry peepz theres nothin to be proud off. what has being unhealthy has to do with being us being bullies jus cuz we r skinny. stop this bs and denial "we metobolize differently" "we dont eat much" yeah rite, thats why ppl in poor countries are dying of starvation?! u just eat alot and make lots of excuses and find it OKAY to call us sticks, with bony and dagger elbows and EWWW ur soooo thin, but omg if u say the truth to u, then lord have mercy we r on complete attack, bullied ourselves for havin healthy bodies. ur jus jealous.
before u start opening ur mouth u need to know how to spell and type what u posted makes no sense
I didn't know bikinis came in that size. It doesn't look comfortable. I gotta say, now that 60+% of Americans are overweight, the minority are the slimmer people, and they have harder times getting hired. It's true.
bikinis come in lots of sizes but i don't think that's a bikini. the bottom's all lacy and looks more like she's wearing a bra and underwear.
And right below this article is a pic of skinny super model Petra Nemcova in an article titled "THG Hot Bodies Countdown". The irony is almost painful.