One beautiful young woman has been causing quite a stir recently in the magazine world. The September issue of Glamour Magazine features a nude photo of 20-year-old Lizzi Miller, tastefully posed, smile beaming. Miller, as size 12, is what most average people would consider normal. In the realm of high fashion, however, double-digit sizes are rarely looked highly upon, and immediately placed in the “plus-size” file (with few exceptions). Anyone looking at this photo will most likely have one of three different reactions:

Love it — “Finally, a real woman in a fashion magazine!”

Hate it — “She does not belong in the pages of Glamour.”

Indifferent — “It’s just a picture, folks.”

Having done a bit of perusing other blogs and news stories regarding this photo (which, by the way, is rather small and buried on page 194), it is clear that the overwhelming response has been extremely positive. This most recent issue seems to finally begin to understand the concept of “real,” featuring Miller in their pages. Here, we see a woman who, seemingly, is not only comfortable with herself, but also laughing at those who think she shouldn’t be.

Watching this video, there is really no way you can’t love this girl for what she is saying and how she represents herself. Recognizing the fact that she, among millions of other American women, have some sort of issue with the way they look. Part of this, as many of us know, stems from what the mass media generally portrays as the ideal form of beauty, which is a lot thinner than most.

Miller also made a great point near the end of the video, saying that sure, a size 2 may be natural for some females, but it’s just not for everyone. To the few nay-sayers who think this portrayal of “real women” will only further excuse being overweight, Miller advocates a healthy lifestyle, and that the body she has is the result. She offers no excuses, and everything she says is what most women are thinking.

The only problem is, this type of positive attitude toward accepting and being oneself is not marketed nearly as much as it should be. We do have publications such as Self that are taking things in a healthier direction — aside from that whole Kelly Clarkson debacle. One can only hope that Glamour and others will begin to follow suit. While a total upheaval of beauty and fashion may never happen, one can only hope that baby steps like these will only help women find solace in embracing what they were born with.