Mar Ortiz's Selfie Is Body Posi In The Best Way

A cast member from Lifetime's Big Women: Big Love was always bound to find themselves deemed some kind of body positive role model, and Mar Ortiz's body positive selfie has totally enabled that. Due to commentary on her body and eating habits both online and off, Ortiz decided to speak out against not only body shaming, but food shaming, too. After all, why does a fat woman have to only eat salads to be accepted in our society?

Ortiz openly sharing that she eats a burger, fries, and a pizza "like every day" is arguably a step forward for the body positive conversation. It fights against those who will only accept larger bodies if they live a "healthy lifestyle" while never berating thin people for the same eating habits. In her selfie and the following caption, the reality star is helping us not only to #celebrateoursize, but to celebrate ourselves in the grander scheme of all things.

The selfie reveals half of Ortiz's stomach and hips in a pointedly casual manner. There's no over-editing, no "flattering" posing, and no negativity. She writes of her body and her lifestyle as though they are totally hers. They are her decisions and her business. And subsequently, she reminds us that just because somebody's in the public eye, we have no place judging their eating habits or lack of a gym membership. And more importantly, why do so many care so much anyway?

The caption draws from Ortiz's own experiences as well as larger issues that most plus size people deal with. "Someone told me, 'Mar you're losing weight.' I said, 'Really? You think so? I eat a burger, fries, and pizza like every day...' LOL Why does size matter? Big or small.... I love my LOVE handles! I don't care about having abs or eating a salad every day. I do believe in taking healthier days and balance. I #celebratemysize every day! I love my curves and body. If I want to lose weight it will be a personal choice and it shouldn't matter to anyone else but me. #imnoangel #plusisequal #effyourbeautystandards #bigwomenbiglove."

Joining in on the #effyourbeautystandards campaign started by plus size model Tess Holliday, Ortiz is directly linking herself with body positivity. As much as food shaming is such a huge and horrible issue, body shaming is arguably the bigger picture we have to tackle together. And as much as the good fat versus bad fat complex exists and we all likely suffer for it, the overall societal issue is that against fat people, not our eating habits or lifestyle choices.

Through body positivity and body positive campaigns like #celebrateoursize, we can hope to remove body shaming for all body types.

Images: marortiz/Instagram