Does the name Lizzie Miller ring a bell for you? You probably have heard her name and maybe even seen this photograph before.  About a year ago, Glamour magazine featured this photograph (this is only the partial photograph – keep reading to see the entire photo!) on page 194 of the magazine.  When the photograph debuted, received tons of attention.  The woman in this photograph, Lizzie Miller,  came to represent everything that American women needed to see in print media — a real woman’s body! We don’t have the full photo pictured above, but if you want to see the entire ground breaking image, click here.

Despite the extreme amount of attention this photo created, it wasn’t a full-page spread or anything. In fact, it was just a small 3.5 inch tall picture smooshed within the pages of a widely-read magazine that contained countless numbers of picture-perfect, retouched, single-digit–sized  models.  Because of this, Lizzie Miller’s image stood out like a fish out of water.

The amazing thing about this photograph isn’t just the fact that she has a little roll of fat around her tummy — most women’s most feared and detested part of their bodies, but that Lizzie Miller looks completely happy in the photo.  There isn’t a horrified look on her face as she stares gloomily at that extra bit of fat.  She doesn’t look stressed that she’s baring her bodily “imperfections” for the world to see.  She looks confident and genuinely happy with herself. Did you know that she was even considered to big to model for plus-sized lines?  Crazy, I know!

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Why is it that it took so long to see a real woman’s body in print? I am sure most magazines would say that they’re showing women what they want to see.  But clearly, from the thousands of letters that poured in to Glamour, women want this.  About 41 percent of women wear greater than a size 14 clothing, which means they probably would rather see women wearing clothing that would look flattering on their body types as well.

When women look at Lizzie Miller, they can stop comparing themselves to unrealistic-looking women that only make them feel worse about their own bodies.  Now, they see someone who looks closer to their shape; women can reassess how they see their own bodies and can feel more confident about how they look. They see a woman who isn’t a size 2 and see that she’s beautiful, despite her belly roll and all!

The question becomes is this just one of those once in a lifetime moments or are magazines going to make a point of featuring woman with a little extra meat on their bones? Every year in April, Vogue magazine has a special shape issue they release that focuses on plus-sized models.  But why create an entire special issue?  Hasn’t the media realized that woman want to see real bodies on a regular basis, not just in April?

What are your thoughts and reactions to Lizzie Miller’s photo? Have you seen it before?