There are countless women in this world, who look at themselves every morning and see a body of flawed imperfections and insecurities but it’s not their fault. Women today are inundated by the media and surrounded by brands and images that make them strive for a certain type of perfection. Everyone still wants to be a plastic.

“The greatest people you will ever meet and the worst. Beware of plastics.”

Janis from Mean Girls

My mother brought me up to be proud of my hips (child bearing), thighs (reduced risk of heart disease) and height (6’) and it’s only in the last 18 months or so that I’ve seen a genuine change in the media’s perception of beauty.

Something refreshing happened in the media last summer when US Glamour published an image on page 194 that no one thought they would ever see … a three by three inch picture of plus size model Lizzi Miller with a little bit of belly on show. OMG. Shock. Horror.

The resulting media storm saw Lizzi launched into the spotlight, onto The Today Show and becoming a spokeswoman for plus size modelling the world over. Not bad for getting your belly out.

And it didn’t stop there … After US Glamour ‘shocked’ readers by featuring Lizzi’s plus-size belly, now, nearly a year later, IPC Media’s Essentials has decided to drop celebrities from its front covers after a resounding reader survey revealed they’d rather see “real women” than airbrushed carbon celebrity copies. Go IPC.

And now? Now, men and women alike are bowing down and worshipping the 39D-30-39 delights of the gorgeous Christina Hendricks, aka Mad Men’s Joan Holloway:

Do we think the penny has actually dropped? Has the media realised that what women actually want is to feel happy and confident, rather than lust after a body, a life, a dream they can only aspire to?

More and more often, women AND men are developing the confidence to stand out from the crowd and accept their shapes, their blemishes, their imperfections. I, for one, welcome imperfection. It’s what makes individuals interesting, what makes them original, what lights up the first sparks of attraction and leaves us wanting to know more.

And the good news is the fact that it’s been openly accepted by women, in the media. Get IN.