Comfortable in their own skin

196 pounds

So many wonderful curvy role models to write about, so little time!   I'll write about one today and at least one more—who may really surprise you—tomorrow. 

Dave and I went to see Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville last night. The show was outstanding, a thing of perfection and even better than I expected (and my expectation were high), but what I want to write about is one of the female performers.  

If you're familiar with the show, you know that Keillor's cast always includes a wide range of characters and performers. Last night's performers included country music star Brad Paisley, Bowling Green-born bluesman Sam Bush, Grand Ole Opry regular little Jimmy Dickens, and musician and songwriter Andra Suchy. 

I immediately admired Suchy's look—she appeared both gorgeous and relaxed in a long flowing top, worn-in jeans, and cowboy boots, but I was even more pleased when Suchy played the role of the alluring woman in many of the show's skits because, though Suchy is easily defined as an ethereal beauty, she's also one who has real curves.  

What's most impressive about this is that Suchy is in the entertainment business, specifically the music business, which is a business that glorifies abnormally thin women like Amy Winehouse, Madonna, and Ashlee Simpson and villifies female musicians who appear more womanly (the recent attacks on Jessica Simpson's body come to mind).

I don't want to act like the music industry is totally averse to curvy women because it's clearly more open to them than other aspects of the entertainment world. After all, music superstars include Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, and Jennifer Hudson (though it' notable that the latter two of these women gained fame through a reality show and not through the traditional channels). 

But I do want to give Suchy credit where credit is due. We all know that it's never easy for women in our soceity to feel good about themselves when they more than 110 pounds, but Suchy did just that last night. When she took the stage, she appeared to be totally comfortable in her own skin. I admire any woman (or man for that matter) who has that kind of confidence, but I admire people who don't fit the very narrow Hollywood definition of beauty for it even more.  

And this brings me to my final point about last night's show. 

Suchy wasn't the only one who inspired me. Garrison Keillor did that as well. I've loved Keillor's work for a long time and that alone inspires me every time I hear it, but it hit me last night that Keillor's success is a bit of a surprise given that he too does not fit some narrow Hollywood definition of beauty. Keillor is crazy tall and a bit rumpled and nerdy. Despite this, I have always found him attractive, and last night I figured out that it's his easy confidence I'm drawn to. Keillor, like Suchy, lacks self-consciousness or pretension. He is simply his own person. He makes no apologies for who he is, and instead revels in his uniqueness—all the way down to his trademark red sneakers. 

I hope we can all aspire to Suchy and Keillor's kind of confidence. I know I do.