You're in line at the grocery store. Mindlessly, you pick up your favorite fashion magazine. As you flip through the pages filled with ultra-thin supermodels, you think to yourself: Why can't I look like that? If only you were ten pounds lighter, or 3 inches taller, you could be just as beautiful. Well, I'd like to say that you are beautiful exactly as you are.

I have to admit that I have never experienced an eating disorder. I have only read of the devastation that these disorders cause to all involved, either directly or indirectly. The books that I have read have, at times, reduced me to tears, and at other instances, tightened my chest with fright. It is hard for me to comprehend the thought that a girl can look at her body and not think that anything is wrong with bones jutting from every angle, and fur growing in odd places. It is hard for me to comprehend that the dizzy feeling I get after missing a meal brings power and satisfaction to someone else. It is exhausting to think that young men and women all across the world would rather spend their lives trying desperately to fit into that size 0 pair of jeans, rather than spend their lives really living.

You are probably wondering; Why am I some type of authority on positive body image? Or; Why I am writing this introduction and not a doctor or a therapist? I can only offer this in response: For the past five years, I have made my career in the most body conscious industry there is. I am a fashion model. Having my picture taken for national and international publications is what pays my bills. The profession I have chosen causes me to pay more attention to such things as pimples, sun exposure and dark circles under my eyes. I do not, however, have to pay more attention to the number on the scale. Before you start to question, let me explain. I am a plus-size fashion model. I model clothes made for women who have hips, and breasts, and backsides. I model clothes for real women. What's more, I am ok with that. At times I have wished I could be thin enough to be a "regular size" model. Then I remember that modeling is just my job, and I am not willing to sacrifice my happiness, strength, or self-esteem to whittle down in order to fit the perfect size 0 jeans. You see, I know that I am worth more than the size of my pants. I know that my family and friends love me not for my exterior self, but for me, the me that has laughed with them through the longest of all car rides just to pass the time, or the me who has stood tall and strong through the worst of all breakups so that they did not have to. Most of all, I know that I will never surrender my freedom to food. My life is more important than that.

The thing that I understand and embrace even, is that I want to live, and live fully. I want to experience this world and the people in it completely. One day I dream of living in Bali to learn new things from a new culture. Another day I hope to pack a bag, hop in a bus, and create my own adventure throughout the United States. Some day, I hope to have a husband and children, and build a cozy home somewhere in the country for us all to live. These are just a few of the many dreams that I have engraved in my mind, and I am not willing to let something as trivial as my weight get in the way.

What astonishes me is that some people out there, are willing to let their weight get in the way of dreams. I hope that one day, soon, these people realize that its ok to be yourself, even if that means letting yourself fill out a clothing size that you might cringe at. Its ok, it does not make you less of a person in any way. It will most likely make you more of who you really are. Just imagine, you won't have to worry about your weight anymore. Think of all the dreams you can make a reality. The possibilities are endless.

So, next time you're at the grocery store, flipping through the pages of that magazine, and you think to yourself; I want to be thin, I want to be skinny, take it from a girl who has made a living in the fashion industry without giving into those thoughts; You are more beautiful just as you are, than you could ever be as you are not.

Valerie Lefkowitz was discovered by a Wilhelmina agent in 1996. At 15 years old, she was signed on as a plus-sized model immediately. Valerie has graced the editorial pages of Twist Magazine, Jump Magazine, Mode Magazine, YM, Glamour, and Seventeen. Valerie sets the example that body size does not matter when it comes to beauty. In 1999, TEEN PEOPLE named Valerie as one of America's top twenty influential teens. Valerie is currently co-sponsoring and a developing a new positive body image campaign geared toward teens and young adults with us at The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, and spreading awareness about the benefits of a healthy body image.  On behalf of The Alliance we wish to welcome Valerie to our family and look forward to working together to help make a difference.