I'm going to bet that this hub is the only one of its kind on this website. But I'm going to risk hate mail anyway.

I am naturally thin. And for years I absolutely hated it (I know, get the eye-rolling over with now, because I'm dead serious here). I saw all the gorgeous women with hips and breasts and curves everywhere and wished I looked so womanly. I thought the curvier women were the most beautiful, had the most desirable shape. I'd look at my own body and feel sad that mine looked so pubescent, so boyish and immature. I waited patiently for my body to graduate to the volumptuous sexy desirable figure of my dreams. Turns out, I ended up with the short end of the 'woman' stick. I felt like a stranger in my body for a long time, like my body didn't fit with who I really was. My head, heart, and spirit were those of a woman, but I was stuck in the body of an 11 year old. It was the strangest identity disconnect. I wished and wished for years to gain weight and when I finally gained ten pounds my junior year of college, I was beyond ecstatic. I felt like I was finally allowed to feel sexy, to feel womanly, and I've been happy with my 110 lb self since.

But, I'm still interested in why I couldn't feel the way I do now when I was at a steady 102 lbs. Why did I have to feel unwomanly? Why did I have to feel insecure next to a woman with gorgeous curves? I don't understand why every natural body type can't be stunning and sexy and lovable.

Some gripes from naturally thin women:

I hear this everywhere. And I absolutely hate that phrase. So... what if you don't have curves, hmmm? Does that mean I'm not a 'real' woman? Associating womanhood with a certain body type is where we start getting into trouble people.

What's next?  Real women have blonde hair?  Real women are tall?  Real women have at least a C cup?  Saying 'real women have curves' is the exact same rediculous statement, since it is automatically exclusionary.

How horrible to start telling females they aren't women because their natural body type doesn't include wide hips and large breasts.

It seems like there's some kind of backlash against being thin. Don't people realize that many people don't have to starve themselves to be slender? Not to mention people can be downright nasty and mean to naturally thin people, giving them dirty looks, being almost savagely unfriendly to someone for something they can't change.

Phrases like 'real women have curves' are hurtful for women who naturally don't have any. It seems all I hear these days is how curvy women shouldn't worry because they've got what men want. "Men don't like those skinny minnies anyway! They want something they can grab onto!" Boy, thanks a lot. It's like people are demonizing thinness in order to make curvy women feel better about themselves.

But why do we have to do that? Why do we have to make some women feel better at the expense of others? I just don't understand why all natural body types can't be beautiful, regardless of size or shape.

We should be helping each other, not tearing one group down in order to build another up. That is bullying and should not be acceptable.

I've heard this before, and I'm sure many other naturally thin women have too. Just because you are thin does not mean you have an eating disorder. EDs are very serious medical problems and it is hurtful to stereotypically apply an eating disorder to every naturally thin person out there. Compare the following sentences and see if you can identify the similarities:

"Wow, do you eat like, 15 steaks a day? I mean, you're so huge! Don't you ever stop eating? Are you diabetic?"

"Wow, do you eat like, one celery stick a day? I mean, you're almost non-existent! Don't you ever eat? Are you anorexic?"

I have NEVER gone up to a larger girl and asked her how much she eats, whether she excercises, or said anything about their weight. It's so unbelievably rude and not my business anyway. So I don't see how it's acceptable for people to ask naturally thin women if they have eating disorders. And yet, many people still think it is ok to tell people that their natural body type looks anorexic.

I hate it when people tell me to eat a cheeseburger. If you think that eating a cheeseburger, or even 10 cheeseburgers will make me add pounds, you're in for a big surprise. I simply do not gain weight.

The fact is, I simply have a different body type. I happen to have a metabolism like the energizer bunny. I don't understand why I should feel ashamed for it. I don't understand why it means I'm not a 'real woman' that no man would want anyway. Naturally thin women deserve to be loved and wanted and lusted after as much as the women who were blessed with amazing and stunning curves.

Exercise empathy. Embrace uniqueness. Encourage natural variation. All women deserve to feel good about themselves in their natural bodies, regardless of whether those bodies are a size 20 or a size 2.