Hi Tyra,
First off I'd like to tell you that your show is very good and I often find myself looking at some of your stories crying saying well, they did it so can I.
I am a mother of 2, one of my daughters is 5 LeeAnn, and has Downs, SO WHAT THAT MY DAUGHTER HAS A DISABILITY, I DIDN'T CAUSE IT AND SHE IS PERFECT!
My other daughter is 4 months and absolutely the light of my other daughters life. SO WHAT THAT I AM NOT BACK TO A SIZE 8 4 MONTHS AFTER HAVING A BABY!
Here are a few more of my SO WHATS:
SO WHAT THAT I SPEND ALL MY MONEY AND TIME ON MY DAUGHTERS AND NOT ON MYSELF!
SO WHAT THAT I HAVE FUNNY SHAPED TEETH, I STILL HAVE A BLESSED LIFE AND SMILE ALL THE TIME TO SHOW IT!
SO WHAT THAT I OPENLY IN LOVE WITH GOD, HE HAS HELPED ME THROUGH SO MUCH FROM CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE TO THE BIRTH OF MY OLDEST DAUGHTER!
Thank you for being such a beautiful person inside and out. Our country needs more people like you who care about others as much if not more than themselves.

hey tyra!

im 14 and i love your show!. i was wondering where i could buy a "so what" bracelet? i would LOVE to have one! thanks so much!

`ali

hey tyra!

im 14 and i love your show! i was wondering where i could buy a "so what" bracelet? i would LOVE to have one. thanks so much!

`ali

hey tyra!

im 14 and i love your show! i was wondering where i could buy a so what bracelet? i would LOVE to have one. thanks so much!

`ali

TYRA BANKS!!! Oh my gosh where do I start? Ever since I was little people would say "Oh you got a Tyra Banks five head" and I would cry because i didnt know who you were i just thought that you must have been the worst looking creature on Earth...but then I saw higher learning when i got older and I was like THATS TYRA BANKS...she is GORGEOUS!! My mom named me after Iman the model btu I have to say another model has given me strength to love everything about me even my big "tyra banks fivehead"...i am a 19 yr. old college junior and you inspire me so much...some people say im too skinny and some say i have a little too much flab in places but i say SO WHAT because I am BEAUTIFUL from my Tyra Banks forehead down to the soles of my feet....Thanks so much Tyra Smooches Girl!

Hey Tyra i just wanted to say THANK GOD SOMEONE FAMOUS SAID THIS!. I used to be one of those girls who was all upset about their weight. And ya i have been teased but lately i have just said SO WHAT IF I HAVE SOME FLAB! i work hard to keep my flab pack. and at least i stay warmer in the winter. Anyways im just glad you have a voice for all those girls who just wanna say SO WHAT?

Hi tyra,

I'm sixteen and i am normal weight for my age... but i still think i'm fat. I'm 5'2 and 120 lbs and i check my weight everyday because i think i'm fat and sometimes i even envy anorexic girls. I have tried to overcome my low self esteem. But I've been trying really hard since you started your SO WHAT campaign. I just wanted to say thanks for your inspiration, because i see a former model who worked in the business of being skinny and who has overcome that pressure and it gives me hope that i can change.

After being mis-diagnosed by doctors, my mother was eventually diagnosed with STAGE 5 Cancer, which is the highest stage of Cancer. With doctors & other people knowing the deadly effects of this disease, they told her of the slim chances of living, but my mother said, SO WHAT! to them and Cancer!! Long story short, she recently finished chemotherapy and is a survivor! Being a hip hop artist, I used my music as therapy during the process of seeing her suffer and it is amazing how many people the story/song/video has inspired & encouraged! I have submitted the video(also on www.myspace.com/misland) for the SO WHAT! campaign and hope that it is picked because I am sure my mother's SO WHAT! survival story will be a blessing to women across the world! Peace and love...

Tyra,
i am a normal14 year old teenager with really low self esteem. i am not overweight, but i am often teased about my fat rolls or lovehandles. also, i have a large birthmark that covers one corner of my forehead. kids my age often "mistake" it for dirt. but its not. i was born with it and had two surgeries on it. i guess it was meant to be there. but i felt helpless until i came across your SO WHAT?! campaign. you have inspired me to ignore what others say and be proud of who i am.

Trya
When i watch your show on the
SO WHAT?! campaign i felt so imspried beacuse all my life i was always overweigth and i always felt ugly. but when that espoide came on it gave me more confidece to love my body but always love my self. trya you are turely an imsporinally to all of us womean out their.
here my so what: MY BELLY MAY JIGGLY BUT SO WHAT?!
thank you trya

Hi Tyra!!!!
i was up watching tv late last night and i saw your "so what" show. i'm sure that you hear this soooo much but you are my ROLE MODEL!!! i'm 16 years old and all i ever hear is how people want to lose weight. and these are people around me that i personally don't think need to lose weight. i know that they feel this way because of the media and what it defines as "beautiful". But after watching your show, i felt like you are the light shining through the dark tunnel. i'm sorry if that sounds a little bit dramatic but that's seriously how i feel. I'm so glad you have the tyra show because you put everything into perspective. In a world where so many people tell you that its not okay to look like you do, you say that it IS okay to look like you do, as long as you are healty. i think that teenage girls as well as a lot of older women need to hear that so much. so thank you for starting the 'So What?' campaign. you're a gift to the world and you are beautiful inside and out and always will be!!! and thanks to you i'm starting to feel like i am too.

love,
Divya

Hi Tyra!!!!
i was up watching tv late last night and i saw your "so what" show. i'm sure that you hear this soooo much but you are my ROLE MODEL!!! i'm 16 years old and all i ever hear is how people want to lose weight. and these are people around me that i personally don't think need to lose weight. i know that they feel this way because of the media and what it defines as "beautiful". But after watching your show, i felt like you are the light shining through the dark tunnel. i'm sorry if that sounds a little bit dramatic but that's seriously how i feel. I'm so glad you have the tyra show because you put everything into perspective. In a world where so many people tell you that its not okay to look like you do, you say that it IS okay to look like you do, as long as you are healty. i think that teenage girls as well as a lot of older women need to hear that so much. so thank you for starting the 'So What?' campaign. you're a gift to the world and you are beautiful inside and out and always will be!!! and thanks to you i'm starting to feel like i am too.

love,
Divya

Hi Tyra!!!!
i was up watching tv late last night and i saw your "so what" show. i'm sure that you hear this soooo much but you are my ROLE MODEL!!! i'm 16 years old and all i ever hear is how people want to lose weight. and these are people around me that i personally don't think need to lose weight. i know that they feel this way because of the media and what it defines as "beautiful". But after watching your show, i felt like you are the light shining through the dark tunnel. i'm sorry if that sounds a little bit dramatic but that's seriously how i feel. I'm so glad you have the tyra show because you put everything into perspective. In a world where so many people tell you that its not okay to look like you do, you say that it IS okay to look like you do, as long as you are healty. i think that teenage girls as well as a lot of older women need to hear that so much. so thank you for starting the 'So What?' campaign. you're a gift to the world and you are beautiful inside and out and always will be!!! and thanks to you i'm starting to feel like i am too.

love,
Divya

my names kenisha and im 18 years old. Very often i my friends tease me or point out that i dont speak "black" or im not "ghetto" I mean its not talking black, its having knowledge to speak somewhat proper ya know. i was born in chicago and lived there for about 6 years, but then me and my family settled to arizona. So i guess i kinda picked up the way ppl talk out here. Being a black girl, ppl would think a need to have a big booty...but i dont. i mean a got a booty....but its not the biggest!! ppl tease me about that!! but i just tell them...SO WHAT!? Well i am 5'10 1/2 inches....im thin and have large breasts....yep..ppl think thats weird too. But ive learned to step up to ppl, stop being afraid and tell em SO WHAT!!! And this is all because of your SO WHAT show!! you taught me that not everybody is perfect, but we are all unique and beautiful in our own ways!!! I love you soooooooooooo much tyra....You are the most inspirational woman ive ever seen!! you mean so much to me....i almost cry when i see any of your shows, but thanks for helping me, and millions of other girls!!!

my names kenisha and im 18 years old. Very often i my friends tease me or point out that i dont speak "black" or im not "ghetto" I mean its not talking black, its having knowledge to speak somewhat proper ya know. i was born in chicago and lived there for about 6 years, but then me and my family settled to arizona. So i guess i kinda picked up the way ppl talk out here. Being a black girl, ppl would think a need to have a big booty...but i dont. i mean a got a booty....but its not the biggest!! ppl tease me about that!! but i just tell them...SO WHAT!? Well i am 5'10 1/2 inches....im thin and have large breasts....yep..ppl think thats weird too. But ive learned to step up to ppl, stop being afraid and tell em SO WHAT!!! And this is all because of your SO WHAT show!! you taught me that not everybody is perfect, but we are all unique and beautiful in our own ways!!! I love you soooooooooooo much tyra....You are the most inspirational woman ive ever seen!! you mean so much to me....i almost cry when i see any of your shows, but thanks for helping me, and millions of other girls!!!

hey,
i'm 16 years old and live in newjersey. i just wanted to tell you that your "so what" campaign has changed my life. i've always been the bigger girl in school, the "funny fat friend". and itreally hurt my self confidence growing up, and still today. but seeing how your making such an effort to help women and girls eveywhere to be okay with themselves, and to love themselves is amazing. it's inspired me to be happy with myself again. i was always ashamed of being big, always trying to find the next best thing to loose weight, i even thought that being anorexic was the only way to go, but not anymore. seeing your shows about being healthy and happy has been one of the most positive things in my life.

and i just wanted to say that you, trya banks, are my hero.

love always,
alyssa.

hey,
i'm 16 years old and live in newjersey. i just wanted to tell you that your "so what" campaign has changed my life. i've always been the bigger girl in school, the "funny fat friend". and itreally hurt my self confidence growing up, and still today. but seeing how your making such an effort to help women and girls eveywhere to be okay with themselves, and to love themselves is amazing. it's inspired me to be happy with myself again. i was always ashamed of being big, always trying to find the next best thing to loose weight, i even thought that being anorexic was the only way to go, but not anymore. seeing your shows about being healthy and happy has been one of the most positive things in my life.

and i just wanted to say that you, trya banks, are my hero.

love always,
alyssa.

Dear Tyra,

First I want to say, Thank you for making me feel okay with myself and my body. I was once a size 2, until I met my [now] husband. Love took over, I gained weight, had 2 children, and I've had a problem losing it all. Haha! I had low self-esteem, a bad self-image, no confidence at all, and it took a big toll on my love life. You, along with Mo'nique, who also supports curvy women, have made me feel proud to be who i am and how i look. And when I see people who thinks "oh my gosh, she gained some weight! She used to be so small!" I'm going to say "SO WHAT!"

Im a 17 years old girl who have always not been comfortable in my skin i think i pretty on some days but when im with some of my friends who are smaller than me i feel like nothing. i have very wide shoulders so thats what makes me not feel NOT pretty i had an ex boyfriend who i've been dating 4 five months until he left me 4 a girl who was lighter skinned and longer hair and not 2 forget smaller than me that made me feel ugly and that no one will never like me agian. since middle school people have always talked about me so im kinda used of it now but i still cry and get hurt but i watch ur show almost every day and u show young ladies like myself not 2 go by what the media is saying and thats why i can say you are my role model. i like tha shows when u bring people on there all shapes and sizes to make them feel that they can do anything if they want. so 4 now i want to say IM NOT A SIZE 2 AND NEVER WILL B SO WHAT!!!
THANK U 4 BEIN SUCH A GOOD PERSON. AND A GOOD ROLE MODEL 4 ALL WOMEN

Im a 17 years old girl who have always not been comfortable in my skin i think i pretty on some days but when im with some of my friends who are smaller than me i feel like nothing. i have very wide shoulders so thats what makes me not feel NOT pretty i had an ex boyfriend who i've been dating 4 five months until he left me 4 a girl who was lighter skinned and longer hair and not 2 forget smaller than me that made me feel ugly and that no one will never like me agian. since middle school people have always talked about me so im kinda used of it now but i still cry and get hurt but i watch ur show almost every day and u show young ladies like myself not 2 go by what the media is saying and thats why i can say you are my role model. i like tha shows when u bring people on there all shapes and sizes to make them feel that they can do anything if they want. so 4 now i want to say IM NOT A SIZE 2 AND NEVER WILL B SO WHAT!!!
THANK U 4 BEIN SUCH A GOOD PERSON 4 WOMEN AND

I just wanted to say (girl you look good) you know where we come from the extra weight is truely loved. Black men love it even if we don't, I told one man from Texas that I was trying to lose 20lbs he told me that he liked the way I looked thats why talked to me, that helps.

Tyra.
I just wanted to say thank you. I find is amazing that you can make so many people feel better about themselves and give them confidence. I dont have a story about how I have become comfortable with myself because I've never had a reason not to. But to see how you can change a person's life by telling them they are beautiful no matter what is just AMAZING. You are my idol and I hope I can meet you some day. I love the Tyra Show and ANTM. :)

Tyra,
When I saw your "SO WHAT?!" episode a while back, it made me feel so good about myself. I'm 12 years old and I'm struggling to lose weight. I weighed 201 at the begining of the summer. I lost 3 pounds over 3 moths, but my body changed so much. I'm 5' 7" , I wear a size 11 in shoes, I have stretch marks on my stomach, my sides, my breasts and some small ones onmy arms. SO WHAT?!?!?!?!?!
I'm still trying to loose more weight, but I ain't doin it for no one but my self! I feel so happy that you started this campaign. It helps full figured women realize how beautiful they are!
Thank you so much Tyra,
Aviella

Hey Tyra,Omg I am soooo glad you started the So What movement.I am a 15 year old girl and I have flab on my arms and legs and on my stomach and when I have girls that come up to me and tease me because I am fat all I have to say is "soooooooo what."I won't even go to the beach because I think that if I wear a bathingsuit I feel that people are judging me. And when I look at these skinnie girls in a bikini I think why can't that be me.Please write back.

hey tyra

i love your show and your SO WHAT campaign.
i am over weight everyone in my class and all my friends are skinny and i always feel like i dont fir i and im not pretty cause im not skinny i watched this epidode and i said to myself so what i am sweet , nice and i shouldnt feel that way about myself cause im beautiful the way i am. i just wanted to let you no i admire you so much your my hero and you are very pretty iloveu so much

Tyra,
I want to thank you for creating the "SO WHAT!?" movement, I'm sure that it has inspired many women across the country. I find that even I, sometimes have to just throw all of my weight procausions out of the window and just say "so what". But it's harder than it seems. With this movement, I know it was your intention to inspire women everywhere to feel comfortable in their own skin, but what has worried me the most is that I just saw recently on the news that for your next cycle of America's Next Top Model, a woman that is a SIZE EIGHT, is being labelled plus sized. The normal plus sized range is size 14+ and a woman who has probably spent her entire life feeling she had a body figure, only to be labelled as plus sized. I understand that it is the modelling industry, but I would have figured that somebody as influencial as yourself would have even seen that a size 8 is not plus sized, it's beautiful.
I'm not dissing you, or condradicting you, I just found it to be a concern that worries me, because if you promote good self- esteem on one show, I was under the impression that it would be the same kind of influence on the other.
But I do appreciate you and all that you do. You are a very compassionate person with a heart of gold. I am a very big fan of yours, I wish I had somebody like you to talk to at times.
God bless.

Hello, Ms. Banks! I am 14 years old, and I am your biggest fan. You are one of the most influential people in MY life, and I want to thank you for that. But first, my so what moment is that I have hips. Big Hips. Also, I have stretch marks on my hips and bottom, and a little cellulite, and people have made fun of me about it both behind my back AND in my face.

But at the end of the day, I realize that I am a beautiful, smart girl, and all those girls at my school ain't got NUTHIN im me! I do have a BIG booty, and hips, but hey, SO WHAT!?!?! I have cellulite and stretch marks and i haven't had kids, or even SEX at all, but so what?! and I have hair that grows in unwanted places, but So What!? And on top of that, I wear a size 11 shoe, but SO WHAT? So thank you, Ms. Banks, for being ONE OF the most important people in my life.

Hii I'm Steph =]
I'm 15 years Old and i'm about 217 pounds.
I love my body.
I hated it for the longest time.
I went through a faze in my life were all i do would do is sneak food into my room and eat. I put myself in a viscious circle.
I would to make me happy (beacuase food was the only thing that made me happy and once i finished that last bite of whatever I was eating i would be so ashamed with myself for eating that much which would make me even more upset then i already was...which then led to me crying and trying to sneak out to get more food.
This happend for about 2 years of my life. I didn't have very many friends but I'm such a bubbly person that i wanted to be friend with everyone...So I got upset easily when people didn't look me just cause of the fact that i had some actual fat on my body.
Anyways over the past month i have been losing weight and finaly realizing that if you dont like the fact that I'm over 200 pounds. Then dont look at me...because I'm big blonde and beautiful in my eyes!...So I'd like to say so what?! I'm big...AND i'M FABULOUS!!
THank-you tyra...You are honestly my idol.... I love watching you show because I love to just sit there and watch you talk about beauty =]
I dream of one day comming to new york to watch you live on show and I really think it would amasing if you did a show called Americas Next Plus Size Model.
Beacause To Me Plus Size Models Are The Most Beautifullest Models our there
Love
Stephie

hey tyra! first of all, i frickin' love you!!! you're an amazing woman who should be a role model to any young girl, you definitely are for me! im a 16 year girl in a small town and there are a lot of really pretty, skinny girls in my school. my family tells me how beautiful i am all the time, but sometimes it doesn't make me feel better. it's taken me a while to accept myself for who i am and what i look like, but i have, because of you. i started developing early, when i was nine!, so i had my awkward phase in 4th grade. i was taller than everybody and was already wearing a c-cup bra. i felt awful! but now i fell normal and comfortable in my skin, even with my triple d's!!! sometimes i feel like im getting the wrong attention from guys, but that's to be expected! i am finally able to say "so what?!?!" loud and clear to anyone that has something to say about me!!! so bring it!!! thank you so much tyra, you're an awesome person!!! i wish you great success in your future and happiness in your life! you deserve it!!!!!!

much love,
Emilie!!!

Hi Tyra I ALSO just wanted to tell you that its good you talk about weight and how it doesnt matter alot on your show also i love your show so much i watch it as much as i can but I just wanted to say that honestly your shows have helped me be more confident in my body. sure there are things bad and good about it but thts just how i was made and i shouldnt change to make other people happy =D

yourrr greatt!

Dear Tyra,
hi Tyra im only 12 and i have been unhappy with my body since i was smaller. But when i heard about ur So What campaign i felt secure that ur just who u r and ur body is how it is. Im really happy i started feeling secure im known to have a pretty face but just not really the body but u know what i dont care. I want to make every one feel secure and pple feel how i feel if they have gaines some wait. sometimes it just makes u who u r. U have made me look at life different> u have made me feel secure about myself.
Thank u
Susan

DEAR TYRA,
HEY TYRA I AM 13 AND I USED TO THINK BECUZ I WASNT A SIZE 2 THAT I WAS SO UGLY I AM BUILT LIKE MY MOTHER WHEN U HEAR THE AGE 13 U KINDA HAVE A BODY DESCRIPTION WELL I AM 13 WITH A 16 YEAR OLDS BODY WHEN YOU DID THE SO WHAT THING I FELT SO BEATIFUL I FELT THAT IT WAS FINALLY TYME 2 BE OK WITH THE WAY I AM AND I ADMIRE U SO MUCH AND I WISH I HAD ALL OF THE SELF CONFIDENCE U HAVE BUT I DONT SO WHEN I WATCH THE SHOW I TRY 2 TAKE EVERY THING YOU SAY AND TAKE IT TO HEART WHEN THE MEDIA SAID THAT YOU WERE FAT I FELT SAD AND DEPRESSED BECUZ I FELT THAT U HAD TO BE A SIZE 2 BUT WEN U DID THE SHOW U MADE ME FEEL SO MUCH BETTER IT HURTS ME SO MUCH 2 FIND OUT THAT THATZ WAT THE MEDIA THINKZ IZ THE ONLII BEAUTIFUL BODYTYPE BEING SKINNY U MAKE ME WANT 2 LUV MYSELF MORE I REMEMBER A TYME I USED 2 CRY BECUZ I DIDNT LOOK LIKE THAT SO I WOULD JUS LIKE 2 SAY THANK U SO MUCH 4 MAKING ME FEEL BEAUTIFUL

Tyra,

I love that you are putting out a positive influence on girls my age. I'm 16 and know a lot of girls including myself that are self-conscious about the way we look. I know I'm not fat but somedays I can't help but feel that I need to lose a little weight. After watching your show about your "SO WHAT!" campaign I went downstairs and got some chocolate pudding. I've wanted to model for a long time, but never felt that I was pretty or skinny enough. I've never let what anyone says get me down. I always feel beautiful and thankful for what god gave me. Why starve yourself to look smaller? Why have surgery to fix your flaws? Live with them and LOVE them. Your show is so inspiring to me and I want to thank you so much!

- Shelby =]

SO WHAT...DUH?! There are so many things and people that I want to say that to. I have lived with a tracheostomy since 1975. I was in an auto accident at the age of 22, my larnyx was shattered. After escaping an abusive marriage, I began working in a very busy superstore (meijer), I am a greeter and I began attending college at the age of 50.(I will have a paralegal degree in November, 2007). My voice sounds like I have a cold, and I hear some of the most unbelievable statements from people. I hear people say things about others that I can't believe. They judge people for their race, their size, their clothes, their disabilities, their beliefs, their job,etc. I see wealthy people steal and poor people return wallets and purses with large sums of money. I see good people and disgusting people. If I allowed what people say to control my life I would stay at home an never go anywhere. Worry about what others think or say about us keeps us from truly living. I've had a tough life and my struggles are still many, but I never struggle with what others think or say about me. As a paralegal I hope to find a job where I can help others discover what I have learned; and use it to realize, we are not what people say or think we are, we are WHAT WE ARE-- AND WE CAN BECOME WHAT WE DREAM.

Hey Tyra Wus up,

I feel like I can relate to you alot. I remember when you was talkin about how skinny you were. I was that girl. I was called all kinds of names like Olivoyal, snake women and all kinds of names. Its seems much harder now that I wish I was that skinny again so I can model.When I was a teen I saw a picture of you walking down a runway, and on the side of that picture was your measurments, and I compared mine to yours. We were the same hieght and wieght. Now that I am 25, I can still compare. I am 5'11 and my wieght is 161, and I have dimples in my booty and thighs. And since I had 2 girls I have developed a pooch. So freakin WHaaaaaaaaat, Thats why I got a man that loves all of that......

Dear Tyra,
Well I just wanted to add, my story to the "So What" column, even if it doesn't go with what others wrote, I thought it fit here. So I should start with an intro, that only seems appropiate. I am a 28 year old woman, who is happily married to the greatest guy in the world, and we have two rockin' little boys. When I was 13 I witnessed what breast cancer could do to a woman. My mom's sister had a bilateral mascectomy and underwent radiation and chemo and lost all of her hair, the whole nine yards. She did survive, and is still alive today. But even then I knew this was a warning, especially since my maternal grandmother died from breast cancer almost 10 years prior to that. Skipping ahead some, My uncle on my father's side was murdered about a year later. Now a bigger jump. I was "daddy's girl" growing up and we did everything together. Only for us to lose him to a heart anerism right after I turned 16, and one week before my brothers 14th birthday. This left me, my brother and mom, sort of in a turmoil as you can imagine. So much so, my mom tried to kill my her dad, who she cared for, one night. A whole lot there I'm no putting in. Jumping ahead to me turning 19. I met a guy who seemed really cool, and within 2 weeks of dating, he asked me to marry him. I said yes, cuz that sounded like fun when I was 19. Right after I got married, I found out my mom had breast cancer, and it was malignent. They only gave her a year to live from the point they removed her left breast. This was also about the time the guy I married decided to show off the fact he was so much bigger than me by throwing me around. That ended when my brother witnessed his abuse, and not liking him anyway, he ran him out with a machete. Meanwhile, my mom just gets worse and ends up on life support for a week. That was a bad week for my brother and I. He ended up in jail with my teethmarks imprinted into his left arm. He says they are still there. Again, alot left out there. She ended up passing away in January of 2000. I moved to Fl to live with someone I thought was a friend. But drugs were more important to her. (Not that I didn't dabble) After 4 months of being there I had to come home, and my brother came and got me, and once I got "home" there really was not place for me to go. So I had to move in with my cousin, her boyfriend and 2 kids in a 2 bedroom apt. I started working in the office of the apartment place and got my own place shortly afterwards. By the end of the year, I met the man of my life. We got married, he joined the Navy, we had our boys, life has been great. In June of last year, I found out I carried the breast cancer gene. Many options are available now that weren't even 5 years ago. I was given many choices on what I could do. I chose to have a bilateral mascectomy with a tram flap recontruction. And I couldn't be happier. Life will throw just about anything at you. But God will never give you more than you can handle. You just have to learn and grow with each experience.
I hope this helps some people.

Tyra-
i've been battling weight ever since i realize i was chunky. i've battled teasing, even from my own family about my weight. many people tease me at school, but i realized, SO WHAT?
so what if people dont like me, i like myself and that's all that matters. i'm independant and smart and i take care of myself more than i need my parents to take care of me. i get good grades without being hassled. i do everything for myself, instead of trying to please other people. SO WHAT if my dad doesnt appreciate me and i dont have many friends? i have the people i have around me because i put them there and i'm the only one that matters in my life because i'm the one who controls my life.

thanks, Tyra for starting the campaign. i think a lot of young people like myself will think higher of themselves because a beautiful ex-model woman is telling other people to think higher of themselves. Celebrities are a big influence on many people, especially teenagers, and many of them arent doing any good to them. all we read in magazines and see on TV is "anorexic" and "alcoholic" and "bulimic," etc. you, on the other hand, are doing an excellent campaign and i believe it WILL make a difference.

Mariah, age 16.

i have love handles and a pouch and im short...SO WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hi tyra im 17 and i love how your so real. i mean alot of other shows just talk about how "he cheated on her" or "thats not his baby" you know what i mean?in my opinion you talk about topics that make a differance.thank you tyra! {hug}

Hi Tyra,

You are a very amazing young lady. I admire you and I love your "so what!" shows. I have been struggling with my weight for years and I have come to terms with the weight and I love myself regardless of my weight. I admire all of the women who stood up and said "so what" I don't wear a size 2 and never will. You have taken this to a higher level and I thank you so much for opening my eyes. I am no longer as depressed as I used to be about my weight. As long as I can dress well and wear my heels then I am satisfied and I feel good inside and out. Once again keep up the good work and keep looking out for our beautiful plus size women. We rock!!!

I am only 19 years old and I have been battling cancer for the past 3 and a half years and I say SO WHAT! Some people treat me differently and it used to bother me but now I don't care because I know that I am a stronger person then they ever will be. I have lost my hair more than once and I still looked beautiful. Tyra, you have been the reason why I have confidence and the reason why I keep fighting. You are such a strong and independent woman and it just shows me that whatever you set your heart to, you can achieve. I have been thru so much and I have come to realize that the people who take things for granted are not worth worrying about. Tyra thank you sooo much!!

I think Tyra’s “SO WHAT?!” Campaign is a waste of time. All the women who support it are either fat or ugly and i think that stupid tyra banks show should be cancelled because nobody wants to watch a bunch of fat ugly women on tv trying to make a stand. It makes the whole world watching laugh at all these stupid fat ugly women. Tyra banks should not even have a show i mean there other black women out there who look 10 times better then her and dont need to use a stupid SO WHAT phrase. Big deal on her stupid model job. Like i said there are better looking black women then Tyra Banks. Tyra is fat thats why she came up with that stupid thing SO WHAT. She makes me laugh and to tell you the truth it amuses me all those fat women on her show. I hope the show gets cancelled soon and we can have a better show on tv instead of having a show that wastes time and money. An to all you fat and ugly women out there stop trying to be proud and stop saying SO WHAT because the reality is you FAT AND UGLY

hey guys! i just wanted to say that you changed my life. i used to have such low self-confidence. i face nothing but critisism and everything but support all the time. one time when i was at school and someone was putting me down in the worst ways. i just stood up, looked them straight in the eye and yelled, "SO WHAT!" now, i walk down the halls with my head held high. i can not begin to explain my graditude. i love you TYRA!!!

Hey Tyra!
I just wanted to say thanks because you have change my mom. My mom use to care what people said about her and ever since she seen your show she dosen't care what people sayabout her now when people talk about her the only thing she says is
!!!!!SO WHAT!!!!!!
She likes the way she looks.And I'm very happy for her.I learn that us girls shouldn't care what other people say about us and we shold feel good and know that the way we look is just fine.
YOURS TRULY,
VANESSA
P.S IM 14 TEEN YEARS OLD AND IM A BIG FAN OF YOURS AND I THINK YOU LOOK GOOD JUST THE WAY YOU ARE AND DON'T CHANGE WHO YOU ARE!!!

Hey Tyra! I just wanted to say i am 12 years and you have inspired me with your "SO WHAT" campaign.Everyone at my school always calls me skinny even tho i am 5"2 n weigh 91 lbs.It really gets me frustrated to hear that over and over again, but since you started your "SO WHAT" campaign I can say to them SO WHAT IF MY BODY IS NOT UP TO YOUR STANDARDS SO WHAT!!! You also taught me not to care what people think so if i think im the perfect weight for me I WILL NOT LET PEOPLE EFFECT ME WHEN THEY SAY IM SKINNY!!!! TYRA I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!YOUR MY IDOL :) I WISH TO MEET YOU IN PERSON ONE DAY :)

Hey Tyra! I just wanted to say i am 12 years and you have inspired me with your "SO WHAT" campaign.Everyone at my school always calls me skinny even tho i am 5"2 n weigh 91 lbs.It really gets me frustrated to hear that over and over again, but since you started your "SO WHAT" campaign I can say to them SO WHAT IF MY BODY IS NOT UP TO YOUR STANDARDS SO WHAT!!! You also taught me not to care what people think so if i think im the perfect weight for me I WILL NOT LET PEOPLE AFFECT ME WHEN THEY SAY IM SKINNY!!!! TYRA I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!YOUR MY IDOL :) I WISH TO MEET YOU IN PERSON ONE DAY :)

Hi Tyra

YOU ARE AWESOME! I just want to commend you on your "SO WHAT" campaign, that is a great message for women of all ages all over the world. Where I live I work with middle school girls with a program I have designed called "Turning Beauty Inside Out". When I meet with the girls we pretend we are on the "Tyra Show" and I pretend I am you. The girls open up so much and I help empower them to be love who they are inspite of what anybody says negative to them. I have designed some "SO WHAT" cards and I pass them out to them to give to anyone who say something negative to them. One girl in particular she says the boys at school have been calling her ms piggy. She has been so hurt by the comments, she was in tears when she told me the story. The first thing I said to her was "SO WHAT". She started to smile and said from now on if the boys call her that she will give them a "SO WHAT" call. Tyra keep the "GREAT" work up, girl you are really making a difference In so many women lives. I have told the girls that one day I will be a guest on your show to talk about my program and the difference it is making in girls lives in my community. These girls would really like to see me as a guest on your show and I would love to have a chance to meet you and give you a hug for all you do.
Theresa Mobile, AL

I'm a 22 year old latina and I'm also a mother of a 5 month old baby. I really support your show and the "SO WHAT" campaign. I think that all women are beautiful in their own way. When someone says you are fat or ugly it's just their opinion. God made us unique and beautiful. So for that people that only think "beautiful" is a certain way you have to open your eyes and see that your judgement has made you ugly already.

I think Tyra’s “SO WHAT?!” Campaign is a waste of time. All the women who support it are either fat or ugly and i think that stupid tyra banks show should be cancelled because nobody wants to watch a bunch of fat ugly women on tv trying to make a stand. It makes the whole world watching laugh at all these stupid fat ugly women. Tyra banks should not even have a show i mean there other black women out there who look 10 times better then her and dont need to use a stupid SO WHAT phrase. Big deal on her stupid model job. Like i said there are better looking black women then Tyra Banks. Tyra is fat thats why she came up with that stupid thing SO WHAT. She makes me laugh and to tell you the truth it amuses me all those fat women on her show. I hope the show gets cancelled soon and we can have a better show on tv instead of having a show that wastes time and money. An to all you fat and ugly women out there stop trying to be proud and stop saying SO WHAT because the reality is you FAT AND UGLY

I think Tyra’s “SO WHAT?!” Campaign is a waste of time. All the women who support it are either fat or ugly and i think that stupid tyra banks show should be cancelled because nobody wants to watch a bunch of fat ugly women on tv trying to make a stand. It makes the whole world watching laugh at all these stupid fat ugly women. Tyra banks should not even have a show i mean there other black women out there who look 10 times better then her and dont need to use a stupid SO WHAT phrase. Big deal on her stupid model job. Like i said there are better looking black women then Tyra Banks. Tyra is fat thats why she came up with that stupid thing SO WHAT. She makes me laugh and to tell you the truth it amuses me all those fat women on her show. I hope the show gets cancelled soon and we can have a better show on tv instead of having a show that wastes time and money. An to all you fat and ugly women out there stop trying to be proud and stop saying SO WHAT because the reality is you FAT AND UGLY

I'm 13 years old and have been watching your show ever since it stated. You inspire me so much to feel good about myself and to have great self confidance. There are some things that i hate about my body but i can live with them now and accept the fact that they may be that way forever. Your inspiring words have helped me through the rough days when nothing seems to fit right anymore,lol. Thank you so much and i hope you continue the great job you are doing.

hello tyra your so what campaign moved me! im a 17 year old mother my daughter is two and her father is not in the picture anymore buit she does have i father figure i was lucky enough to find a wonderful man that did not judge me because of my past i fell in love with him and we plan to be married when he gets out of boot camp. i was talked about made fun of and hurt. I have grown up alot since i had my baby girl i give her all my love and she is my life and my joy. everything i do is for her and i just want to say to all the people that thought i could not do it SO WHAT!!!! thanks for standing up for all the ones who are criticize and hurt every day!!!!! marina

hello tyra your so what campaign moved me! im a 17 year old mother my daughter is two and her father is not in the picture anymore buit she does have i father figure i was lucky enough to find a wonderful man that did not judge me because of my past i fell in love with him and we plan to be married when he gets out of boot camp. i was talked about made fun of and hurt. I have grown up alot since i had my baby girl i give her all my love and she is my life and my joy. everything i do is for her and i just want to say to all the people that thought i could not do it SO WHAT!!!! thanks for standing up for all the ones who are criticize and hurt every day!!!!! marina

tyra,
my name is Morgen, i am 15 years old. In my school there is always the cliks in my school like with the "ghetto" people and the jocks. i am mixed and everyday i get picked on that i am to white and not enough black; SO WHAT i wnt to yeel cause and both beautiful and dont need to gotannings i got that color all year long!!!!!

i'm 21 and have big thighs so what

hey tyra, my name is Amber and i am a twenty two year old single mom, before i got pregnant i was the skinnyist i had ever been, i didn't start showing until i was about six months along and my little girls father started telling me that i was fat and pretty much not attractive, it was hard and i am so glad you are doing this for everyone! At the time it hurt so much hearing that expecially from someone you thought you loved. Now i am still overweight a size 14 but i think you know what i was pregnant with his baby and now i am raising her by myself "so what" people can think what they want but i am doing just fine the way i am! I enjoy being a mother and that is all that really matters! Thanks for your support.

Hey Tyra!
thank you so much for launching your so what campaign! As a high school student, my self-confidence was at a low. All the "pretty" (skinny) girls in my class would allways flaunt their size 0 bodies and small feet. After seeing them everyday i would pick myself apart, and the size of my feet was allways an insecurity for me, and they would use that against me, to break me down, and i would let them. But over the summer I saw yor show and promised myself i wouldnt let them get to me because i am a beautiful 5'9 athlete with size 10 feet, and im saying- SO WHAT?!

HI TYRA! I LOVE YOUR TV SHOW, YOUR PROGRAM MAKE´S ME FEEL BETTER WITH MYSELF AND MY BODY!!! YOU ARE MY ROLE MODEL!

HI TYRA! I LOVE YOUR TV SHOW, YOUR PROGRAM MAKE´S ME FEEL BETTER WITH MYSELF AND MY BODY!!! YOU ARE MY ROLE MODEL!

Oh yeah, I just commented ya, and my bestie Gabby and I really wanted to say that we absolultly Brittany and Gabby

Hey Tyra
You are my total role model !! I look up to you for sooo many different reasons that its not even funny. Like I used to be really body conscious but now I have learned that I am what I am. All through elementry and half of jr. I wore humungo shirts and tied jackets around my waist so know one could truly see what I looked like. So it wasnt till I saw your show that made me feel truly comfortable with myself and I thank you sooo much for that!!! Lol, I watch your show 24/7! Even in school, when we arent doing anything in spanish, I turn it on. Sure the boys dont like it because it's for "girls" but who really cares. Tyra, you talk about things that totally matter and things that people go through every single day. The sad part is..hehe..I quote stuff that you and mommy have said, or like the topic that your show was on. Im always tellin my mommy "Well Tyra said you shouldnt do this because of blah blah blah or Tyra said your supposed act like this while doing this" it drives her absolutly bonkers. Guess she doesnt know really how much you changed my life. Im 15 about to turn 16 in October and I dont know what more than half of the stuff out there is really like and thats another reason why I

Hi Tyra,I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such a great rolemodel for teen girls everywhere.you really make me feel like i'm beautiful.also you are so real you don't hide anything and you definately speak the truth.i'm only fifthteen and i watch your show religiously and every time i feel discouraged the right topic is always on.you are such a beautiful person and i can tell that you honestly care for your fans, so thank you so much Tyra.i wish i could write more but i just don't know what else to say but THANK YOU!!!!

Tyra can say whatever she wants, and I can say, "America's Next Top Model" right back.

I think that its great that this show tries to promote equality, but I think some things are over looked. Yes, there are "big beautiful women" out there, but people shouldnt always except their bodies the way they are. There are overweight people out there who need someone to say something to them because they are unhealthy. This country is fat and it is not healthy. Some people need to realize they are overweight otherwise they will have future problems with their health. Those people need to take charge of their lifestyles instead of just excepting the fact that they are fat.

OH. AND JUST SO EVERYBODY KNOWS.
it's been almost two years.
october 8th, 2005.

read the entry below this. that's me.

I am sixteen and i have a boyfriend that i adore. it seems like all of the adults in my life disapprove of me being with him. and it isn't because he's a bad kid. he's the most intelligent person i know. and my dad is actually always telling me that he likes my boyfriend... but what's the problem then? if he likes him so much. i can't help myself from thinking he's just mad because i have a boyfriend, and i'm his little girl. but i love this boy. i've been through masses of things in the past 4 years or so, and the only person that i knew i could always run to, was him. i knew that he would always be there. and he has been. he's been my best friend for so long. long before we became romantically involved. everything is going amazingly for us. and i do love him. and it isn't high school love, puppy love, or anything else. it is the future marriage love, the forever love.

I AM SIXTEEN,AND IN LOVE.
"SO WHAT?"

Hi, I am 15 and i have been overweight all my life, there has been many mean things said about me. I am interested in theatre and one year i was one of the lead roles and a girl was jealous because she was put in a minor role. Well my character was a drunken jester from William Shakespeare's "As You Like It", Touchstone. Well, my character had to fall alot on stage and make a complete fool of myself, but i didnt care because if you dont feel foolish then you arent doing it right. Well this girl had made a comment to another person in the play that, " oh abby is so fat everytime she falls the stage shakes." I was in middle school and of course that hurt me, but i soon got over it because I knew that the way i look and my weight doesnt matter on how i act because i deliever my characters. Acting is a huge part of my life because i currently go to a high school for the visual and performing arts. What she said to me never affected on how much i loved theatre and acting. Ive been told that my being overweight i will not be accepted for as many casting calls and audtions. I say SO WHAT my looks shouldnt matter on how i act they should accept me on how it is i interpret a character. I am so glade that you tyra have made a SO WHAT campain because i am able to share my stories and have people realise that yes i am overweigth, but i love myself because i try my hardest and never let what people say affect me, and i know its difficult not to, but as long as you are confident about yourself and your body people react on it. And everyone treats you differently beacuse they see that they cant bring you down. I will let you in on this i am 5ft 8in and i currently weight 298 pounds, now i am trying to lose weight but not for my self image but for my health beacuse diabetes and heart problems run in both sides of my family. I truely love myself, but my health must come first in this matter.

Thank you so much for letting me speak,
Abby

I have lost over 80 pounds and kept it off for over a year now! I'm sure when some people see me they still think" She needs to lose more". I say "SO WHAT! I'm a size 14 and I love my body. The curves and the flaws. I say go 'head big girl" I love the campaign. I think it is empowering for women of all shapes and sizes to embrace their bodies and stand together and celebrate all that we are without living up to others body standards.

hi tyra!!
i just wanted to say thank you for the wonderful message you are putting out there. i am 5'10 and 130 pounds and as much as all my friends tell me im thin i would always look in the mirror and grab at my skin seeing how much fat was there. thanks to you i realize that it doesnt matter as long as i am healthy. so..
so what if my stomach doesnt look like jessica alba's.. i am beautiful anyways

Tyra, i love your "so what" campaign. I'm 4'11" and thats the first thing people see. they think i'm still in highschool but i'm actually going to be turning 20 very soon. So i'm 4'11" but so what i pack a big punch.

Tyra you are a Blessing to your fans. I don't know if you really have the time to read theses but, I have to tell you I was touched by the “So What” show you did a while back, but even more touched by the show you did on the "eating disorders". I have not always been the size I am today and I am constantly reminded of it on a daily basis by my husband (of course). I made him sit though that show with me to make him see what he was doing to myself esteem. I think he sees it now. I have to tell you I have been desperately trying to lose the weight I have put on from my three kids; it has literally been a seven year dieting and failing hell. I weighed 98 pounds when my first child was conceived (yes I was healthy) and my weight went up to 135, I was ok with it but I wanted to lose some of the weight. Needless to say I failed. But the real weight came when the twins came along I went from 135 to 185. This of course put a huge strain on my marriage and myself esteem. I tried every diet pill I could get my hands on and every exercise routine you could think of (even tried belly dancing). Nothing worked and it was literally killing me. At times it took everything I had just to eat a salad, I felt so guilty about everything I ate. I felt horrible about the example I was setting for my kids, especially my daughter. I have to tell you the most life changing thing was when I kept having chest pains, I thought they would go away and that I was just being a big baby. So my mom had to step in and take me to the doctors because I believed that if I thought I was fine then I would be. The doctor told me that I was having major anxiety attacks and that they were so bad that if I didn’t start taking care of myself I was going to have a stoke. I thought to myself I am only 28 years old I will be damned if I am going to die and leave my kids behind. So I told my husband that I wanted to quit my job and us all move out to Mississippi (BIG change from California). Once we moved out here I lost 32 lbs. I had no help or encouragement from anyone well expect from my kids. I still don’t feel like I used to but I am learning to except myself better. I miss feeling beautiful and sexy and having people especially my husband say how beautiful I am. But I am learning how to say I don’t care what they think they can kiss my big butt! So think you Tyra for giving me a little bit more of myself esteem back. God bless you Tyra!

Sincerely,

Cristy

Tyra you are a Blessing to your fans. I don't know if you really have the time to read all of these but, I have to tell you I was touched by the “So What” show you did a while back. And even more touched by the show you did on the "eating disorders". I have not always been the size I am today and I am constantly reminded of it on a daily basis by my husband (of course). I made him sit though that show with me to make him see what he was doing to myself esteem. I think he sees it now. I have to tell you I have been desperately trying to lose the weight I have put on from my three kids; it has literally been a seven year dieting and failing hell. I weighed 98 pounds when my first child was conceived (yes I was healthy) and my weight went up to 135, I was ok with it but I wanted to lose some of the weight. Needless to say I failed. But the real weight came when the twins came along I went from 135 to 185. This of course put a huge strain on my marriage and myself esteem. I tried every diet pill I could get my hands on and every exercise routine you could think of (even tried belly dancing). Nothing worked and it was literally killing me. At times it took everything I had just to eat a salad, I felt so guilty about everything I ate. I felt horrible about the example I was setting for my kids, especially my daughter. I have to tell you the most life changing thing was when I kept having chest pains, I thought they would go away and that I was just being a big baby. So my mom had to step in and take me to the doctors because I believed that if I thought I was fine then I would be. The doctor told me that I was having major anxiety attacks and that they were so bad that if I didn’t start taking care of myself I was going to have a stoke. I thought to myself I am only 28 years old I will be damned if I am going to die and leave my kids behind. So I told my husband that I wanted to quit my job and us all move out to Mississippi (BIG change from California). Once we moved out here I lost 32 lbs. I had no help or encouragement from anyone well expect from my kids. I still don’t feel like I used to but I am learning to except myself better. I miss feeling beautiful and sexy and having people especially my husband say how beautiful I am. But I am learning how to say I don’t care what they think they can kiss my big butt! So think you Tyra for giving me a little bit more of myself esteem back. God Bless you Tyra!

Sincerely,

Cristy

Tyra you are a Blessing to your fans. I don't know if you really have the time to read all of these but, I have to tell you I was touched by the “So What” show you did a while back. And even more touched by the show you did on the "eating disorders". I have not always been the size I am today and I am constantly reminded of it on a daily basis by my husband (of course). I made him sit though that show with me to make him see what he was doing to myself esteem. I think he sees it now. I have to tell you I have been desperately trying to lose the weight I have put on from my three kids; it has literally been a seven year dieting and failing hell. I weighed 98 pounds when my first child was conceived (yes I was healthy) and my weight went up to 135, I was ok with it but I wanted to lose some of the weight. Needless to say I failed. But the real weight came when the twins came along I went from 135 to 185. This of course put a huge strain on my marriage and myself esteem. I tried every diet pill I could get my hands on and every exercise routine you could think of (even tried belly dancing). Nothing worked and it was literally killing me. At times it took everything I had just to eat a salad, I felt so guilty about everything I ate. I felt horrible about the example I was setting for my kids, especially my daughter. I have to tell you the most life changing thing was when I kept having chest pains, I thought they would go away and that I was just being a big baby. So my mom had to step in and take me to the doctors because I believed that if I thought I was fine then I would be. The doctor told me that I was having major anxiety attacks and that they were so bad that if I didn’t start taking care of myself I was going to have a stoke. I thought to myself I am only 28 years old I will be damned if I am going to die and leave my kids behind. So I told my husband that I wanted to quit my job and us all move out to Mississippi (BIG change from California). Once we moved out here I lost 32 lbs. I had no help or encouragement from anyone well expect from my kids. I still don’t feel like I used to but I am learning to except myself better. I miss feeling beautiful and sexy and having people especially my husband say how beautiful I am. But I am learning how to say I don’t care what they think they can kiss my big butt! So think you Tyra for giving me a little bit more of myself esteem back. God Bless you Tyra!

Sincerely,

Cristy

i am glad you did this so what campaign. its awesome. i am suprised you did seeing how so stuck on yourself you are. its amazing.

Tyra I love so what. I was born with learning disability, am 27 year old. I alway had help in life in school. In high school my special ed teacher I was like blooming flower and motived to get my education. I whated to try maketing call DECA it was a business class. I had to start a project on MDA and rise money for it and had help writing the paper. It would take me four hours to do. we use spell check a lot time. I had to talk about it in front of judy how we rise the money and about MDA I came in 4th in state. I started college and they put me down disrespected me and more. I had my fashion teachers was there for me. I was misunderstood with teachers and friends I really did not have time to hang out with friends. I had push what I beleive in to get better education. I was thinking so what and push myself and graduated from college. My so what stop because I need help to find a better job My family helps me out with money and i know I try to find help with government widsit and they are not willing to help me because my disability hidden no one can see it. They think it like light that I can shut it off and on or am lying about. I what to have a life on my own and to be fashion desinger. Someday to stop fighting throw life.

hey i think that this is a really good thing your doing because all of the models that are as skinny as they are there not the real role models that they are suppose to be letting all these young girl starve there self to be as skinny. this is a good thing for the world to know the big is beautiful as the skinny ones
♥always♥
brittanee
soderlind

tyra, i am a 24 year old women that was born with a disability called cerebral palsy and i walk with a limp and as i am becoming more comfortable in my own skin i want to help other girls with or without disabilities to be proud of who they are and although i don't know exactly what to do i think your "SO WHAT" campaign would be great for women of all ages. cause i believe that if you don't see the beauty in yourself no one else will see it either.

I love this campaign, it helps women except who they are and be proud of it! BTW, I eat donuts and I look like it! LOL

I love this campaign, it helps women except who they are and be proud of it! BTW, I eat donuts and I look like it! LOL

tyra,
thank you soo much for doing the "so what" segment on your show!!!
when i saw in the magazines what people had said about i got soo mad because i thught if this is what people think about her what would they think about me but then when i whatch the "so what" show i realized that we all have are flaws and that is one of the things that make who we are and that make us beautiful so thank you for being such a great role model and i will always look up to you!!!:]

i have some really bad cellulite on my thighs and butt.....SO WHAT!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH

I am a 24 year old girl. In 2004 I got diagnosed with Crohns diease, at that point in my life I thought my life was over. I have had multiple surgeries to try to fix some of my problems. Ever since my last operation I have hated myself inside and especially outside. I feel like I look disgusting and that I will never find a guy. Everyone I know has said to me oh you look fine, your scars don't even look that bad. I was always like yeah ok whatever. Then one day I was sitting at home and my girlfriend called me and told me to watch the Tyra show it was the "so what" epesode. Ever since then I have had that attitude "so what" I have a bunch of scars, it just shows how much I have been through and am still alive to talk about it today. Thanks for helping me with my problems. Meghan

HI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Tyra,
Your "SO What" Campaign ROCKS. By watching this, i really got inspired to feel better about myself, and not be worried so much about the way i look. I am 18 years old, and my family and friends had always seen me in jeans and over-size stuff.before watching your talk show, I was always so angry at myself because of my body image.I was killing myself at the GYM to loose more pounds every week. I even had decided not to go to the prom just because of my weight. I weight 138 Pounds, but still, i always wanted to be 20 pounds lighter, like some other girls on TV.after watching this so what campaign. I drove to the mall and got rid of those things that always covered me up.The same week i found the cutest prom date and the nicest dress possible.Now, i am out of those plus size shirts and pants. I feel so much better about my life. You are such an inspiration for all of us out here. I consider you as my role model, and i will do whatever it takes to be a brave woman like you.
Thanks Tyra.

tyra,
first of all, I love both you and your show. I have actually used you as a topic for a paper on positive role models for young girls! When I read about the "So What" campaign I really got to thinking. Ever since moving to college I have fallen victim to the dreaded 'freshman 15'. But now I realize, weight is just a number. I am far from comfortable with my body but I am getting there. My So What? "I have the Freshman 15... SO WHAT?"

tyra--

i am 12 and i started watching a while ago.
when i was growing up in TN i was the one always picked on b/c of the way i look, i was always taller and i was fat and i started getting pimples earlier (especially on my arms(i still have them on my arms)and i would cry in the middle of the class b/c this would happen to me. when i was there i saw your - so what - episode. i was so inspired i started writing down all my flaws and after each one i would smile and say "so what."

so my 'so what' is...
"my arms 'jiggle' when i move them, so what."
thank you so much tyra.

you are my hero and so beautiful.

-- bri

hey gurl,
you have an amazing body. I have recently been watching your show, I never realized that so many ppl r critized for there body. I've always had a complex about my body but seeing your show made me realize that i shouldn't be worried about it. You are an awesome rolemodel and a good person. You have become one of my Idols. I love your show and I love your style. You are awesome and have a kickin body girl.

Hi Tyra!
I'm 13 years old and I have EXTREME self esteem issues. I dont hink I'm Pretty and I think I'm fat. But I know I'm not Fat..but all my friends weigh almost under 100 pounds and i'm so much bigger then them..I mean I know they are WAY to skinny and I dont want to be like them but I dont want to be 125 pounds..I'm in taekwondo so I'm in pretty good shape I guess but I dont know. Once I saw the "so what" episode I was like "My theighs touchso what? I can still kick over your head!" It made me feel really awesome. You are one of my absolute heros. and not to mention your GORGEOUS! Well i'll try ang watch your show even with school coming up! ♥ash

Dear tyra u r a true insperation to alot of ppl!
im 17years old ,5"5 and 241 pounds i had a low self estem till i saw ur show ur amazing person
if u ever c this message plz emial me my computer wont let me get to ur sit for the emial thing

Tyra,
I am 18 years old, and I feel like I'm trapped in the body of a mother of quintuplets. I don't like my body at all. I can never find pants that fit because I'm too big around the middle and the only pants that fit my waist are baggy in the butt and legs. I am just too big for most clothes in the Missus section, but not quite big enough for even the smallest size in Women's. I have been made fun of for various reasons my whole life, and that's taken a toll on my mental outlook on the world. My boyfriend rarely calls me beautiful, so I don't really think that I am. However, since you started the SO WHAT campaign, I have learned that my body is what it is. Although my boyfriend doesn't say I'm beautiful, he does tell me that my body is just right for him. I'm a big girl with big opinions and a big heart. I'd like to change the way I look, if only to be healthier and more content with myself, but until then, My pants sag in the butt, but SO WHAT?

Tyra ~I do know the PERFECT MOISTERIZER as well… it is called MAC STROBE CREAM ($38) it is great alone without make up or under makeup. It gives your face a really beautiful glow. I hate going out even without makeup but with this stuff I do.
Ps. I swear I don’t work for MAC I just love this blush ( I am an over user)….MAC MINERALIZE SKINFINISH ( I am currently using the “gold spill” but they also have a really nice pink one that is my favorite. With this stuff you never over use …it is great. If you are interested just let me know and I can get the name for you. (( this product come out in the summer only))
GOD BLESS
~*Ang
...if I use to much blush SO WHAT lol

dear Tyra,
im a 12 year old girl and your show has helped me so much im spanish and im curvy i wiegh 110 pounds and i love my body i have breast and i have a butt but so what i would never even come close 2 doing anything 2 harm my body 2 b skinny my older sister is really skinny and has the body of a model and my grandmother told me 1 day that i could never b 1 cause im 2 fat and she compares me 2 my sister saying i need 2 loose weight which i know i do not need 2. i eat right and exercise there r girls in my middle school who r taller then me and wiegh 45 pounds cause they wont eat because there dream is 2 b a model which i think is so sick that they would put there life in danger 2 b skinny.i look up 2 u and i think that u r absoultely gorgouse.i would like 2 thank u 4 everything you've done u r my hero.

Dear Tyra, thank you so much for taking a stand against what the industry is saying about what is bueatiful. For years I was shy and very introverted becasue I thought I was fat. I also started to belive that no one would ever love me because of my weight, but since watching your shows and when you did the episode on people who have distorted views of their bodies, and seeing what the men had to say about women who were curvyer and they loved it. Thank you so much. I am not a size 2, "SO WHAT!"

hey tyra i just wanted to say i love what you do and i suport it 100 percent

Miss Tyra you rock girl! I am a 26 year old women and a mother of one little girl. I had a problem with my body after being pregnant! I was a victim of sexual abuse and had self esteem problem my whole life being 100 lbs in high school people thought I was anerexic and I wasnt. But now I am a healthy 130 and yes I have that baby roll from my baby but because of this campaign and your amazing ability to reach out to everyone and say SO WHAT makes me say SO WHAT and it has given me more of a "true" look of myself in the mirror and realize that I am not a girl I am a women with curves and I am beautiful and if I dont fit your standard of thin so what I have a beautiful daughter and a beautiful soul!!!! Love you lots tyra and i appreciate you more than you know!

PS How do I get a wrist band for "so what" It would be great to have a constint reminder just in case I feel bad...Thank you for being true you have a beautiful soul!!!!!

Thanks Tyra so much for coming up with this campaign!!!! i absolutely love the attitude about this!!! it makes me feel better about myself. I've often thought about some sort of eating disorder just because I cant seem to be comfortable with my body. But when i saw the episode where everyone wore they're weight on those red swimsuits I was like OMGOSH! thats so awesome! I was really excited. It made me feel like I wasn't alone. I even made up my own SO WHAT!!! I DONT LOOK LIKE EVERY CHEERLEADER ON THE SQUAD!!! SO WHAT!!!!! thanks Tyra. Alot.

~Emily

Hey Tyra

Well first of all I would like to thank you for making my "catch phraise" a nation wide campaign. My name is Alex and I 14 years old. I go to an All Girl School in Montreal Canada, so I am very familiar with teenage girl insecurities. When some of my friends say that the are fat or lower their self-esteem in any other way I start on long lectures about how EVERYBODY IS BEAUTIFULL!!! I mean everybody. I have never brought my self down to that level, because if I decide to do that, I radiate less confidence and I no longer have an individual approach on things. We're all different and THAT'S what makes US beautifull. If you disagree... well SO WHAT?

Hey Tyra,
the SO WHAT campaign has showed me that its not whats on the outside but on the inside. I am a 16 soon to be 17 year old girl who has been extremely over-weight all my life. I have been called names and had rude things said about me behind my back and to my face. The comments do hurt but i try to not let that show. I am just like any other person. I do the same things other people do. I have tried to lose weight, diets and pills. Nothing has worked. I was on the verge of going up completely but your show has showed me to be happy in my own body. Either i'm skinny or heavy I'm still the same person. I am going to keep trying to lose weight for my health because i have been tested for diabetes, luck ally i don't have it. My mom and I a worried that one day i will have it. thanks to your show it has given me the will power to be a better person and say SO WHAT to people who judge and make rude comments because someone is different but the same as you

Tyra I think you are awesome! I love the "SO WHAT" movement!! I am a 22 year old wife and mother of two. I was sexually abused as a child for most of my life and as a result I have alot of self esteem issues especially about my body. Now that I have two children my body is definatly not what it used to be but because of you and your show I say "SO WHAT!" I don't care anymore!! I think you are gorgeous and I love you show! THANKS Tyra!!

dear tyra,
im 16 and about to have a baby. my mom and the rest of my family are supportive of me but other people look at me a stare and make comments that arn't so nice. i have realized that i shouldnt care what other people say about me or how they look at me. SO WHAT im pregnant at 16 its a gift from god and they shouldnt judge me because of it. tyra seeing your campaign has helped me to just ignore those people and focus on whats really important. thank you.

I'm a 16 year old girl and I loved the "So What" campaign. I am emotionally neglected by both of my parents because I was sexually abused when I was in the second grade. I am now just getting therapy to help me. I have a boyfriend, we've been together for three years, he's the only one who can make me smile, yet, my family wants him away from me. He respects me and loves me for me. He listens to me when my family gives me the cold shoulders. I love him, SO WHAT!?

I have always been a large woman. My "so what" moment came a long time ago, back when I was 16 and had gotten my weight down to even below what it should have been at the time. Even at that, where I could see I had gotten too thin, there were those that had the audacity to call me fat. It was then I took the initial attitude of "so what". I gained back enough weight to look right for my bone structure and have went thru my times of insecurity and frustration about being overweight many times since then. But I know that the real struggle with my weight is to be at what is healthy for me, not what some chart or someone else thinks I should weigh or how I should look.

Tyra, I am thrilled at what you are doing for women by bringing this campaign on. There are too many women of all ages that are so hung up on a clothes size, and forget to just be who they are. Keep up the great work!!

And for those that do want and really need to lose a few pounds to be healthy, there is no fast-track to it. Be accepting of yourself for who you are whether you lose that weight or not. Eat for health and eat healthy...

Tyra, I just want to say that I love your "So What?!" campaign. I wish everyone would think that way.

I jusr wanted to say something to those who have come on here and made it their goal to put Tyra down. Those who say she is hypocrite, the only reason she is caring about this NOW is because she was put down, she is not a good role model, etc.

The subject of self image and impowering women, especially us young women, has always been in her agenda. published 1998, if I'm not mistaken, "Tyra's Beauty Inside and Out," TZone, etc and that is just the beginning..so, before making statements...inform yourself a bit. Speak with facts to back u up..Tyra's mission is inspiring,making a difference, and promoting self acceptance! follow up with her history, past interviews, the book, achievements, even goals she set out before she even had a talk show or ANTM, i believe contraer, for all those reasons she created them..when she was(still is)America's Top model..
again...it's only the beginning of the impact this woman is making...she is making a mark, her mark

Dear Tyra
I think your "SO WHAT" campaign is great.I have been over wight my who life and have constantly been teased and made to feel wothless about it. I am an incomming high school sophmore and in the last year and a half I have lost nearly 40 lbs and I still feel so heavy next to most girls. I live between LA and Palm Springs the pressure is so great to be the size zero. I am far from it. Thanks to you I am learnig to accept who I am and be able to say Im a sexy, curvatious, valuptuous cheerleader. And feel like I can truly be an inspiration for the kids years behind me. I hope that being the size I am and a cheerleader will make little girls realize they dont have to be a size 0 to accomplish their dreams! To all my trojans out there lets rock and bring the bell back to where it truly belongs belongs. Yeah we've got spirit!!! Yes we do!

Hey Tyra,

First of all, I stay up until midnight to watch you every night on Oxygen, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE your show. I am also a big fan of how you have shown that people who are different can be in the fashion industry too, and it's not about your size, or like past seasons on top model, your sexual orientation.
I am not a small girl. I am going into high school and am 40 pounds overweight, a size 15. The other night, I watched a show on positive body image, and I related to the girls on there who said they feel like "monsters."
Then those bigger women came out in their underwear, and I was SHOCKED, because I thought they were absolutely gorgeaus. It amazes me how people can discriminate against people for their size. A lot of big women are beautiful.
This month, heading back to school with the horror of school shopping for clothes, I decided to put on a happy face and love every part of me. Sure, that may be fat, but, hey, that's MY fat. And it's sexy, too!!! :) Thanks for changing my view of others, but most important, myself! Love ya, and ROCK On! Impossible isn't in our vocabulary!!! Julie Terrell

Hey Tyra,
I'm mikayla I am 11 I'm not happy b/c ever since I was in the 4th grade I have been holding my stomach in and im going in to 6th grade this fall and I do not like it I am over weight I am spouse to be around hmm 95 or 100 but I am 183 but I am bloated so about 181 When I was growing up every day I would make fun of boys make fun of me and Like I am bigger then my friends and Like I sit higher its horrible this skinny lil "thug" made so much fun of me I ran out the class room and my teacher all ways makes us sits across or same table and I am fed up I tell her all the time but she doesnt care she thinks it will help Ha I wish it would , when I go in to 6th grade I will probley the biggest one cause my school is very competive and every one is very petite and skinny yea Hopefully this yearw will be better thank you you are my hero

message me back please :]]

Hey Tyra I love your show you are so tight for reals!!!!! You help everyone that's so cool I wish I could see you in person!!!You are the best!!!!!

yea who cares what people say if I am fat or something like that people could say that that's true!!!!

HEY TYRA! I AM 17 YRS. OLD AND I USUALLY DONT WATCH T.V. TALK SHOWS BUT I WAS JUS FLIPPEN THRO THE CHANNELS AND HAPPEN TO WATCH YURS... TO TELL YU THE TRUTH, NO OFFENSE, I DIDNT LIKE YU BECAUSE I THOUGHT YU WERE JUST ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE MODELS WHOSE WAS JUS PUTTNG PLUS SIZED MODELS ON AMERICAS TOP MODEL JUS TO "BE NICE" AND I DIDNT KNO WHY THEY NEVER WON THO SINCE THEY WERE SOo BEUATIFUL. BUT SINCE I'VE BEEN WATCHING YUR SHOW I SEE THIS OTHER PERSON AND I LOVE WAT YUR DOIN ON THE SHOW YU ARE VERY INSPERATIONAL AND A POSITIVE ROLE MODEL FOR YOUNGER GURLS LIKE ME. YU DO DEAL WITH REAL ISSUES ND ALSO ISSUES THAT MAKE ME MORE AWARE OF THINGS NOW .ND I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT NOT ONLY YUR A BEAUTIFUL WOMEN OUTSIDE BUT ALSO INSIDE.
♥MELODI

Hey tyra,
I LOVE ur show. I am 16 and inspired by everything u do. SO WHAT has inspired me so much because i am in high school and being on the bigger side isnt the easest thing to deal with. Some of my friends r on the big side like me and i am the one who says so what what we look like if they dont like us for what we look like then its there problem and i dont want to be friends with them anyways...So...i just wanted u to know that u inspire me and i hope i meet u someday...

First of all Tyra you're my idol. im about to be 15 on august 24. im a big island girl so of course i LOVE to eat. your "SO WAT" campaign has inspired me so much. im not comfortable in my own skin and some of my friends aren't too, but when i watched the "SO WAT" episode i could care less of what my body looks like. But im slowly learning how to eat healthy and exercise daily and to be happy with my own body instead of obsessing about how perfect other girls' bodies are. I LOVE YOU TYRA and you're such an inspiration to me.

First of all Tyra you're my idol. im about be 15 on august 24. the "SO WAT" campaign has inspired me so much. im not comfortable in my own skin and some of my friends arent to but when i watched the "SO WAT" episode i couldnt care less of what my body looked like. But im slowly learning how to eat healthy and exercise daily and to be happy with my own body instead of obsessing about how perfect other girls' bodies are. I LOVE YOU TYRA and you're such an inspiration to me.

Tyra,
Your "SO WHAT?!" campaign is so inspiring! I'm not totally comfortable in my body and I have friends that aren't comfortable in their bodies either, but I watched a couple of the "SO WHAT?!" shows and I realized that so what if I'm not perfect. I like to not be perfect because that's what makes me an individual. I told a couple friends about the show and they saw it too and were also inspired. It made me much more comfortable in my body although I'm still a little insecure. Thank you so much for being such an inspiration, Tyra!

Dear Tyra, I saw your "So What" video clip on your website and I immediately thought of my Beautiful wife! She is an amazing and inspiring Beautiful woman. So much has gone on in her life, from an abusive relationship to family problems to a teen pregnancy. She is now 22 years old and has been in the advertising news industry now for 3 years.She is a strong Woman who is an awesome Mom,a loving Wife and the Perfect match for myself.I love her with all of my heart and soul! The reason why I am writing about her now is that through all of the difficulties that life has thrown in her path she has overcome them with Class, Dignity and Character.Her strength, to me, is what "So What" is all about!If I could give her an award I would do so in an instant! All I can do is somewhat share with you all the incredible person and Woman that she has grown to be and to love her and show her everyday that I am Proud,Uplifted and Inspired every time I look at her. I love my wife and I want everyone to know that no matter what your everyday struggles are , no matter what you think, that no matter what, You have the strength inside of yourself to overcome it all--- no matter what! and this is what my wife has shown me.

HEY TRYA MY SO WHAT IS MOMMENT I HAD A DAUGHTER AND I HAVE THESE UGLY STRECTCH MARKS. SO WHAT THOSE ARE MY BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES OF PREGNANCY. SO WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey tyra you know how evil teenagers could be. i would get comments about my weight and how i acted and looked. i was starving myself, and when my bestfriend discovered it, he told me he was going to follow my actions untill i stopped. So not wanting him to make himself suffer because of me i stopped. He asked me what made me do this, and i told him on how i felt about my weight and look. He told me nothing needed to be changed and i was perfect and beautiful on the inside and out. I still was on my mission to lose weight untill i turned on the tv and saw your "So What" campaign and on that day i recived my braces and my self esteem plunged down 50%. I saw what you were talking about and at the same time i was talking to my friend. He was saying that it was impossible to make me ugly and then after your show it made me think... i may not be perfect, skinny, a girly girl, but SO WHAT! Thank you tyra for making this cmpaign i love you

Hey tyra you know how evil teenagers could be. i would get comments about my weight and how i acted and looked. i was starving myself, and when my bestfriend discovered it, he told me he was going to follow my actions untill i stopped. So not wanting him to make himself suffer because of me i stopped. He asked me what made me do this, and i told him on how i felt about my weight and look. He told me nothing needed to be changed and i was perfect and beautiful on the inside and out. I still was on my mission to lose weight untill i turned on the tv and saw your "So What" campaign and on that day i recived my braces and my self esteem plunged down 50%. I saw what you were talking about and at the same time i was talking to my friend. He was saying that it was impossible to make me ugly and then after your show it made me think... i may not be perfect, skinny, a girly girl, but SO WHAT! Thank you tyra for making this cmpaign i love you

Hey Tyra

First, I just wanted to say that I'm a bit dissapointed that your moving to New York City. But SO WHAT!!! Your moving on and I'm happy for you and I wish you the best. Second, I'm a 20 year old mother who has a 1 year daughter and I have Strech marks literally ALL OVER MY BODY.....even my legs, feet, thighs, and breast.. But SO WHAT!!! I love my-self and people should love me for who I am and not what I am. Your an inspiration Tyra, thank you.

Hey Tyra

First, I just wanted to say that I'm a bit dissapointed that your moving to New York City. But SO WHAT!!! Your moving on and I'm happy for you and I wish you the best. Second, I'm a 20 year old mother who has a 1 year daughter and I have Strech marks literally ALL OVER MY BODY.....even my legs, feet, thighs, and breast.. But SO WHAT!!! I love my-self and people should love me for who I am and not what I am. Your an inspiration Tyra, thank you.

hi tyra,
im so proud of your "so what" campaign and i believe women should be proud of themselves. But i have a quick question, I just got accepted to FIDM in LA which is a fashion design school and I'm scared. I'm not scared of the school, I'm scared of the working world because im afraid noone will take me seriously. I am a hard of hearing curvy girl and i do wear a hearing aid. Im afraid that people will judge me and that I wont make it to the top because i dont look or talk like other people. I just wanted to know how i could boost my self asteem and believe in myself more because i am shy because im insecure. I want to be a top fashion designer so badly but i need your help. so tyra, if you could find time to email me back or something and just tell me how i can help myself.

Tried to get on site when you sent viewers to their computers for Manuel O and tee-shirt giveaway. Where is the Aug 15 sign in for Manuel O, etc.? Keep Looking UP!

Trya
I am not a young girl who fights my weight.I have had a skin disorder all my life because of this I have always worn long sleves could never swim or wear shorts or skirts.I have lived in Alaska for about 15 years as it is easier it the weather is cold for the cloths I have to wear.The crazy thing is 1 hour a day of sun clears my skin up but I could not say so what I have this thing and set outside.Thanks to you and two words I'm going to look for love wear shorts and skirts with high heels.For me it's not about saying so what to the rest of the world.It's about being able to say it to myself.Thank you You should see my shoes I have on now they are so HOT.Thanks trya

I just wanted to say that people need to stop saying negative things about others based on looks. It is people like that who bring low self esteem. And this can affect a person for years. We need to ignore people like that - we don't need it in our lives - perhaps these negative people have problems or are ignorant - but we must see the beauty within ourselves and we're all beautiful and special in some way. Do not let others define you.

I just wanted to say that people need to stop saying negative things about others based on looks. It is people like that who bring low self esteem. And this can affect a person for years. We need to ignore people like that - we don't need it in our lives - perhaps these negative people have problems or are ignorant - but we must see the beauty within ourselves and we're all beautiful and special in some way. Do not let others define you.

I had a baby the month before I turned 16. People had all kinds of horror stories to tell me and made ugly comments assuming I wasn't a christian because I had premarital sex. For my whole pregnancy I had a "so what" attitude about what people said about me. Now my daughter is 2 y/o, I am going off to college, and those same people look at me all amazed and I am an inspiration. Now they all say " You are so strong!", " I couldn't have done it!", " I am so proud of you!" So many people get all depressed when the odds and statistics are stacked against them but I have learned it is all about your point of view. You can allow things to holdyou back or you can make them push you forward! If more people learn to say "SO WHAT" and make their weaknesses work for them it will make us all stronger!

I just wanted to say that people need to stop saying negative things about others based on looks. It is people like that who bring low self esteem. And this can affect a person for years. We need to ignore people like that - we don't need it in our lives - perhaps these negative people have problems or are ignorant - but we must see the beauty within ourselves and we're all beautiful and special in some way. Do not let others define you.

being an overwieght teen, i try to have the so what aditude, it helps make others feel as if they can't jump down your throat over your weight. I think tyra was so brave to handle the tabloids that way. Someday I hope to be like that.

The So What movement is me in a nutshell. I've had that attitude for the longest time, and it works. I never understand the overweight teens on different talk shows talking about how bullied they were in high school. I had a normal social life despite my weight. When someone actually did say something rude about me they got a mouth full, not only from me but from tons of kids in my class. I was accepted because I accepted myself. I don't know why more people can't accept themselves.

Just wanted to say that even though I am no long 125 as I was in my early 20's and I am now 145 in my late 30's. I am fabulous and so what if society wants to impose what looks good to them on me. I no longer wear a relaxer in my tresses and I love my hair wild and free. I am more than my hair and a dress size. SO what!!!!!!!

Tyra im only 18 years old and i have been made fun of for my weight and i have delt with this issue for all my life. I was born with 2 VSD's and my esophagus not conected to my stomach, everyone called me the merical baby. I used to think maybe if i wouldn't have made it when i was a baby i wouldn't have to deal with the pressure to be skinny. It was to the point where all my friends will go out on the boat during the summer and i wont go becuase i wont get into a swim suit infront of them not becuase im scared of what they will say to me but because of the way i feel and the scares that are left on my stomach from my surgery. I would just like to thank you for the stength you have given me to say SO WHAT. I was given the strength to make it past the hardships when i was little and you have given me the strength to realize i am who i am and haveing me be 100lbs or 500lbs my personality is still gunna be the same and if people are gunna be shallow and not want to talk to me because of my weight then they are not worth waisting my time.

hi i am a 12 year old girl and i know i am heavyset black person SO WHAT my image doesnt concern anyone but me and if anyone has a problem with it, it is one person they should take it up with which is God if they dont wanna do that get over it . do your own thing dont be bothered with mine PS i LOVE your show and everything you stand for. SO WHAT if i dont fit in a size 2 who cares

Tyra and the Tyra show,

I left a comment yesterday on the "show ideas" link because I yesterday didn't see the "so what" link on the website. Must not have been looking hard enough. I have just copied and pasted the comment I have left.
Dear Tyra and the Tyra Show,

My name is Kelly. I'm a 27 year old woman from the small island of Cape Breton located on the East Coast of Canada.
I love the show, I must first start off by saying. This isn't exactly a show idea, but a comment on the show. I didn't see a link to use to write comments so I just used this link.
I'm all for the "So What" movement! I'm a bigger gal, not overly obese but not skinny and yes I'm happy with myself and actually about three years ago completed a 150 pound weight loss all on my own for health reasons. Since then I've gained back weight from having a baby but I'm still happy with my body. I agree that all woman should love themselves for who they are. This is what bothers me..I know that there must be other people out there that think the same thing I do...but hearing about the "So What" movement from a former swimsuit model and Victoria Secret under garment model as well as just a supermodel is really crazy. I don't know how to express how it feels to be a bigger girl, watching a famous SUPERMODEL on t.v. tell us how we should be happy with ourselves and so what if we are big and so what if we have flabby arms and so what if we have big thighs. I mean I understand that everyone has things about themselves that they don't like..totally understandable...but it's hard to hear a supermodel, trying to tell me that every big girl out there should just except themselves the way they are and say, "so what!" to those who don't except bigger people. But girl, don't take me the wrong way, I love the show.
I guess what really triggered this "comment" is Tyras correspondent Danielle Fishel. I have watched this absolutely georgeous girl grow up on Boy Meets World as did a lot of people. She's on the show strutting around in her "so what" t-shirt stating...that she is happy with herself..who cares if she's chubby, she doesn't care that she's chubby and all you hear is "so what", "so what" and she's all for the movement. Then just today, I'm reading the National Enquirer when I flip the page and see a two page spread of Danielle Fishel endorsing NutriSystem and spread out in a bikini and blowing kisses and stating, "The pressure to be think in Hollywood is Huge! And boy, did I feel it." Here is a two page spread on this girl who, "Turns to Nutrisystem to lose weight and restart her career."
Ok....SO WHAT HAPPENED TO THE, "SO WHAT" MOVEMENT??? I just three weeks ago saw her on Tyra show flaunting her curves and stating how she doesn't care she's chubby and screaming while walking down the street with an ARMY of woman with a bullhorn, "SO WHAT!". Ok...so now what? Wasn't the whole ,"so what" movement supposed to be about showing woman it's O.K. to be chubby, thick, fluffy whatever you choose to call it? Wasn't this show trying to tell woman that it's hard to live in a society that has so much pressure to be thin but so what! And then bam, here she is on a two page endorsment spread stating she needed to lose weight to start her career? COME ON GUYS, GET YOUR STORY STRAIGHT AND GET YOUR PATH GOING IN ONE DIRECTION.

I don't mean to sound rude and ignorant, I just really now don't support this, "so what" movement coming from a supermodel for one, and then a t.v star who says she doesn't care that she's chubby but then states she turns to a national weight loss chain to restart her career.

hi tyra! my name's alicia and i just recently finished watching a show of yours based on women thinking they are fat. I'm 18 years old and sadly i feel the same way. most of the women in my family are smaller than me and my bestfriend is too. they all tease me and it hurts but i guess they figure it doesnt since i dont show it. most people i know seems to think im really confident so they feel its ok to tease, and im too embarassed to say anything. every year since high school ive gained weight. im 5'3 and i weigh 130 pounds. my sis didnt even weigh that much when she was pregnant. i try diets but im too weak to do it and i feel guilty everytime im full. i dont have a eating disorder but i have a self esteem disorder because every night i go to sleep i review what ive eaten that day and it upsets me to the point of tears sometimes. how can i stop thinking so negatively. am i really overweight?

Hey Tyra,
My name is Lindsey.And Boy do I have a story to tell. Two years ago I weighed 203 pounds today I weigh 132 pounds. Im not happy b/c ever since I was in the 4th grade I.....have been holding my stomach in. and still am today. I have a little belly,... I just want it to be gone. In school I would wear sweaters b/c I didnt feel like holding my stomach in. I cant wear those great t-shirts other girls wear. I push myself to hard. I have been on a diet since I was nine years old. The worst thing happened to me this year. My boyfriend, I have known him since 7th grade. He broke up with me last night because he wanted someone sexier then me. And this is the quote I think to myself."Beauty dies with time, but a good heart stays forever young". Im just starting highschool. And I really dont want to wear sweaters. Theres a girl on my street that is kind of a bully.. she said i was fat and I walked right up in her face and said"SO WHAT". Plaese tell me what I should do Tyra.. I need your help now more then ever.. I look up to you. please help me..

i am a 12 year old girl who lives her dreams and who has a very outspoken and attitude personality who don't really listen to what bad things people got to say about her because i am made fun of because i am very tall for my age {5"8} and i am black so i get called king kong SO WHAT with all the names people call me i stay focused on my work i am going to th 7th grade this year and i have a gpa of 4.2 and if i was to graduate from school i will be top of my class i have been on the national junior honor society since 3 rd grade and TYRA I WAS JUST WATCHING YUOUR SHOW AND I LOVE chris just as much as you do oh yea you and alica keys are my role models but you will always be on top

i am a 12 year old girl who lives her dreams and who has a very outspoken and attitude personality who don't really listen to what bad things people got to say about her

I had a child at 16 "SOOO WHAT" and I LOVE My Son!!!!

hi tyra my name is anna and i am 10 years old and your number 1 fan you could ask me any qustion about you and i would get it right and my story is that my mom is white and dad is black and i get made fun of at school and i say so what but its not a nuff so i nead your advice badly please right back just knowing that your there is anuff for me

tyra

I loved ur "so what" movement.

and i just wanted to let u and everyone who reads this that i am 15 and when i walk my legs jiggle and rub together and when i run my booty flops around and i want to say.....

"SO WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

i am 221 pounds!111

Hi. I just want to commend Tyra on her 'So What' campaign and just for being so REAL in general. More REAL celebrities is exactly what we need. I love that Tyra is so willing to be on her show in a bathings suit, without make-up, or talking about her personal insecurities. These are the things that we, her loyal and loving fans can connect with. Plus she is not afraid to confront any issue on her show and speak her mind, I loved when she spoke up to that ignorant racist! It's people like Tyra our kids need to look up to, not the anorexic, fake celebs that are in and out of rehab and sleeping around and acting spoiled. Tyra you are a true role model, thank you so much!

dear tyra,
i love yo show and you is sooo rad!!!
but im postin this for your so what campaign

im angel im a beautiful african american woman who's a lesbian!!SO WHAT?!!?

hi my name is anna i am 10 years old and tyra is my idol i am her biggest fan so if you read this at school i am half black and half white and every calls me oreo and it herts my feelings and if i tell them then they wont like any more and i told them that i dont like it and SO WHAT!!!!!!!! now when i go to school they dont make fun of me anymorethanks your number 1 fan anna write back

Dear tyra,
Ever since i been fat no boy wants 2 go out with me .they all say that i'm ugly and black and i stink cuz i were sweat bands. that's supposed 2 make u lose sum of ur body weight! but now im 16 and i say i don't care cuz now i weigh 190 pounds when i used to weigh 295!!! now i feel wayyyyyyyyyyyyy better about myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Tyra,
my name is Laura I'm 16 years old and i love your show. My whole life I was teased for being underweight. When I hit high school I finally started to gain a little bit. You'd think I'd be happy right? Well it freaked me out and I went through bouts of diets and starvation. But I realize now that filling out is part of growing up and its a beautiful thing that's part of becoming a woman. So what if I'm gaining a figure right?

dear tyra,
i love your show and i know that weight is a big problem in america. i love that you did this campaign because it can show EVERYONE that it is ok to be who you really are. but my only issue about this is that you only had people say so wat about it and kinda ignore ignorit people but i believe its not enough. i kno its not your job to help everyone and everything but i just wish as long as your on the subject can you talk about how to look at yourself and believe that everyone is beautiful no matter what???
a usuall fan
rachel a

dear tyra out of the cousins i hang out with are skinny and i've always but bigger. even my dad always tell me to loose weight, but im 16 and have a womans body and stretch marks SO WHAT!!

Hi Tyra I am fourteen and i love your so what campaign. It has inspired me to accept myself for who I am. Being a young african american woman, girls around this age are supposed to be fully devoloped. I have been critized for being so skinny and not having a fully developed body but now you have inspired to believe and just say SO WHAT

Hi tyra!
i'm a 15 year old girl from saudi Arabia, and i wanted 2 thank u 4 starting this campain,and everything you've done ur my idol,and even ppl feom saudi arabia look up 2 u as their role model,i love u!,ur soo cool!
and i just wanted 2 say:
I have big thighs and a bad nose, but SO WHAT????

Hey Tyra,
I just wanted to say that I am so thankful you started the So What campaign! You are a great role model for people of all ages and backgrounds. When you told everyone your weight and embraced it, I became less self-conscious about my body. I'm built like you, and I'm only 14, so it's hard to embrace my body when others' are so different, but you have helped me so much! Thanks!!!
xoxo, Heather

Hey Tyra,
My name is Sheneyse, I am 16 years old. I am shaped different then most of the other girls. I am 6'feet, weight 156 pounds, size 11 pants, I have a booty, and I have bigger thighs.... SO WHAT!... I am different and I like the fact that I stand out from all the rest and I am not a size 00.

Dear Tyra
Hey Tyra my name is Anayza, its probably too late to be writing but i just have 2 vent.
Tyra im 17 years old. My boyfriend and i just recently got into a little disagreement. Besides that he thinks im all into myself. Also a couple of "friends". They doesnt understand that im still young, still in high school and still living with my mother. I have hopes and dreams that i would love to accomplish and wil not allow anyone or anything to stop me.
He thinks beacause i dont call him after we had our disagreement that i dont want anything to do with him but its not that i do hes my high school sweet heart and its that im to young to be stressing myself out and for the drama.
So sorry if i carry my head so high, put my dreams and goals before anything........ Sorry if i wont allow anyone or anything put me down sooo000oooo....
SORRY BOO I love you but LOVE myself more and this is me...this is who i am
SOo0Ooo00 WHAT!!!!

Hey Tyra!
I just wanted to say thank you for starting the So What movement. I'm 18 and just had my son 4 months ago and I'm a single mother. I broke up with my ex boyfriend, who I found out was cheating on me, three days before I found out I was pregnant. I made it through the pregnancy without him but even in todays society people either look down on you or feel pity for you if you're young, single, and pregnant. I didn't feel ashamed for my situation but I wasn't extremely proud of it either. When I was 7 months along, my aunt and grandmother took me to get my hair down as a pick-me-up and the salon had your People magazine interview explaining the So What movement. It helped me so much! I realized that I should be proud of myself because not only was I bringing new life into the world but I graduated high school with honors and was accepted to college all while pregnant! So I just wanted to say thank you for being such an inspiration! Your story really helped me through a tough time!
-Ruth

Hi Tyra.

I know that everyone always talks about being made fun of or harassed for being overweight, but i get the same behavior from people for being underweight. I'm not aneorexic or anything, i'm just small framed. I'm a competitive figure skater, and I do a synchronized program with fifteen other kids. On the tops of my shoulders, you can feel the bone, and I think it's gross! One day, when my synchro skating team and I were practicing, a girl next to me kept feeling my shoulder bone, which is easy to find and hard to miss, because i'm 12 years old and not even 70 pounds. When she was rubbing it, the feeling was so disgusting! She kept making comments about how, "Oh my god! You're soooo bony!!!" and I really felt like breaking down into tears right there. Watching your show and seeing how you can just walk up to people who put you down and stand up to them, I have gained SOOO much self-confidence by watching your show, and you know what? YEAH, I'M SKIN AND BONES, BUT SO WHAT!!!!!!!

Tyra, I wanted to let you know that your 'so what' campaign is really helping me! In 8th grade I suffered from anorexia and got down to a little under 70 pounds. Slowly, but surely with the help of my family, I got up to 112 by my junior year. But this summer I started back to some old ways and I'm currently down to 100 pds. When I saw your show it made me want to learn more about anorexia. I realize that so many people have suffered just the way I have and for what? If we could all just love ourselves and embrace others we could change the 'ideal' weight standards. I want to help others and prevent others from going though the pain I have. For the past 4 years I've been going to the doctors just to try to start normal puberty functions. If I would have had a better self image and would have known what all was ahead of me, I think I could have avoid it all. With your 'so what' campaign you are truly promoting healthy lifestyles. Thank you!
God bless

Hi Tyra,
I try to make the time to watch ur show everyday and so far and learnt from you, your my inspiration,my role model.......damn! I just love you so much and have so much respect for you.I was especially excited when you sent one of your guest on the show the chance to spend their honeymoon in my homeland Barbados.You must visit us sometime in the near future though.You made me feel really good about your SO WHAT!! campaign.I say this because i weigh approximately 100 pounds at age 15,to most ppl dats too small n stuff.But you made me appreciate that and make the best of it.Its not the size of a person that counts but what the person does(which is good).I thank you alot for helpin me to accept that and i say to you Tyra:-
I WEIGH 100 POUNDS SO WHAT!!!!
Love Tammy.

I am 31 years old, and have spent my whole life with body image issues. My highest weight was 625lbs. I was 25. I made the decision, to have gastic bypass surgery. Now I weigh 160lbs. And even today, I go through the roller coster of emotions. I have way to much extra skin hanging everywhere, and that gets to me sometimes, But I am thankful that I am healthy. I will not be dead at 40. I know I will never be perfect, but so what? No one is. I have accepted me,and dangit, I love me. Sagging skin, and all. Even after I lost the weight, I was depressed. One thing they don't tell you is that you may be changing the outside, and that is easy now, But it's the inside that you really thave to work on. That takes years. And even though I will never be a size 6, I don't obsess over everything now like I did before. My weight goes up 10lbs, it goes down 10lbs. So what? If someone doesn't like it, they can kiss my a$$. I like it. In the long run, that is what was important, that is what matter. Thankyou Tyra, for doing this. Thank you veryone, for helping me see the big picture.

Dear Tyra,

I am 14 years old and you are my inspiration. When you started that campaign, you gave me the confidence to wear tight jeans and and cute shirt, instead of baggy sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. I am a size 16-18 and so proud of it. Ih ave always been the smart, funny, always has boys as friends tomboy, smart girl with a big mouth, but secretly always conscience of how she looks. I am working very hard to change that. Even though i Dont know you personally, thatnk you for helping me the whole way through.
Love Alex

Tyra, I am so in love with your show and when I heard about the SO WHAT campain that you are doing i was almost brought to tears. I am 16 years old and have always felt bad about the way I look. I have never had the confidence to do anything that I would like to do. Now I am going to start saying SO WHAT when it comes to what people think of me. I am hoping that it helps. You are such an insperation to me. You are my number 1 role model. I don't know what I would do with your incoraging words. Thank you Tyra.

Love,
Amanda

Hey Tyra!!!
My name is Dominique and I want you to know that I liek what you do with your SO WHAT campaign. I am 15 years old and with high school and everything life can sometimes be a pain in the butt. You know because you have all the other skinny girls walking around in size 2 jeans but not me, I never get myself down because when I look at all of those other girls I be like, I am glad I don't look like that because some of them look like they are dying!!!! I wear a size 11/12 and I am proud of it because unlike all those other girls I have a body, I have curves and they don't. So when they look into the mirror and they see something horrible, I look into the mirror and I see something beautiful because I am a beautiful young African American female and that is the way it is going to be.

Send me a shout out on your show or something please!!! I watch it everyday!!!(well you know on the weekdays)

Also I love the shirts that you had on T.V., I wish I had one I would love to have one personally from you, you are an inspiration to all of us young women.

Thank you for everything that you do, mwah!!

Talk to you later and keep me posted!!!(Remember what I told you about the shirts? Do you think you can make it happen?)

Love always and forever
Dominique, Cincinnati, Ohio

Tyra, after you showed your weight and body on your show it truly inspired me. You see even though i'm 17 my entire life revolves around Musical Theater. And I am really lucky to honestly say that Musical Theater is my ultimate goal and dream and I WILL succeed but the business is just as bad if not worse than the film business because you can retouch a film and do a single 30 minute show a hundred times to get the right look or the perfect shot but in theater it has to be right the time you do it, theres no turning back. But in my opinion the theater isn't about you or the director, its about the audience. I've always been heavier than all the rest of the girls. I mean i live in florida the home of bikinis and beaches and everyone is expected to look like a pencil with breasts or a body-builder. I had the lowest self esteem when i was in middle school where i just sat in my room and hated myself. I was going to give up my dream because I thought no director was going to hire me as a lead when I was 5' 1" and 174 pounds even when I can do BETTER than the skinny girls. I mean I have the talent I've been in 5 shows in the past year one of which i was the lead and i realized there is no way i'm going to give up my dream because i'm naturally larger than other girls. And i'm going to have to audition to get into college programs very soon so i've been working out everyday and eating healthily and i've been toning up but I feel like I have to say SO WHAT???

I AM a triple threat AND I dont have a flat stomach.

SO WHAT??

Thank you Tyra for starting a movement that needs to be started :D
Hey... musical theater... good show topic in nyc :D
lol

but for real... SO WHAT?

I'M IN MUSICAL THEATER AND I'M CURVY... SO WHAT!?!?!?!

Hey Tyra,

I just wanted to let you know how much of an inspiration you are to my friends and I. Many people tend to say that being only fifteen, you don't relized things as they are, and that things will change. Well, that isn't necessarily true. I have always been that one quiet, smart, bigger girl. By no means am I silent, genius, or fat. . . but until seeing your show, I took those words as insults. During this past year, my freshman year of highschool I met a boy, I really liked him, but he likes someone else. He said it was because she was "sexy. . .and she was pretty smart." I didn't realize this until summer. I wasted almost all of my summer thinking about this. Then my bestfriend and I were talking, and all we could say about everything that was happening to put us down in our lives was SO WHAT! we didn't even relize it at the time, but now that I think about it, so what, if I am quiet around people I am not close to, so what if I am smart, but don't apply myself, and so what if I am bigger. I have many things that are great about me, and so does my friend, and we are just working on thinking about what is good more than what can put us down.

anywho, I just wanted to let you know, I think the So What campaign is a great thing, and it is great to know that even you have people trying to put you down, yet you never seem to let it get to you.

I jusr wanted to say something to those who have come on here and made it their goal to put Tyra down. Those who say she is hypocrite, the only reason she is caring about this NOW is because she was put down, she is not a good role model, etc.

The subject of self image and impowering women, especially us young women, has always been in her agenda. published 1998, if I'm not mistaken, "Tyra's Beauty Inside and Out," TZone, etc and that is just the beginning..so, before making statements...inform yourself a bit. Speak with facts to back u up..Tyra's mission is inspiring,making a difference, and promoting self acceptance! follow up with her history, past interviews, before she even had a talk show or ANTM..when she was(although still is)America's Top model..
again...it's only the beginning..

HEY wuzz up tyra i think your a great preson i love you but i have a question how do you keep your self in shape iam try to be in shape but its hard its even harder when your 13 all you think about is foods so how do you do it

HEY wuzz up tyra i think ur soo funny and great preson i love you but i have a question how do you keep your self in shape iam try to be in shape but its hard its even harder when your 13 all you think about is foods so how do you do it

HEY wuzz up tyra i think your soo funny and a great preson i love you but i have a question how do you keep your self soo pretty and in shape iam try to be in shape but its hard its even harder when your 13 all you think about is foods so how do you do it

I was brought up with brothers - no sisters. I like to call it "So What 101."

Watch a man. Watch what doesn't concern him. Watch what he walks past without thought or action. Watch him measure his interest in a situation based solely on the answer to this question: "What's in it for me?" Men are the Zen Masters of Doing What They Want to Do. Try it. It cuts your crazy head time in half, at least.

And as for feeling fat and ugly - I never met a fat, ugly woman who dared to say that aloud. It's B.S.

Truly fat ugly women are some of the best-looking women you will ever see, because they don't run around announcing their feelings, expecting the world to assuage them. "No, no! You're beautiful!" They know that ain't going to happen. So they head to the hairstylist, the manicurist, the department store, and elsewhere to pull themselves together the best they can. And they look wonderful!

"I hate my looks" is a cute little thing that cute little girls say to make themselves feel good.

Hey tyra,

I know you get a lot of these a day but i really hope you read these. When i watch your show i feel like i can do anything that everybody in the world is beautiful. But when the show is over and i go past a mirror..it changes. Im 15 years old and my name is Ashley. I feel as if im going to be alone in the world. But thanks to your shows i now relize god didn't put me here to worry about all the negatives people think of me. He sent me here to care about what the people that matter most in my life think about me. Tyra your an amazing person and thanks to you i now have the confidence to say SO WHAT IM A BIG GIRL BUT I CAN SING LIKE AN ANGEL!!!

hey tyra,

i'm 23 yrs old currently 4 mths preg...i've always been very slender..or as society sees me "skinny"...i used to be teased growing up saying your skinny you sure you eat you sure you dont have a disorder..well now its even worse because i'm pregnant and im showing but i guess not fast enough for everyone else...and i get all the time oh your so skinny ur baby is not going to be healthy...i'm saying to myself people this is my second child maybe i'm not meant to have weight on me get over it...so her is what i have to say....so what i'm 132 lbs 5'9 and slender and pregnant...i still look good and i'm sexy with my pregnancy...now what...luv ya tyra

~rhia~

Hi Tyra--
I'm 13 years old, && I guess you could say I'm skinny. I'm 5'3" && I weigh about 90 lbs. Everybody at my school is always like "Oh my god! You're so skinny! How much do you puke?!" or "When WAS the last time you ate?"
I used to get really mad about it, but now I'm just like "SO WHAT! I'm thin! I'm healthy && there's nothing wrong with it!"

hey tyra im 13 and im about 5'2 and i weigh 85 pounds and im tired of peopl saying wow yur sooo skinny and im like ya i know and there like well do u puke and im liek ofcourse not and stuff and im like k well you dont say omg yur soo fat to peop so how do i either gain weight or get the people to stop asking me all these rude questions!!

Hey Tyra,
Im Braisha- I am a 15 year old African American girl about 5'6.5" tall(still growing) and my weight is about 103-105. Now I dont have an eating disorder,or any thing like that but my ulitimate dream is to become a model......and I now I will. But in the mean time I'm about to be a 10th grader at my school and people are always telling me how skinny I am,even people I dont no at all. And I'm really tired of it. To me if you go up to some one and say "oh you are so fat" that really an insult and people dare not do that to a fat person. But to me if you go up to a skinny person its the same thing...dont get me wrong I do love my size, and the way I'm built, but hearing it almost every day,gets on my nerves. Then on the days where I have on like an outfit "I guess" thats suppose to be for some one with some curves, I get "Braisha you aint got no butt why you got that on" or "Braisha you are so like a twig" Hearing that every day really gets to you.....But I myself dont think of myself being that skinny I feel normal, but I guess high school students see me as being skinny..they need to see my as being just Braisha not skinny Braisha,just I guess me as being person. But I no in the long run my size will work out for me big time in my favor and all of them kids thats saying I'm skinny, even my friends,all they are doing is hating.... so my so what campaign is.......
IM SKINNY SO WHAT, BUT I'M CUTE THATS WHATS UP.

Hey Tyra,
Im Braisha- I am a 15 year old African American girl about 5'6.5" tall(still growing) and my weight is about 103-105. Now I dont have an eating disorder,or any thing like that but my ulitimate dream is to become a model......and I now I will. But in the mean time I'm about to be a 10th grader at my school and people are always telling me how skinny I am,even people I dont no at all. And I'm really tired of it. To me if you go up to some one and say "oh you are so fat" that really an insult and people dare not do that to a fat person. But to me if you go up to a skinny person its the same thing...dont get me wrong I do love my size, and the way I'm built, but hearing it almost every day,gets on my nerves. Then on the days where I have on like an outfit "I guess" thats suppose to be for some one with some curves, I get "Braisha you aint got no butt why you got that on" or "Braisha you are so like a twig" Hearing that every day really gets to you.....But I myself dont think of myself being that skinny I feel normal, but I guess high school students see me as being skinny..they need to see my as being just Braisha not skinny Braisha,just I guess me as being person. But I no in the long run my size will work out for me big time in my favor and all of them kids thats saying I'm skinny, even my friends,all they are doing is hating.... so my so what campaign is.......
IM SKINNY SO WHAT, BUT I'M CUTE THATS WHATS UP.

I am a 29 year old female with 1 child and he is 10yrs old and he is my world. I am a single parent but i make sure my child comes second in my like after GOD. I dont have a man but SO WHAT I am still happy with it being just us two.

hi tyra

first let me say that i love every last one of your show they are so inspiring speacially SO WHAT i am young person that sometimes hard time with the way i look but i dont let get to head. i know people talk about me it does not hurt me because i am a strong person inside and i dont feel bad about it. i just want to say one more thinsg you are a special person that help people to go on in life thats all i got to say bye

Hey Tyra

My name is nicole and I am 19 years old. I LOVE your show. I really admire your SO WHAT program. I have an 18 month old daughter and just recently had twins june 26. I was in the hospital for 3 months with them due to complications. After I had them i have stretch marks out of this world. Also, a lot of my so called "friends" stopped speaking to me because I have kids and people seem to look down upon me because I am only 19. I have a wonderful man and a beautiful family.

I am 19 years old have 3 kids and stretch marks but SO WHAT!! I am proud of my family!

Hi Tyra im Bobbi Joe and im 16
and my dream is to become a modle
but every time i look in a miorr i see FAT,UGLY!!
but my friends and my mother tell me diffrent
i dont have that much cofadince in myself
even thogh i tell my mother i do
since i was 10 this was my dream to the poin of worken out at that age i was in a beauty pagen at 12 and took frist runner up for looks
but i still today dont think i got what it takes

You know Tyra, I absolutely love your show. I know that you do everything you do for one reason; to change the world. And doing that, automatically means you're doing so much more. I'm 15 years old. I truly think you're amazing at what you do for other people. Unlike most celebs, you want to use your fame and money for good...and not for crack. (just kidding) I have, most my life, wanted to be a model. Like i was reading in one of your journals, "you were told that you had the look." Well, I've been told that too...I'm 5'9. I also watch ANTM. Although some of the girls can be conniving and whiny, most of the girls have their hearts set on becoming a top model. Once I get out of high school, I would love to go into the fashion industry. I haven't decided what specifically, but I do know that I love interior and FASHION designing, and modeling. And of course, I love walking in heels. :) So maybe, just maybe, someday you'll see a girl walk through your doors who is determined to live her fantasy, and has the attitude and maturity to take on the roll of America's Next Top Model. A girl can dream, right? :)

You know Tyra, I absolutely love your show. I know that you do everything you do for one reason; to change the world. And doing that, automatically means you're doing so much more. I'm 15 years old. I truly think you're amazing at what you do for other people. Unlike most celebs, you want to use your fame and money for good...and not for crack. (just kidding) I have, most my life, wanted to be a model. Like i was reading in one of your journals, "you were told that you had the look." Well, I've been told that too...I'm 5'9. I also watch ANTM. Although some of the girls can be conniving and whiny, most of the girls have their hearts set on becoming a top model. Once I get out of high school, I would love to go into the fashion industry. I haven't decided what specifically, but I do know that I love interior and FASHION designing, and modeling. And of course, I love walking in heels. :) So maybe, just maybe, someday you'll see a girl walk through your doors who is determined to live her fantasy, and has the attitude and maturity to take on the roll of America's Next Top Model. A girl can dream, right? :)

Dear Tyra,
Hi my name is Kari. I am a 23 year old mother of one. I had my daughter just six months ago. I am writing this to tell you how much your So what episode meant to me. You see I have been in a depression for about 14 months now due to my weight. It started just after I got pregnant. I gained a lot early due to water. I started getting looks and quite comments from the skinny women who I guess felt that my curves were something to be mocked and shunned. I was carrying a life and all i could think of was how much i hated my weight. My ob would make comments to me of how there were other pregnant women who were skinnier than me, and how he has never seen stretchmarks as bad and as deep as mine. I know it is crazy but those comments hurt deeper than my stretchmarks. In the end I gained a total of 50 pound s which is completely healthly and only a couple of pounds heavier than required. When I finally gave birth to my daughter Emily, my weight was furthest from my mind for once. That was until my nurse came into my room. I needed help with my hospital gown. The moment she saw my flabby, saggy, drewpy stomach it was like she couldn't help herself. She had to ask me right then what diet was i on and when did i plan on exercising. i couldn't believe it, not two hours pryor i was giving birth, and now i had to lose 50 pounds instantly. and now 6 months later, it just keeps getting worse. I went to buy some new clothes this passed month, and i was laughed out of stores. the only big size 14 stores had was a size 10. and when i asked the sells girl if she had a 15, she rudely and simply told me to go to the fat girl store. when i asked her what store that was, she said that she didn't know she wasn't fat. i came home a put my sweat s back on and cried. My husband not knowing what to do turned on the tv to your show. And it was the SO WHAT episode. I needed that show that very minute. I saw that I wasn't alone. That there are other women just like me, feeling the same pain like i feel. For so long i have hated myself, and I wanted my life to be over, but your show helped me to see that my life is wonderful, and yes i am 20 pounds over weight. I have stretch marks from my calves to my breasts. I can't fit into my size 5, and I will never look the same way again. but so what. I gave life to a wonderful little girl. I have a husband who loves me for me and not my weight. Saying so what is easy, but meaning it is very very hard still. but I will beat this depression, and I will love my body, and myself again. I AM A MOM, I HAVE STRETCH MARKS, I AM NOT SKINNY ANYMORE!!! SO WHAT!
thank you tyra. i swear i think god made my husband turn it to you. you have really saved my life. thank you so much. kari from phoenix.

everybody has problems... so what!!!build me a bridge and get over it!!! some of your problems are just down right stupid and selfish!!! if its not you appearance or your weight its your ethnicity or your sexuality or something to that effect.everyone is so focused on them selves what about other people who have REAL problems, problems that pobably cant ever be solved, who's listenning to them, who's helping them??? tons of people die every day due to poverty and war while you sit here and constantly worry about your weight and how you look. it must be so nice to be alive and to eat a healthy meal everyday, to live in a home where your protected from the hot sun. it must be nice to wake up and take evryday for granted and to constantly want more and more while others are dying, others who havent had a meal in a long time, others who dont have a home to shield them from harsh weather conditions, others who dont want but need. did you ever sit and thing that while your looking in the mirror picking yourself apart flaw by flaw what others would give to be you, to only have to worry about a few extra pounds and not when they might have their next meal or if they"ll even make it through the day. so what you gained a few extra pounds, who cares that you have love handles so what your gay, who cares about what color your skin is so waht your not the prettiest girl...trust me it could be alot worse.

I am a mixed (black and white) girl raised by two white parents. SO WHAT!!!

I love this segment Tyra, pure Brilliance.

Let me start off by saying that i LOVE your "SO What!?" campaign and follow it on your show all the time, however i do find you, Tyra, to be a bit of a hypocrite so much so that i do not watch ANTM anymore. It used to be my favorite show but i suddenly realized that the beauty that you were promoting was 5"10 115 pounds. The girls on your show are emaciated and gross. There was a plus size model every now and again but for the most part there were skinny giants that are not at all realistic. I understand that the fashion buisness wants a certain type but you must take a stance and stick with it. You used to be a huge role model for me but now i look at you like a fake. You used to make me feel good to look different and be different but now i am just disapointed, mostly in you. Take a stance and stick with it.

Im 15 years of age. and im here to tell you that you are my role model. you look out for others before you look out for yourself it seems. you try very hard to make good in this world. and you do. what im trying to say is, I dont have the most straight teeth and i do have some hips. SO WHAT! i dont care anymore. people need to start liking me for the me and not for my looks. the inter beauty is whats more important. and you have great inter beauty.

Yes! I loved it the first time I seen this, "So What"! Oh my goodness Tyra! That is so fabulous!
You know Tyra, that is the coolest thing ever! This goes out to all those stupid people who are self centered and think they are the best at everything! SO WHAT! I scream it again, SO WHAT! and I will add to that...I DONT CARE!!! HA!
Girls, please don't listen to what other people say or tell you! Just be glad your alive and love your self! Be happy and if your not, do something that makes you happy and stay happy!:) There is always someone who is worse off then you!
Thanks Tyra!

Hey Tyra, I'm 17 and I've always wanted to be a model, but I'm only 5' 6.5". There are plenty of famous models who don't exactly fit what the industry considers to be a "good" height for a model, and I've always wanted to do what what these amazing women have done and break through this barrier. Your So What campaign has truely inspired me to continue to pursue my dream even though so many agencies look down on shorter models. However, I was sad to notice that even though on America's Next Top Model you have tried to help women break through the barrier of being accepted as a plus size model, you have a height requirement of 5' 7" for anyone to be on the show. I was wondering if this requirement will ever be changed in the future or if you have any advice for shorter women trying to break into the industry
So what I'm short I'm still fierce! thanks for all that you have done to help ppl deal with body and other issues

hey tyra... im 16 and i used to weigh 168 lbs and thanks to my amazing mom and the healty diet she put me on im now 132 lbs!!..well the other night we were watching ur show and i felt so guilty because i had a huge bowl of icecream and i was like oh my god! what did i just eat?.. then i was like u know what no! i had a huge bowl of icecream SO WHAT!!!! tomorrow is a brand new day !! haha thanks tyra for everything! much love!

xoxo
Natalie

I'm 18 years old and I just had my first baby. During this pregnancy I got TONS of stretch marks. SO WHAT???!!!

im 16 and i way 181 pounds
"SO WHAT?!"

Dear Tyra

thank u so much for ur so what campaign! It has meant so much to me right now. Im 17 and im waiting for surgery in canada after suffering with severe blounts disease. During my childhood no one really understood it so they'd just think it was a deformity and some still do but now i have the courage to say...Im not like everyone else...im different and SO WHAT!

I love you so much Tyra Banks! I'm obssessed with your show. You are my role model. I call myself the #1 Persian Tyra Fan!Everything you do is perfect! If anyone ever says something bad about you, I always defend you. You are beautiful on the inside and on the outside (of course.. you are TYRA BANKS!!!!). My dream is to be on your show one day. That's all I ask for. I talk about you all the time, I'm always on your website! You are perfect! Please continue what you are doing.

My SO WHAT comment would have to be: So what I don't match the definition of perfect here in our country (body and beauty wise)! SO WHAT!

Hi tyra

Im a big girl and I just want to say SO WHAT!

Hi Tyra & everybody out there,
I was reading some of the messages that you all wrote, and for the ones that can't say "So What?!" my hearts go out to you. Yes it's a hard road to get to the point where you can say "so what?!", but you have to try. For those who hate their bodies and "imperfections" You are beautifull EXACTLY the way you are. Are you taking care of yourself? It seems to me that maybe you are suffering form depression, or in a situation that is toxic to you. What ever it is you need to find a true friend, or some professional help because I personally don't want to see you live the rest of your life hating the body your in. If you can't love yourself, you can't love anyone else.
I was in that possition before. I hated my body, I worked out like somebody with OCD. I had to look like all those skinny girls with perfect skin, and what I thought was a perfect body. I realized that half those girls aren't happy with themselves either, and wiht all the work, I still wasn't happy. So one day I woke up and said enough is enough, I'm not torturing myself anymore. I'm going to eat helathy, work out in a healthy way, and SO WHAT!? I'm not a size 4 and not up to my standards of what I should look like. I'm happy the way I am, I got rid of toxic relationships, and I couldn't be more healthy. I am beautifull the way I am and SO ARE YOU!!!! Take care of yourself!

Hi tyra i watch your show every night cuz i think you are sooooo sweet to everyone and the so what campaign is soo smart because i am young and i already have jiggly arms lol and i have started going threw my girl stuff and my life has been really hard on me so when i watch your so what campaign.I just feel alot better knwing that im not the only one out there with those kinds of problems.so anyways tyra you are the best and really nice and pretty i love your show like i said i watch it every night .so so what that i have jiggly arms lol im still a great person so tyra thanx for helping me by having a show lol

Hi tyra i watch your show every night cuz i think you are sooooo sweet to everyone and the so what campaign is soo smart because i am young and i already have jiggly arms lol and i have started going threw my girl stuff and my life has been really hard on me so when i watch your so what campaign.I just feel alot better knwing that im not the only one out there with those kinds of problems.so anyways tyra you are the best and really nice and pretty i love your show like i said i watch it every night

Hey Tyra,
For you to do this "SO WHAT" campaign, its so great. You are so inspirational to everyone out in the world. I just love watching your show. You give great messages to everyone that watches and you show to people that it doesnt matter how you present yourself its as long as you take pride in yourself is all that matters. Thanks for the great meesages that you send out and you are one of the greatest idol to anyone who watches.

Dear Tyra,

I know that we should be saying so what to our weight..but I want to be but not matter what i do I feel like I'm being Judged.. Even by my friends, its so bad I can't even tell me bestfriend Paula about it. I'm 15 and I'm scared of buying even the clothes I like cuz i think people are judging me on how I look and how big I am.. I also feel thats why I can't even get a guy to even take a look at me.. This judging thing is so bad I eat very little or not at all when I'm out with friends and family.. It's taking over my life and I don't know what to do. Do you think you can help me?

Dear Tyra, I have a comment for so what!!

We're all different.... So What!!!

Love Kira

Hey Tyra.....I'm 14 and I love that you have this "SO WHAT" out there. You are an inspiration to me.Almost my whole life in some way I've been hurt,by someone. I've changed throughout the years and people have expectations about me and my lifestyle. I'm not just going to live by what people think so "SO WHAT" that what you think about me in unkind ways or how I've changed. I love the person that I am and if you cant accept that, then, SO WHAT?.SO WHAT that I cry about what people think,I'm only human!
THANK YOU FOR LETTING MY VOICE BE HEARD!

Hey Tyra,
Now im just an average teenage girl that deals with problems of her own. My biggest issue is my teeth...their so spaced on top...I used to get called "spongebob teeth" by my sisters when i was younger i felt so ugly when i smiled! Until I started talking to a lot of people and making friends and then I and realized that they dont care. Thats my so what...So What! who cares about my teeth I mean yeah I do hope to get braces or something like that one day but im not so self consious about my smile anymore so your "So What Campaign" helped me realize that most people dont care about stuff like they they should care about who you are and whats in your heart.
THANKS TYRA!

Amazing idea Tyra!

I can't express to you how much you are changing lives around the world each day. I watch your show and am amazed with everything you do! I don't have a story to share really but I just want to say WAY TO GO to every person that says "SO WHAT?!"

Much love from Michigan,
Melissa

So what im not a size 0
So What i like Jonas Brothers and led Zeppelin
So What im Mixed
So what I dont want to have sex
So what i believe in God
So what im not that good at sports
So what im not the smartest person
So What i Cried
Thing is this is me and im not another cookie cutter shape that wants to be like everyone she sees im me deal with it im not changing for you. So this is me i like me and if you dont thats cool whatever im not here to please you im here to please GOD

Hey Tyra

I would like to thank you for doing the "SO WHAT" show. I am 21 years old and i weight 240 lbs. And you know what i have to say about that is "SO WHAT". I started to cry with joy when i saw that show. I was so touched by that show. i would so wear one of those swimming suits with 240 on it and i would be proud of it.

Thank you and "SO WHAT?"

tyra my gurl,i am slim but frm the time my butt began to get bigger i started gettin stretch marks n i have been usin stuff 4 it but yet still it isn't comin off! i sumtimes say so what! but i still don't feel ok cuz i don't feel comfortable in a bathin suit,is there anything i can do! plz help!

Hi Tyra,
I heard about your "SO WHAT" campain and I think thats amazing what your doing. I know this is going to sound negative compare to all the other girls commenting but I just cant say so what. I watch your show and you inspire me but when I look in the mirror I hate what I see. I listen to what you say and more than anything I try to say "so what". I am skinny, with fat ugly cheeks, I'm short, I have acne, I have a pointy nose and just I could go on forever. I'm sorry. I will keep watching and hopefully I will be able to say so what. I hope other girls dont get too mad at me or you and I'm sorry I'm bringing negativity into a positive place. I'm just going to stop talking. bye Tyra.

OMG, I have to say...your "SO WHAT?!" campaign has been so much an inspiration. I have found many faults and have learned to say "so what" I was even able to boost the self-esteem of my friend earlier. This is truely an inspiration, and a wake up call to women that they are beautiful no matter what! Thank you Trya!

~Kathryn

Your SO WHAT campaign is amazing, and it's truly inspired me. I think I have allergies, so whenever I talk, no matter what season, my voice is wicked nasely, and everyone always thinks that I'm sick or have a cold all the time. It drives me crazy, but after seeing your campaign, I started realizing that some actresses, (which is what I want to be when I grow up) have the same type of voice and are successful.

Thank you for making me realize that it's okay, and I can now just say SO WHAT!

~ Rachel

Hey Tyra,
I am going to be 14 in 3 days,and going into high school. I am very athletic, and I have an athletic body. The eighth grade social is the biggest thing to happen to the 8th graders in middle school, all the girls wear pretty dresses. Well I went shopping for my dress with my grandma and my mom and I tried on soo many dresses, and I finally gave up when I found one that bearly went over my shoulders, and I told all of my friends, and they laughed at me beacause all of my friends dont have very big shoulders, you know what I have to say to that...
SO WHAT!!! I like my sports, I guess I'll make due with my jerseys!

I think that the idea of the "so what" movement is great. I think people should try to be happy with what they are. Although, within reason making sure you are healthy is first. But I'm somewhat dissappointed with Tyra it seems you have a hard time letting go of what magazines have said about you and how you've gained weight. I don't think your fat, but you definately are not as skinny as you were, even a couple years ago. But if this is your "so what" movement why don't you jump on the wagon and not worry so much about what people say...that is if you are truly happy with your self as you say you are. All I'm saying is you talk about it alot, and from my own personal expierences, even if I say I'm fine if I keep talking about it..I not fine.

hi tyra my name is deja evans i am a big fan im 12 in trun 13 on aug 19 but any way you in that so what campain has help me becuase i wanted to be a model but i have to much bottie in people would say that i have to much to be one so i started working out more than what i did than two weeks lata your show came on about so what and now i tell them so what i can do or be who i want to be thank u tyra LOVE YOU!!! by the way u dont look bad your self and them people in the press needs to know that ...YALL STOP HATIN!! becuz she looks better and makes more

tyra i just want to say that i love my thickness and i wouldnt give it up to look like anybody else!
i completely envy you and youre awesome in the things you try and i love how you give girls like me the chance to say im okay with my body.
♥

Hi Tyra,

I am 20 year olds and 5 ft. 4 inches. When I was 15, I weighted 109 lbs. I got pregnant at 15 and went to 132 lbs. I had him a month and half after my 16 birthday and went back to 109 lbs. Now I am 115 lbs and at first, I was upset at myself for letting my weight get this bad. Everyone was telling me I was gaining weight. I felt horrible about myself, so I put myself on a diet: one meal a day until I go back to my same weight. I did it for a while. Then I was watching T.V and seen your campaign (So What) it made me realize. I should be happy with who I am not mad. It is more important things in life than my weight. I just wanted to say thank you Tyra.

Hey Tyra

I am 14 years old and I have dark skin. Its hard for me because every where I look I see people with light skin, or white skin, and I feel as if I just won't fit in. I public places I would walk with my head down, and I hated to go out because of how dark I am. Your so what campaign has really been a blessing to me because it help me gain confidence. Everyday I look at myself and say "SO WHAT" it really helps me to feel better. I never going to get lighter skin so I have decide to love who I am. I just want to say THANK YOU so much for having this campaign it was a real blessing, it has really changed my life

hi tyra
you have made a very big difference in my life and i'll tell you why. I realize that people should like me for who i am and now i have learned to like my body and cherish it forever. My family has stop eating alot at one time and just eat regular and not stuff themselves with food and after that their stomach starts to hurt. i am a 13 yaer old who life you have changed. you are my idol because you don't care what those people say in the magazine about how you let your self go. you look fine the way you are. thanks tyra for making a difference in my life.
Chanel

Tyra,
your so what campian is amazing i think it is helping many people its pretty kool but if only i could just not care about my body i used to have such a wonderful body but then i got pregnent when i was 16 and now i have like 100 stretch marks and my thighs are HUGE i was at 100 pnds before i got pregnent and now im 135 and 4'11 and it shows i just got married on saturday and i wore thigh highs for my husband and my thighs were like hanging over the top it was soo gross i wouldnt be so depressred if the strch marks were gone how do i make them go away faster
??

I had posted this on a facebook group about chubby girls being just a pretty/sexy as skinny girls.
I thought that what I said to make the girls in the group feel better might help on your show.

And.. here's my post..

It's pathetic how won over by the media some people can be. But I know, it's not your fault that you've been brainwashed by all that crap saying that skinny is the way to be. But, a lot of people out there are like that too. I must say, that this time last year, I was the same way. I, in no way accepted me for me, I was so crazy about wanting to be skinny because I thought that's what people liked more, but, I took time for me, and found out that I truly love myself for who I am, big or small. And yes, I am still trying to lose weight because I think that I need to, to be and look more healthy, but I don't want to be stick thin, I like having a little meat on my bones, and there is NOTHING wrong with that. So, I think that this whole, big girl v.s. small girl thing has gone too far, why is it such a competition? Guys have their preference of course, but why should we change ourselves to fit them. We should all be proud of ourselves and each other for being comfortable in our own skin.

I'm 16 and what I wrote about myself in this is totally true. I was indeed, very unconfortable with myself and my weight, but in most ways, I've come to accept it and love myself despite of what the media says I should look like.

I want you to know that watching your show and your "So What" movement take place has made me feel more and more comfortable with the way I look. And I want to thank you so much for it. It's changed my outlook on life, really.
Me and my family have made a turn around, we have started eating better, with portion control. We exercise together, which is good, I love the support from them.
So, again I would like to thank you, you've made a HUGE impact on my life.

Thanks Tyra..
Love, Jennifer =)

Hey Tyra,
Im 13 years old and i love your show! All my friends are shorter than me so of course weigh less then me. I am 5 ft. 8 in. and weigh about 125 lbs. I used to think that i was fat because of the number but really its cause i am so tall. You know two things changed my mind about my weight.

The first thing was YOU. You talk about your child hood and how tall you were. I listen to that i think my life is so much alike with you.

The other thing that changed my opinion is this one song that i loove! Its called Big Girl (you are beautiful) by Mika. Its a beautiful song saying how curves are nice and how even if your bigger then the girl next to you.. you are still beautiful... My favortie line is... "You take your girl and multiply her by 4 now a whole lot of woman need a whole lot more"... Its a beautiful song and so up lifting and i think you should play it on your show for all woman and girls to hear.

I love you Tyra!!!!! Thanks for everything you do!

Tyra,
My name is Johnna and I am from a small town in Kansas. I watch your show when I get the opprotunity. But, I wanted to let you know that you are an amazing woman to start the "so what?!" campaign. I have suffered from very low self esteem my whole life. From occasionally extreme outbreaks to looking at myself in the mirror and hating myself. I cried myself to sleep at night for the longest time because I hated who I was and what I looked like. My friends made fun of me all the time. It hurt. I just want to let you know that although you are a beautiful woman it is nice to know that you have the guts to stand up for us women in America that are a little less than perfect. I think that women feel like that they are forced to be super skinny like the women they see in magazines. Anyway, I feel very strongly about this subject. I have let it rule how I live my life. That is how big of a deal it is to me. So, I guess I just want to say, Thank you.
Keep up the good work!
And I will continue to watch your show,
Johnna

HI TYRA, my name is lakayla, and i'm 13 years old. I get pick on everyday because of my weight, sometimes i even get pick of by my family, like my brother,and my sister.One time when i was eating i said that the food was good, and my dad said u like ever thing, and that hurt my feelings because it was a other way of calling me fat even if he didn't say fat.
People say i'm fat but i say i'm not fat i'm just thick. I have good friends that sitck beside me and if some one call me fat they would say that i'm not fat, and take up for me.
So what if i have meat on me, that does not give u the right to put others down.

I'm from Singapore and tune in to your show.
Dear Tyra, I admire the brilliance of coming up with the "So What" campaign. In many ways, it is empowering to millions of your viewers. It assists people in living their life fuller, primarily through the build up of confidence they get.
However, I have observed, through your show and the comments on this web site, that when understood from a different perspective, it is such a bad idea.
For instance, this "So What" campaign encourages viewers to live life sloppily, in ignorance and unhealthily. I'm overweight - so what? Being overweight poses many health risks.

"So what?" would develop to be a convenient excuse. Tyra, having millions tuning in, you have a responsibility to educate people right. I support you.

hey tyra... my name is katie and i am the type of person who just stand out of the crowd.. and well im nto a fullfigured women but when i saw ur show it helped me so much...i was hangin wiht my sister in a very small town and being diffrent i was stared at quite a bit and it realy offended me and i jsut velt so betrayed by myself and ur show jsut showed me tht i am my own person and not to care what other think thank u so much!!lovve u girl

tyra..i am 15 years old and when i saw ur show abotu the full figured women it hit me in a diffrent way i am not fulfigured i envy those who are but i am diffrent and i get judge alot for being diffren and it soemtimes realy upset me and they day i saw ur show i was offende by a few ppl and i was upset about it when i saw ur show it jsut made me feel so much better about being me and standing out for who i am thank you so much...!!!

tyra,
i'm 15, and when i saw your so what movement, i was so moved inside. i have alot of full-figured friends who i think secretly want to be skinny, and i'm like so what!!! i love you, and who ever doesn't sucks!
but my personal so what moment is my hair. i use to have alot of hair but now its almost gone, and ppl are forever talkin about it, so what if my hair is short! i like it!! your show gave me confidence thank you.

-purple hearted

tyra,
i'm 15, and when i saw your so what movement, i was so moved inside. i have alot of full-figured friends who i think secretly want to be skinny, and i'm like so what!!! i love you, and who ever doesn't sucks!
but my personal so what moment is my hair. i use to have alot of hair but now its almost gone, and ppl are forever talkin about it, so what if my hair is short! i like it!! your show gave me confidence thank you.

-purple hearted

tyra i am only 20. i have 2 siaters they are so skiny and i am fat. when it is time go go out they wear eachothers outfit but i cant cause i am fat and they always call me names so it hurts and i never end up going out with them

Hey Tyra,
I get made fun of everyday by people in my school who are supposed to be my friends because im alittle chubby,very pale,and because I stayed back last year and im not going to be in the same school as them next year.So I watch your show just about everyday and I saw your show with the "SO WHAT" campaign and I realized that i dont need friends like them and that my body is beautiful the way it is!!!So heres wat i say Im chubby and pale but "SO WHAT"!!!

i do not like being medium guy don't like fat people

Tyra-

I stepped out like you said and tried to push my boundaries and my comfort zone. I haven't weighed myself in ages. Honestly? There's no point. I did however always lie to my boyfriend when he would jokingly ask how much I weighed. I look and feel lighter than I am, so I could get away for awhile saying I was 114. WAY underestimated. Then I told him I was less that 130. He believed me. So when I went up to his house for our one year anniversary, I told him the last time I weighed myself I weighed 148 pounds. He told me it didn't matter and I didn't feel like that at all. [[He sweeps me off my feet. Literally and figuratively.]] It was kinda an awkward moment to tell him, but I felt way better once I did. Thank you Tyra. I still have yet to announce my weight in the frozen food deparptment!

Love lots,

Brittany.

Hiya Tyra!!! I am from Texas (yeah they say everythings bigger here) and I live that statement. I am 5'11" and i weigh over 300 pounds, but ~SO WHAT~ i still look good enough to pull a guy and i still get out and dance and sing karaoke and act silly with my girls. People accept me for me, or you know they can just look he other way. I love me and I have got to make sure my daughter feels the same way about herself, no matter what size or shape she is. Go Gurl!!

hi tyra im 13 and the girls at my school are always thinking there fat. There not they just think tthey because of the media i dont normaly watch you show but when i heard about the so what campaign i sent the video to my friends and the agree with everything you said and so do i. the way i figure everybody,skinny,fat,prettyor ugly everybody needs to love so thank you tyra for sticking up for the people who were to insecure to do it for themselfs peace out tyra!~ ~
* *
\_/

Tyra,
My name is Airelle. Ever since the fourth grage i have been teased about being overwheight. Even from my family! My mother was never there during my childhood.People are constantly comparing me to my mother. Telling me i will be just like her and ammount to anything. I was truly in desperate need of inspiration, & the i saw your show! i just think everyone is beautiful no matter what body type you are. so i what to say "SO WHAT" i am not perfect! and i am proud of who I am!

i really admire all of the ladies as far as their courage goes.. for the so what campaign.. after i have watched the tyra show.. i am too empowered, and i get that so what feeling..but then reality hits me.. i have 3 children who i hate going places with becase i feel i embarress them.. i make up excuses so i dont go out side.. i tell them moomy doesn't feel good..i am always in the house.. never go out..hang with friends.. i cry .. i am young and feel like a prisoner in my own home.. when i go outside i feel like people are watching me..laughing at me.. i wont go swimming.. i wont go to an amusement park cause i feel i can't fit in the seats.. when i walk i feel as if the floor is goin to cave in..when i get in my car..i feel it is low.. i dont wanna go out and eat thinking people are looking at me..i dont wanna be really skinny..but sometimes i wonder how i would feel..how wold i change.. will i be more outgoing.. i just feel the world does not need me.. i feel my children dont need a fat mom embarrassing them, i to have thought of ways to just end it..life is hard, people are cruel... sometimes i dont wanna be here..i have so many goals in life.. so many ideas.. i want to finish writing a book..but then i get discouraged, and say noone will care.. noone wants to see me.. i feel like a nobody... so sorry if i dont have that so what attitude.. but i really admire the girls/females that do..how do i get that? shanequarenee@yahoo.com

hey tyra~!!

I am a huge fan from Toronto, Ontario, and personally love the "SO WHAT?" campaign! I am 13 years old, am 5'3, and weigh 128 pounds. I tried soo many crash diets to try and get thin, and the only one that worked was starving myself. That was definetly the WRONG THING TO DO. I am a big eater and will never change! however, i am eating healthier and excersising, and if people say I look ugly or fat, I'd say, "Yeah? Well I don't care what you think. S.O.W.H.A.T?"

tyra please come to london ontario canada

and help girls with their self esteem issues. There are tons of girls here that need yout help and they love you to death. They think you are their role models and their only hope of life left in them.I know you helped soo many people in la.

Thanks!

Angela,Carly,Brooke,Ashley

dear tyra
i love your SO WHAT..? movement but i'm having a hard time letting myself let go and say "so what!!". on April 27, 2007, i was in an accident and caused me to almost loose my middle finger on my right hand.a few days later i had surgery on my flexor tendon and also a skin graph. i wore a splint for 6 weeks. after the splint came over, i had nothing but problems.my skin graphic didn't take and i suffered from horrible infection. i was hospitalized for 4 days due to infection spreading through my finger into my hand. after months of physical theropy.. i am able to move the finger. what bothers me is all the scaring. i'm always embarrest. i want to say so what but i'm having a hard doing that please help me!!!

Hey Tyra, my name is Alyssa. My friend Nike and I are big fans of your show, every morning at 11 am if we don't have to go to work that day we get up just in time to watch your show. I just wanted to share a so what momment with you. I realized that im never going to be thin enough to wear a two piece bikini and look fabulous in it and im ok with that. My weight goes up and down constantly and im only 17 sometimes i look thin and sometimes i look like im 3 months pregnant. SO WHAT!!!! That's life you just learn to live with it. I've learned that if you accept yourself for who you are then everybody else will and you get an awful lot more respect too. Tyra im glad you strarted this SO WHAT campaign it really helps alot of women young and old. Thank you Tyra. God Bless.

tyra your my idol.in 13 and not what you call skinny but, SO WHAT?! i realized because of you that i doesn't really matter what's on the outside but on the inside that counts. thakns for making me realize that!

peace

Hey Tyra,

Don't pay attention to that last comment cause I anad many people think they opposite. I loved this episode. It really inspired me to not be so worried about what I look like. People tease me alot about my weight and I use to always let it bother me, but now, ever since I watched that show, no one puts me down because of my weight. It's part of who I am and if someone doesn't like me jsut because of that, they have issues. SO WHAT if my thighs rub together when I walk.

tyra we dooo not get you!!!!

We loved your so what campain untill you dropped the 30 pounds. At first you tell girls to it's ok to be a little thicker, then she drops the weight? What message is that?

You said you were happy with yourself??

It tell us young girls you were not happy with your weight and it makes us feel bad.

You weren't true to us at all. You lied and said you loved the way your were. very dissapointing.

charlotte&leah

does anyone get where i am gettting from???

Ok , I have a story to tell yall. I am 13 5,5 and 120-125 ibs.I am the kind off girl who has curvy hips and a nice booty. I am proud of what I have but then sometimes i see some of the girls in my school who are soo tiny and nice looking. To gain my self esteem back, I try to figure out things that they do not have that i have and things which alot of guys in my school likes in a girl that they do not have. Well I am not trying to put anyone down or anything but most of the time Tiny/really skinny girls are the popular ones and they like to show off their skinny figure which to them they think it is perfect. TO HELL WITH THEM!!!!!!!

So, WHAT if I would love to hang out with people who have a good influence on me. I would love to go to more celebrity partys...
Tabetha

i dont agree with the so what campain what if your way over weight and its affecting your overall health you cant just say so what you should do something so you dont end up lying on your floor dead right the campaign could be taken the wrong way

I feel a little chunky, but I had a baby by c-section in April and SO WHAT?!? I had a baby 3 months ago and SO WHAT if I'm not skinny again yet? I know I'll get down to my pre-pregnancy weight. Look at Marcia Cross. She had twins and she's still carrying around some chunk! SO WHAT??? So if anyone wants to say I've gained weight, I'm going to say "I had a beautiful baby 3 months ago. So what?"

Hi Tyra I have been waatching your show and I saw the section of "so What" and I was thinking that alot of young woman are obses with their weght and how they look and I think the reason is that they see all does skinny models and why not their friends too.. I just had a baby and they did a C-section to me and I did got a little bit of weight but u know what "so What" I had a beautiful baby and I am a proud mommy and as my mom says what matters is what's in the inside not on the outside" every time I SEE MY BABY I FEEL THAT AFTER ALL THE PAIN I WHENT TO IT WAS ALL WORTH IT .....welll I love your show and continue being the great person you are never change ..well take care bye...^_^

hey tyra!
I think your an inspiration to every one out there that problems with themselve. now soo many girls {includind me} say SO WHAT that we have problems!! SO WHAT?
i love it!!

I just wanted to say that it takes a real women to say ``SO WHAT``Its sad to see young women in general having problems with there body image. It's extremely difficult for teens when their own bodies are changing and they don't resemble the models that our society continually bombards them with. I personally think that you are there role model. More and more people are coming out saying ``SO WHAT`` It`s okay if I am not perfect but I love me. It`s important to love yourself or no one esle will...Thanks Trya for taking a stand...Much respect...keep doing what your doing...LoVe AaLiYah

Tyra,
I am an absoulte fan, but thats what most people consider themselves as. Any who. I love watching you show every moment I can. I love watching Top Model, everything. You have inspired me deeply. Although I am only 16, You are my number one idol. I look up to you for everything you have done.

Everyone always makes fun of me for my stmouch or my teeth cause they are stained from drinking lots of pop. But I heard about the "So What?" .
So now when people are sitting there making fun of me I sit there and say, so what. You have inspired me to gain confidence and stick up for myself,
so now as the girls sit there and point and laugh and sit there and I poke fun back at myself, because i think
"So What " :)
I never do no wrong to anyone, so why should I sit there and take it from them.
Thank you a ton Trya :)

To Tyra,
I HATE MY STOMACH. It's just too big for the rest of my body it seems like. But you know what? SO WHAT!
Thanks Tyra!
Love,
Lauren :]

So what, Im a witch.
Thanks for trying to make me feel bad about that Tyra... I am a huge fan, its a shame we have to disagree here though.
So what?

Tyra,
My name is Karrie Ballinger. I am 18 yrs old and I have really bad self-estem problems and body issues and i wish that i had a "so what" Thing to say but i dont i wish i could say so what i aint that pretty and popular and "so what" I am fat but i cant and it hurts it hurts so bad being teased and everything ive tried everythig going on diets and one thing that no one no one knows is that i tryed to starve myself for 2 weeks but it did not work because i like to eat I dont know what to do. Ive even tought about killing myself so I would not feel the pain that Ive been feeling for so long but I can bring myself to do that cause i dont want to leave my family. I am at my wits end i want to lose weight and be pretty. TYRA I AM CRYING INSIDE AND NO ONE KNOWS HOW IM FEELING INSIDE AND KNOW I AM CRYING OUT FOR HELP I AM TIRED OF HURTING AND KEEPING MY PAIN IN CAN YOU HELP ME.

-KARRIE

tyra, i love your enthusiasim in wanting to show women that they ARE beutiful no matter what others say or think or do. you are an insparation to us all,
P.S. how can i get one of the "so what?!" shirts?

tyra, i love your enthusiasim in wanting to show women that they ARE beutiful no matter what others say or think or do. you are an insparation to us all,
P.S. how can i get one of the "so what?!" shirts?

Hey Tyra!

i love what your doing ! When i fist saw you talking aboutthe " SO WHAT " campaign i was thinkin goyu dont have to be skinny you dont have to have the perfect body.. i do wish i was pretty and i was skinny but i love my body just the way it is!!!
I think that you doing this is a big thing because you inpsire me you are my idol and when you say i got this that i hate about my body you say " SO WHAT " !

hi tyra my mom has 4 kids & weighs 165. she thinks she is FAT. iam the oldest and im 13 years old. can u call me @ 843-513-5319? just wondering

Hey Tyra,
Thanks to you and your "SO WHAT" campaign ive never felt better about myself. Im 26 and i have struggled for years to get a perfect figure...i have a little bit of love handles...SO WHAT!! Ive overcome a lot in my life and trying to be happy with my body the way it is has now finally happened thanks to you girl!!! God bless

Heyy Tyra! I'm a HUGE fan of yours. I watch the Tyra show regularly, including re-runs :)
I just love your spirit, your confidence, your sweetness and your down-to-earth and humble personality. I wish more people were like you in the world; it would be perfect!

I'm a dark-skinned, Indian girl, who was born in India and moved to Canada 5 years back. I love Canada, but I love and am proud of my Indian culture as well. I'm not beautiful, as per Indian or Western standards and I've always wished to be someone else, other than myself.

However, lately, I've been feeling a bit more comfortable with myself, and you and your "So What" movement have definitely helped me see the bigger picture in life. I now feel
like even though I don't have what the ideal beautiful women have, I still have something unique, that only belongs to me. Despite the progress, I still often feel depressed and sad, but watching your shows makes me feel a bit better :) So I thank you for that.

I also wanted to tell you about my biggest obsession in life. He is Shah Rukh Khan (popularly called SRK). He's an Indian (Bollywood) actor, quite often called "King Khan", just because he is simply the best actor, the best performer, the best human being in the world. He is my guide, my inspiration, my passion, my one true love, my God.

I really really wish you invite him on your show, because he's the most amazing person ever. He has gone through so many hardships in life, like the horrible deaths of his parents, poverty, his sister's illness, etc. but he grew from all of that and kept on fighting. He was a simple, dark, middle-class boy from Delhi, who pursued his dreams and is now the "Baadshah" (Emperor) of Bollywood. He is an angel in disguise. I hope you get him on your show. You will not regret it.

And finally, I would like to say: I'm a dark, Indian girl, I'm proud of my country, I like Bollywood movies, and neither is my face or body like Tyra Banks', but SO WHAT!! :)

YOU ROCK TYRA! I LOVE YOU!

~SRK Super Fanatic~

hhii tyyra,
okay, so i as at my brothers two year wedding anniversary party just last week. We had all sorts of food, cake, drinks, and all that good, yummy stuff :) so my 13 year old cousin was there. she's such a sweet heart. anyway, my brother cut the cake and started handing it out to everyone. He finally got to her and she refused to eat the piece of cake. so i asked her why. She then pointed to her stomach and said "that's why". Then she told me that she wouldn't go to her friends house to go swimming because she didn't want to put on a bathing suit and have all her friends see her and tyra, this girl did not even have a belly. so i told her all about SO WHAT. i happened to have the article in my car so i went to go get it and gave it to her. i don't know if she will read it and consider what it all says or anything, but i reached out to her and i hope that she will except her body and have a piece of cake. SO WHAT !

yo tyra,

i've watched all ur shows including the ''so what ''campign..even though i liked the idea...i dont think i will ever be able to say so what. this is becuase...well lets say that there arelike 3 things that i hate in my face.first of all..i have the ugliest nose ever..i have a big bone on top and my nose is heading south..i look like a witch..( i am only 16) . my mom,sister an brother have no problem on teasing me . when they doo i just laugh or say something to make them feel that i dont care. But the truth is that i doo care. on many times i hide in the bathroom and keep on cring and looking in the mirror and wonder why would god give me that nose..those ugly teath and those big ears. Most pple would have their ears sticked to their heads like u tyra and not sticking out of nowhere . I just would wish to be able to tie my hair into a ponytail without looking ugly . But i cant do that becuase of my big ugly nose and ears that sticks out of my face. i would just like to be able to tie my hair into a pony tail and look nice..thats all......tyra... would u help me plzzzzz...i have thought a million times about writting to u to help me so would u?
if u couldnt just send me an e-mail telling me that u wont. thanku

Hi Tyra,
I just love your "So What" campaign but like some of the other people who have commented, I still hate my body!
I have a GREAT husband who has NEVER thought that I look bad or fat. He tells me that I am GORGEOUS and BEAUTIFUL all the time.
I am 23 years old, 5'5" and 205lbs.
I have been fighting with my weight since I was 14 years old. When I was 17 I lost a lot of weight. I went from 225lbs down to 170lbs. I was so happy. Then I went to college and gained all of it back....lol....:(
When my husband asked me to marry him I knew I needed to lose weight so I would feel good on my big day, well I was 215lbs when he asked and by the time the big day came I was between 185lbs and 190lbs. Now that I have been married for almost 4 months I am back to 205lbs. I just can't keep it off and now I am so upset and fustrated with my self that I am no longer happy. I know that because that I am unhappy my husband is hurting. I know it is because he feels like what he thinks, what he feels, and what he says does not matter. I don't want to hurt him. So how can I change my thoughts about how I look and what I weigh?
Thanks for your help!

Arielle

Hello Tyra!
Im half native american and half white... Alot of ppl tease me about being white. and i dont keep in contact with that side of my family... anyhwo... When people say something like.. "your such a blonde" when i have my blonde moments... Your campaign helped me realize its ok to be a "blonde" even tho im brunette LOL... So when they try to tease me, all i say is SO WHAT!:)
Thank You For Your Help!
I love You!

tyra
i watched your so what show (actually i watch all your shows) and im so inspired by it! it gave me a little more confidence so anything said to me doesn't really bother me. im 14 5'7'' and weigh 127 pounds my sister is 16 turning 17 about 5'6'' and weighs 115 pounds but SO WHAT. i realized as long as im happy and am doing everything i can to be healthy it doesn't matter what my sister or anyone else weighs towards myself.
Thank you tyra,
Brittany

Hey Tyra . I just wanted to tell you that i love the SO WHAT MOVEMENT!! I have a so what moment to. Before I got pregnant with my first child I weighed about 105 if that and then i gained 40 pounds with that pregnancy and then after i had my baby i want down to 113 that was fine and then i got pregnant again and after i had her i could not lose the weight and i have a pouch on my belly from it at first i would wear real baggy clothes so no one can see it and then after i watched you show about SO WHAT i was like so what if i have gained due to pregnancy and i have a pouch SO WHAT!!! and another so what moment i have is I have a skin disease called psoriasis and even in 100 degree weather i would wear jeans and long sleeve shirts because i felt like everybody was looking at me due to my skin i was depressed and embarrassed about it but then i had a SO what moment so now this summer i have been wear shorts and t shirts And I say SO WHAT i still battle with it a little being embarrassed and get depressed every now and again but i Just keep saying SO WHAT .. I don't worry about what every body thinks . I love that !! Thank you !!!!!

I'm 14. I weight 135 and said to be a "normal" size. I am in a size 9 jeans. I have wobbly arms and a lot of the time I do not feel good about myself. I have a severe case of acne and have tried every medication under the sun to stop it. I am now working out and trying to eat healthier. Thank you for doing the "So What" campaign. I wish you would sell some So What bracelets or shirts. I would totally buy them. Well anyways...here is my "So What" shout out.
I AM A WHITE GIRL WITH A BIG BUTT THAT FITS ONLY FITS INTO SIZE 9 PANTS. MY ARMS ARE WOBBLY AND SHAKE A LOT, I DON'T HAVE A FLAT STOMACH OR A SIX PACK, AND I HAVE "LOVE HANDELS" AND REALLY BAD ACNE. DON'T JUDGE ME FOR THESE THINGS, BECAUSE GUESS WHAT? I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK BECAUSE I SAY, "SO WHAT!" Thanks again Tyra, you are a true inspiration to us young girls.
Love Always,
Amanda

I'M THIRTEEN YRS. OLD AND I'M HALF WHITE AND HALF BLACK AND I'M THICK AND BEAUTIFUL BUT OTHER PEOPLE DONN'T THINK I AM....AND I TELL THEM TO LOOK AT THE THICK ACTORS AND ACTRESSES; FAT JOE, E-40, MO'NIQUE ALL THOSE PEOPLE ARE BEAUTIFUL AND THICK AND LOVIN' IT! SO I TELL MY CLASSMATES SO WHAT IF BEING THICK IS IN MY FAMILY, SO WHAT IF I HAVE A BIG BUTT AND I'M THICK!!! I'M PROUD TO BE A THICK AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN AND I'M NOT GOIN' TO CHANGE FOR ANYONE..!!! SO WHAT!!!

I'd love to be able to buy your "So what" merchandise! Just be careful of the anorexics or ignorant people out there who will use "So what?" to justify their behavior....but anyway I'm naturally skinny, have stretch marks on my butt, am short, have bulging calves, and bad skin (thanks to my dad). SO WHAT?!!

Hey Tyra i really enjoy watching your show,it's a highlight of my day :)Every episode is more and more interesting! One in particular is your "So What" campain. I have always had troble with confidence, i know no one is perfect but i just have a bad i guesse you can call it a habit, of nit picking at my inperfections. Your campain has helped me be stronger though i sometimes still nit pick at myself and then i just think there are worse things going on around the world, there are wars going on, kids are becoming orphans by the second. Having small breats shouldnt be a problem, it's a part of who i am and i should be proud of what i have.
For all women we all have insecurities, but before you judge other people looks or nit pick at your silly "inperfections" turn on the news, look and see what's going on around you!

tyra we dooo not get you!!!!

We loved your so what campain untill you dropped the 30 pounds. At first you tell girls to it's ok to be a little thicker, then she drops the weight? What message is that?

You said you were happy with yourself??

It tell us young girls you were not happy with your weight and it makes us feel bad.

You weren't true to us at all. You lied and said you loved the way your were. very dissapointing.

charlotte&leah

does anyone get where i am gettting from???

HEY TYRA
IM 13 YEARS OLD AND I WATCH YOUR SHOW EVERYDAY YOUR SO WHAT CAMPAIGN AS HELPED ME SO MUCH. EVEN THOUGH IM STILL YOUNG I HAVE STARTED MAKING MYSELF OVER EAT AND THEN THROW UP I'VE JUST STARTED THESE LAST FOUR DAYS. I CANT SEEM TO GET OUT OF IT STILL BUT I HAVE DECIDED TO STOP AND STARVE MYSELF.I HAVE NOT TOLD NO ONE ABOUT ME PROMBLEM NOT EVEN MY MOM. I STARTED THIS BECAUSE EVERY ONE I SEEMS TO HAVE A BETTER BODY THEN ME ALL MY FRIENDS ARE SMALLER SIZES THEN ME.MY FRIENDS ALSO ASUME MY SIZE BECAUSE I DONT LOOK A SIZE 7 THEY ALWAYS THINK IM A SIZE 5 BECAUSE MY HIEGHT SO I FEEL I HAVE TO MEASURE DOWN .I'AM SO GLAD THAT YOU HAVE PUT WEIGHT ON YOUR SUIT FOR ONE OF YOUR EPSIODES. I HAVE NOT YET GOT THE BRAVEY FOR THAT BUT I'M GROWING SLOWY FROM THE PROCESS. BEING A LATINA I HAVE MORE CURVES THEN MOST OF MY FRIENDS AND I'AM LEARNING TO LOVE THEM IN EVERY WAY. I HAVE DECICED THIS MINUTE TO STOP AND I HAVE JUST REALIZED I GOT A GREAT BODY AND THE PERFECT CURVES JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER WOMAN AND GIRL. I KNOW I'LL STILL HAVE A STRUGLE IN SHOWING MY ARMS BECAUSE I HAVE STRECTH MARKS BUT IF I WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT I'AM GOING TO DO IT THE RIGHT WAY....I FINALLY CAN SAY SO WHAT TO MY WEIGHT AND SIZE!!!!!

SO FREAKIN WHAT I'AM A SIZE 7 AND MY FRIENDS ARE SMALLER !!!!!

Tyra-
I love the whole concept of "so what". I just wish that it worked for me. I have always had vey low self-esteem. I was a little bit chubby as a child. Then I became overweight in high school. When I was 17, I lost 50lbs. I did feel a little better about myself, but still saw myself as fat. I would give anything to look like that again. I am 20 years old and just gave birth to my son 6 weeks ago. During my pregnancy, I gained 40+lbs. I've lost about 30lbs since I had him, but I am obsessed with what I eat and how I look. I allow myself 1 cup of yogurt, 1cup of fruit, 1/3 cup of granola, and 1 cup of vegetables a day. If I eat any more than this, I hate myself. Often, when I eat motre than this, I force myself to throw up. When I look in the mirror I hate what I see. I make myself sick. I'm huge, I'm pale, I'm flabby, I have stretch marks, loose skin, cellulite, and dark body hair. I weigh myself 3+times a day to make sure I havn't gained any weight. I have an adoring boyfriend who is constantly trying to reassure me and tells me to give myself time to lose the baby weight. I wish I could listen to him. But when he tells me these things, it's like talking to a brick wall.All I can think about is how I'd rather be dead than look the way I do. The only reason I stay alive is for my son. I feel so guilty about what I'm doing to myself. I need to be around to take care of my baby, but I can't stop my obbsession. I wish I could just say "so what" and just be happy. I wish that I could enjoy eating again. I wish I could be satisfied with myself. I wish I could go out to eat with my boyfriend and not want to kill myself after. I wish I could just say "so what". But I can't. Congratulations to all you women who are stronger than me, who can say "so what". I wish I was you...

TYRA,

I love the whole thing! I love that your putting everyone in the SAME so what shirt or bathing suit cuz it just shows the diversity of shapes and...SO WHAT?! The first time I saw your so what episode I was like "that's a good idea." but then a few weeks ago I found myself saying "so what" about a problem i've had for so long! I used to think my feet were so big and so i'd only wear the same pair of shoes cuz it made them look a little smaller, but last week I bought a new pair of shoes thinking 'you know what, my feet ARE big, SO WHAT?" so umm thanks for the inspiration and keep doing what you do!

Hi Miss Tyra, My name is Treasure and other individuals look at me like o your just another teen statistic because i had a baby at the age of 16 my opinion to that is "SO WHAT".SO WHAT I HAVE A BABY AT THE AGE OF 16...That doesn't mean that my life is over if anything having the responsibility of taking care of another individual whom i can teach to love,respect,and cherish the life that she has is teaching me to be a very responsible adult.So to people whom likes to judge young teen mothers please think about your past before you judge us.I am speaking for the ones that are scared to speak up."SO WHAT I HAVE A BEAUTIFUL 5 MONTH OLD BABY GIRL" I Thank You Ms.Tya for coming up with the SO WHAT campaign.;-)

Hey Tyra,I am a 17 yr oldteen parent that just recently graduated from high school. I am planning on attending The Art Institute of Ft.Lauderdale for Culinary management in Oct. I am 225 pounds and I love food...SO WHAT!!! To me there is no such thing as a good skinny chef!! Im juicy, fluffy, plump, and loving it!!! SO WHAT!!!

Hi miss tyra i am 12 years old and a very big fan of yours you are like and idol you over come the fears you have you can stand up in front of a camera almost naked and have so much confidence i really really envy you. i envy for your confidence and your beauty i hope you get this miss tyra and one day i hope to be americas next top model as a matter of fact i know i can be americas next top model your biggest fan amari

Hi Miss Tyra, My name is Treasure and other individuals look at me like o your just another teen statistic because i had a baby at the age of 16 my opinion to that is "SO WHAT".SO WHAT I HAVE A BABY AT THE AGE OF 16...That doesn't mean that my life is over if anything having the responsibility of taking care of another individual whom i can teach to love,respect,and cherish the life that she has is teaching me to be a very responsible adult.So to people whom likes to judge young teen mothers please think about your past before you judge us.I am speaking for the ones that are scared to speak up."SO WHAT I HAVE A BEAUTIFUL 5 MONTH OLD BABY GIRL" I Thank You Ms.Tya for coming up with the SO WHAT campaign.;-)

OHHHH Miss Tyra, I forgot,
I lost a ton of weight....and I feel better about myself...I don't want to apologize to the haters.........You're hatin' on me....and SO WHAT you are green with envy.

Hi Miss Tyra,

I am a 26 year old college student and I have three children with my husband. I gained a ton of weight after my second daughter and I went from 117 pounds typically to about 225 pounds on my 5'6 frame. I could barely stand myself. I stayed "chubby" for about 5 years and following the birth of my son 1 1/2 ago, I started jogging and dieting and I have lost about 100 pounds. I feel so much better. I am a small town Mexican girl....and I don't know alot about fashion...any tips? .....

thanks
Laura

Hay,Tyra
im mexican 12 years-old.Im the oldest girl in my moms side of the family so a lot of pressure is put on me like, how i dress, how much i way ect.My parents are divorced so that is even more pressure.Any way im not so skinny that i can brake so easly(thats how my mom puts it)i way almost 109 so i feel over-weight. i went to bible camp last week thinking everything was great as i got there i found myself to be the ONLY latin in my dorm(there was onle 3 latin girls in the camp)so that night we got dressed im superhero coustomes and the white girl where so skinny they CAN brake.the message for the girls was about how boys picture girls and that over 80% of boys dont look for sports illistrated girls(that made me feel great)so some boys told the person that was talking to the girls to tell us to throw ayaw or magizenes that they like us for us!the messengers name is the greats author the author of for women only and the author of her new book u may have herd of her lissa rice!i love her for telling me that im perfect for me.=)i may not be a perfect 10 i may not be 90 pounds i may not be a modle but SO WHAT! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !=0

~Tyra~

Tyra your so what campaign has really opened my eyes. im really trying to encourage my self to believe in myself and stand up to everyone who's ever put me down.im bullied so much in my school. sometimes its just teasing which i dont care about but when these older kids with sick minds get into it its horrid.im only 11 yrs old.these days in public school u have to be tough and thick skinned and not take things personally but its hard for me to do that.like on my right arm i have a VERY dark birthmark. people relate it to poop and say mean things. im used to it but luckly for me my friends are always there for me. im a gifted student and a beautiful girl!!and yes my nose turns upwards like a pig's..... SO WHAT!!!

hello again tyra!
i just left a comment, but after reading a few more, i would like to explain my previous comment a little more so people can see where i am coming from. LIke i said, i love the "so what" idea, but that shouldn't be an excuse for sitting around all day and not doing anything about it. i have never been overweight and i sometimes feel penalized for that. ANd i hate when people act like they can't do anything about his/her weight when you can. For those of you who do excerise and diet and still can't lose weight because of genes or whatnot, that great, keep doing it, keep trying. However, for everyone else, try to be healthy, not skinny, healthy. i assure you that your outlook will be better on life and you will feel better knowing that you are trying to get healthier, then say "so what" but do it for yourself, and be healthy!!

Hey,Tyra

I am 13 years old and proud of myself...because of YOU!...Thank you soooooooooooo much Tyra i couldnt feel anymore better than i do now.....in a comment i posted i said i feel heavy....but now that i think about it...........
SO WHAT?!!!!!!!!!
Its all in my but anyways...i mean i way have a small gut but i shouldnt let that put me down...And neither should other girls....U girls should feel confidence....i have so much respect for you....If people tell you your fat....you tell them "i am a THICK MADAME"....we are some thickums...dont let other people put you down.We are Beautiful......

Megan.S.
a.k.a Ms.Thickness

Hey Tyra, I love the SO WHAT campaign so much! I am an average sized person and my older sister has always been smaller than me. I have always looked at her and wished I could be that little. We used to be able to share jeans but when I borrowed hers she would yell at me because I would always stretch out the butt. She doesn't even come close to having one, but you know what SO WHAT I have a lil junk in my trunk!!

hello Tyra,
I think it is really great that you launched your "so what" campaign, however, as much as i want EVERYONE to have high self-esteem and not be bothered by rude comments, i also don't think that it is ok to promote unhealthiness. SO although it may seem hypocritical now, perhaps your "so what" campaign could have steps, and the next step past self-acceptance could be getting healthy and fit for themselves,and only themselves. You could really put the nation to the test and try to make us healthy- by being active and still eating everything normal-no dieting, just exercise, how fun and easy is that!! Please consider this, i really love the direction you're going with everything though. And i LOVE "america'
s next top model" so does my mom!

Hey Tyra,

Hi my name is La Tasha AKA CiCi, im 11 years, and i got something to say. Just because someone is bigger then you doesnt mean that they're unhealthy, and same goes for if your big, doesnt mean that a person is skinnier then you doesnt meant they're healthy. so SO WHAT

hey tyra

you are so beautiful and im glad that there is someone out there who is proud of her weight and urges others to do the same. i have struggled with bulima and anorexia since 5th grade because i was always told that i was 'fat.' i look up to you as a role model and it hurts to here my brother who is also my best friend say 'she has legs like a hippo.' sometimes it makes me want to yell at him. so for that i say SO WHAT to the way people critize others for the way they look. thank you for so much. you have no idea how much youve helped me.

Hey Tyra,

First things first... I think it is soooo cool that you actually read these things you talk about allot of them on your show! THATS GREAT!!!

Now to get to the SO WHAT? campaign... I am 14 years old. People always tell me your young your perfect you dont need to worry about it! Thats bull crap! In todays society its the same for kids, if not harder. Because in swchool there are lables, and its not like lables you get from people off the street, they are from people you have to be with everyday! Of corse when any and every women look in they mirror they will always see a flaw but what you've done is made it easier for everyone to view their problems. I think that is so great!

Keep Rokin!

-rebecca

-BTW: I havent lost an OUNCE of my baby fat...

SO WHAT!!! :D

please can you tell me how can i write to tyra it's really important.i've trying to write an e-mail to the adress given on the tyrabanks.com but i couldn't reach her.
help me please.GOD BLESS U.

Hi tyra,

thank you thank for all you're doing...you save a lot of women,those who have problems but also those who dont have.

hey yo girls,what do we have to say???!!!!

" SOOO WHAAAT.... "
peace.

I think this "so what" group is great! Even on the weight issues that women face...America is so anorexic now days it's out of control...For example the photographers shootin pictures of Tyra just because she gained weight...pssh please! okay!!! People like to eat damn...as long as your healthy SO WHAT! Im pretty sure whoever took them pictures didn't have a six pack or LL cool J body! They have the nerve...& for the weave haters...shut up! Its just hair you act like its gonna kill you...Tyra likes wearin weaves okay and...People like wearin their hair short & long okay! White gurls wear weaves...japanesse...I mean just whoever that wants to...cancer patients do...GOD lee...calm down...this world is to up tight Tyra...stay strong your one of the best role models out there keep doin ya thing! much luv

Hi Tyra!
First, I would like to say that I truly appreciate what you discuss and explore on your show. I was first moved by your show when I saw the "So What?" follow-up episode. I had actually seen the magazine cover with you in the red suit from a distance a while ago and purposely didn't pick up because I thought it would be more pressure on society to exercise. But I was pleasantly surprised to hear on your show that I was so wrong! As someone who aspires to be successful as a professional actress, my weight is a sensitive subject for me. Many people don't realize that in the theatrical world, 'looking the part' can separate you from ever asking yourself what you think about how you look, apart from any actress's size on television or the fear of what a director might think of you. For so long, I have based what I thought about my weight on whether it would be 'acceptable' to directors and/or society. I didn't realize for a long time that I never stopped to ask myself if I thought I looked beautiful. And I want to say thank you for helping me realize that satisfaction should not be searched for in comparison to another actress/model. I am grateful that I have a wonderful boyfriend who constantly reminds me that I am beautiful for who I am and what I look like. But it has been a struggle even in the midst of his compliments because of such complexity in the entertainment industry. Society continuously impresses that for women, skinnier is always better and it is such a blockade from examining how you truly think apart from all the 'brainwashing.' Saying "So what?" whenever I didn't run as many miles as I wanted, or knowing that it's not horrible that I'm not a size zero has truly served as a reminder that I should not compare myself to determine my worth and beauty. Thank you Tyra for finally TALKING ABOUT IT and reminding women that size and weight do not determine beauty. I am truly grateful, God Bless you!

Hey Tyra! I just wanted to say when I saw your show for the So What!campaign it made me relize that being perfect isn't important its about being yourself and being true to yourself. I am a 16 year old girl and looks are important to my age group but it's not important to me anymore! I want to leave you with a few things.... Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right,forget about the ones who don't and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance,take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said that it'd be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.... And the last thing that I'm leaving you with is one of my favorite things.......I am not a perfect girl, my hair doesn't always stay in place, I spill a lot of things and im really clumsy, but when I think about it and take a step back I remember how amazing my life truly is and maybe just maybe I like being IMPERFECT!

Hey Tyra!!! I just want you to know that you are like one of the greatest women in the world! I watch your show everday at 3p.m. and every morning at 3a.m. ha ha!!! I love you and your show because it has taught me a lot, and you have helped me with my self esteem issues and other problems that you have discussed on your previous shows! Your show makes me laugh so much! Seriously! I love it, and i just want to say More Power to Ya because you are doing such a great job!
So anyways, my So What message is... I use to be bony, skinny, since i was like 3 years old, and i finally gained weight when i was like 14 or 15 years old! I love my weight now. However, everyone else says i'm getting fat and i need to watch or lose weight, and it really hurts my feelings sometimes, but i watch your show and it makes me feel better. So, my So What statement is... I use to be skinny, now i'm thick! SO WHAT!!!!

HI TYRA I THINK YOU ARE LIKE THE GREATEST PERSON IN THE WORLD!!!.. U HAVE CHANGED SO MANY WOMEN LIFES !!!
YOU ARE RIGHT IN SO MANY WAYS I THINK ITS BEAUTYFUL WHEN GIRLS ARE HEALTHY OR WHATEVER THEY LOOK AMAZING..
THEY DONT HAVE TO BE SKINNY AND STUFF

WELL IM THIN BUT THATS THE WAY I WAS BORN I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THIN SINCE I COULD REMEBER ..

I WISH I COULD GAIN A LITTLE WEIGHT THOUGH ....BUT YAY FOR ALL WOMEN OF ALL SIZES!!!!!

O.M.G!!! Tyra you have inspired me so much. I am only 15 years old. Watching all those brave women out there saying" SO WHAT!" not caring about what anyone says.It has really inspired me soo soo much!! When i was 13.. i was so insecure about my body.. i used to cut.. so everytime i would do it.. i would basically punish myself... by cutting i have been threw those stages where i have TRIED commiting suicide..and of course it never worked. I have cut over 100 times..and my boyfriend is trying to stop me from doing it.. and if it werent for him.. i would have been dead...

ps. I AM A HUUUUGEEE FAN OF YOURS I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!! AND YOUR SHOW IS JUST AMAZING!! keep up the good work tyra!!

Hey, Tyra, im one of you biggest fans, my SO WHAT is my thyies rub to gether when i walk so i hate to where skirts, SO WHAT, though i feel HUGE in front of my friends because ther like size 0's but i learnd from watching your show, to say SO WHAT! SO WHAT i feel huge SO WHAT my thyies rub to gether, SO WHAT i hate to wear skirts, ill just wear pants, SO WHAT!! Your Fan For EVER,
Courtney

Hey Tyra I'm a 17 year old girl & i have a so what statement. I'm not a size 0 i'm a size 9-10 i have streach marks but ya no what SO FREAKIN WHAT. I'm so glad that you are finally tellin girls that not only a size 0 is beautiful. The planet needs more women like you.

Hey Tyra, I'm 14 and last new years eve i met this guy who is really sweet and my two cousins don't like him for no reason so they make fun of him and me and i asked them when are they going to stop and they said till i brake up with him and then i said so what if you don't like him get over it because should not be treated like this!

Hey Tyra, I'm 14 and last new years eve i met this guy who is really sweet and my two cousins don't like for no reason so they make fun of him and me and i asked them when are they going to stop and they said till i brake up with him and then i said so what if you don't like him get over it because should not be treated like that!

Hey tyra, whats up. I watch your show everyday and i think its wonderful. I am a great fan of yours. When i watched the episode of "so what" it really made me relize that i needed to stop comparing my self to other woman on television or who are thin. The reason why i think this way is because i used to be a size 6 when i was first married and now im a size 12 after having two beautiful daughters.My family and friends keep telling me to lose weight. But since now i am breastfeeding its hard to diet. so I want to say so what if i gained weight and my body changes, as long as my man loves it who cares what other people think! And as long as my baby is healthy , thats all that matters!

Tyra,

I am 27 and a mother of three. I think that you are a beautiful woman, and anyone that thinks you are "gaining" or "putting on weight" is a real a**.

I used to be the 5 7" 115 lb girl. (even after kids) Now I am the 5 7" and about 60 lbs bigger. I have issues with it everyday.

I watched the "So What" show and it actually made me feel good. I know that there are tons of "bigger women" in this world, but when you go from one extream to the other it makes you feel like poo. I know that I do A LOT.

I diet, I drink water, and I exercise, it doesn't make a difference. Shoot, if I could afford it I would get plastic surgury!!

I just wanted to let you know what a difference you make to woman, and that you touch my heart.

You go girl!!

Hey Tyra! My Name Is Christine. I'm From New Orleans,La.I'M asian girl! I'm mixed with vietnamese and Cambodian And I'm 110 Pounds. But thanks to you and your show!! I would like to say that "SO WHAT?!!!!" IF I HAVE LOVE HANDLES!! OR BIG THEIGHS!! OR A GHETTO BOOTY!! I like the way I am!! And I shouldn't be skinny to be in the cool crowd

im a 16 year old girl in new york. First i love your show and i love your SO WHAT! campaing. so i wanted to contribute and say im 5feet 1 and i only weight 87 pounds SO WHAT! i think that sometimes people dont realize that really petie girls like me also get put down. people always tell me im too skinny that i should put some weight up. Some people would even ask me if i suffered from anorexia nervosa. i hated people telling me that so i would try to gain the weight but ive neva been any higher that 91 pounds. i eat fried food alot of it and alot of junk but i just dont gain it. so i say SO WHAT to all those people who think they know what i should look like because i love they way i look and your campaing helped me realize that me being happy with what i look like is all that matters. No one is too skinny or too big if you are healthy.

tyra,
i am 13. u probably dont remember me but i posted a blog comment about haveing a mixed race relationship. ok so i absolutety love my body, execpt i jsut cant get over the fact that i have like an inch or fat on my inner thighs, i dont know how do get rid of it. i played basketball for 4 years, but then couldnt play any longer for the church becasue i was to old. so than i moved on to softball, and i think that now im going to play softball and do muay thai. every sport that i play though i just dont know how to get rid of the inner fat. im just so concious [dont know how to spell it] about it and want to get rid of it!, do you have any tips on how i could do that? im not the best portioned person either.......i know that i should just say so what and i do, but theres just something underneth that i just cant get rid of! ahhhh, so if u have a tip or exercise please help me with the jiggly thighs! thanks so much tyra!
Anna

WoW tyra i love every 1 of any movie or show that u have been on, and this 1, i must say, IT WAS GREAT!!!!!
your such an idel 2 me i watch your show a lot i love it!!!!! i wish i could be on it but im too young.Make sure you keep your show going for a long time so i can be on it, or at least in tha addience!!!!!!

thankyou for teaching me size doesn't count I luv YOU!!!!!!

-court

SO WHAT?!

Hey Tyra! I love your show!!!!! I love that fact that someone in your position has taken the time out to take a big step and say "SO WHAT" to any imperfections. After all it's the imperfections that make a person who they are right. I'm going to be 21 and I have a 9 month old son. Before I got pregnant I was skinny, with the "perfect hour glass figure" Now, although I may not be fat, I have love handles and a little pooch. I may not ever loose all of my baby fat and look the way that I used to, but guess what, SO WHAT. Thanks to you, myself and so many others can finally come out and say those two amazing words. Thanks a bunch.

hey,tyra
My name is jackie. I'm 12 years old and 152lbs. I've been picked on since kindergardin.Some of the things I've been called is fat, ugly, and a freak. Thats just the tip of the iceburg. The starting of middle school would have been a fresh start for me but I go to a to a school thats kindergardon though thelth grade. It would be better if my sisters and by parents and my grandparents didn't make fun of me also. I'm really good at pretinding it doesn't bother me but,when I lay in bed at night I end up crying because what they call me hurts real bad. I'm scared to tell my freinds how I feel and open up completly to them because of what they might say.The so what movement to me is amazing to me but I've been to tormented by people to be able to say so what about my body. It doesn't help that I'm reminded about my imperfections every day.
jackie

Thank you for the support, your show really helped alot of people, but the fact that you always and only address the issue of 'big girls', what about the skinny girls who are healthy. Everybody is saying that 'you don't need to be a size zero to be beautiful', but what about the people who are a size zero, like myself, I'm not Dying of a eatting disorder, or suffer from any type of symptom. I'm healthy and skinny and im always getting put down for it. I would want to say " So what" im skinny and proud, but thinking about the uproar i would cause isn't worth the time. I just wish you would address the skinny side of the situation more, seeing as how you were once on that side, and still are to me, the media thinks other wise, but screw them.

Please take the time to address the skinny side of the issue, there are many african americans who think they don't fulfill the standards of being black because i don't look like beyonce, or even you. I'm more like a nicole Richie, when she was healthy. SO please You show is awsome, but it would be greatly appreciated if you talked about the skinny side.

Dear,Tyra
I'm 15 and for most of my life i have been over weight.Dont get me wronge i love my body and i'v been told I have perfect porportions except for my stomach.I have been made fun of for being over weight.i find this rude and very wrong.plus its very very disrespectful!!!!

Hey Tyra,

I'm 13 years old and I have the most unproportionate body ever. I have curvy hips, a pouchy stomach and skinny miny everything else. I do get called alot of things for being so skinny. Like anorexic and belemic. I think thats really wrong, because i'm not clothes so don't label me. I'm a person and deserve to be treated like a person. I'm skinny. SO WHAT!

Shanna,Florida

I am almost 13, im 5'4 and weigh 174, i am big but i've decided to lose wieght the healthy way, instead of starving my self. You have made me realize its not worth it. i have love handles, SO WHAT????

I am almost 13, im 5'4 and weigh 174, i am big but i've decided to lose wieght the healthy way, instead of starving my self. You have made me realize its not worth it. i have love handles, SO WHAT????

Dear Tyra,

I am 18 years old and I have been dealing with a lot of what you call "body" problems. I have a curvy body and my mom has always been nonsupporting of me. I've tried eating only once per day, but it makes me feel weak. My mom always compared me with my younger cousin who is almost 6' and very skinny. But when I saw your "so what" campaign, I've become stronger. I think everyone of us have "body" issues and there's nothing wrong about it right?

Tyra, I think it's great what you're doing, but for those of us who are already so lost in our struggle with an eating disorder, it doesn't help us at all...it encouraged me to keep up with my unhealthy ways, because when I get "older" like the women in you're studio audience, I don't want to look like them and if i continue to do what i'm doing, I know I'l be nice and thin. Once more thing, I don't know if you already knew this, but red is the "official" color of girls with eating disorders...When you see a girl wearing a red bracelet, it often times means she has an eating disorder...it's not like a warning bracelet, it's like "I have an eating sidorder and I'm gonna be thin no matter what!". Just to let you know :)

Hey Tyra, I love ur show and you and I love this campaign that your running! I also have a "SO WHAT" thing just like you I have a big forehead and alot of people point that out and I have something to say about that SO WHAT!!

Hey Tyra,

I'm a 15 year old white girl and I am over weight. But there are not many other teens my age and in my town that I think are obese but I do have a pretty good amount of friends that love me for who I am. I think that if people re obese in the world SO WHAT!!!But in some cases in obesity can be life threatening but if people choose to be obese then they can be.

Tyra- I am 14 and unlike many of the girls my age, i have a what my mother likes to call... a womans body. there is so much pressure to be thin but somehow i am happy with myself. of course there are a lot of times when i am made fun of by boys or put down by other girls and it does make me become unhappy with my body. but as time goes on i realize that i am the best i can be, i have wonderful friends and you know what, I'm the one who is attracting the boys even though I've got a lot of junk in my trunk and curves. my dream is to be in the industry as a singer/Broadway star, a stylist, or produce my own photo shoots and be in charge of the hair and makeup and wardrobe. i may be 5'0'' and 120 lbs and a little bigger than most girls my age... but SO WHAT. my dreams are much much bigger than my butt. nothing and no one is going to hold me back.

Hey Tyra! As a new mother of a 2 1/2 month old baby, I am have been coming to terms with myself that my body is never going to be the same, with the way it has changed. So I was thinking that maybe you could do a show for the women that maybe it great to be them selves naturally. With out the hair weaves, or the 1 or 2 hour make up sessions, or having to get your hair done every day. Just to let everyone know thats its ok to feel natural and not have to have some one make you over everyday.

Hey Trya im a 15yr old black girl and I think that you are an inspiration to me and young girls all over the world.But when wacthing your show SO WHAT really makes me feel like wow someone has finally had the guts to say SO WHAT!!and yes im not gonna lie I have cellulite and SO WHAT!!!!. Also since wacthing your show I am more confident in myself now and more comfortable with my self. Oh yea and i I just wanted to say thank you and I would really LOVE TO MEET YOU ONE DAY!!!Bye Tyra.

Heyy Tyra!

I admire you for what you are doing to help young teens and women with their self esteem issues.

I was wondering if you could come to Canada- London,ontario and march around like you did in L.A! There are tons of girls here struggling with their self esteem. CAnada loves you to!! Much love xo

Brittany(Canada)

SO WHAT if people of different races are in a relationship. I notice people all the time in the malls looking at the biracial couples. I'm a mixed girl (Irish, German, Puerto Rican, and Italian) myself and yet even people in my OWN FAMILY see things wrong with blacks and whites coming together as a couple which totally blows my mind. How is it that me, a 17 year old girl who grew up in a very small town, is more open minded than those who have been around longer, experienced more, and seen so much more than I? so again, SO WHAT! SO WHAT SO WHAT SO WHAT! I can't say it enough people need to get paced the color...EVERY color and see people for who they truly are inside!

Im 19 years old and I have struggled with my weight all my life. I started getting stretch marks when I was still in junior high. I was so embarassed of myself. The marks kept getting worse but finally they seemed to stop my junior sophomore year in high school. Then I got into a very serious car accident and I started to loose weight and the stretch marks once again began to grow. I was so embarassed that when me and my boyfriend would have sex I would not even take my shirt off and the lights were always off. They have continued to get worse and I am still struggling with my weight. I finally did meet a guy that made me feel good about myself and he is now my fiancee. The lights no longer are off and I am brave enough to take my shirt off for him. I just recently saw your "So What" campaign and it made me feel good about myself even though I might not look that great underneath the clothes. I love the way you empower people and I love the way you made me feel the day I saw your show. While watching your show about the "So What" campaign I began to cry. It was empowering to me and I thank you greatly. Im 19 years old and I am not afraid to admit that I weigh 197 pounds and I have stretch marks. SO WHAT! They are not from having a baby or any good reason, but SO WHAT! Its my body and Im beautiful. And for those people out there who feel the need to put down girls like me they better get used to hearing SO WHAT, because we will not take it anymore thanks to you Tyra.

Dear Tyra,
I am 19 years old and a mother of a 13 month old son. I got pregnant when I was 18 and had just started my senior year in high school. When all my friends found out that I was pregnant everyone was so worried that I wouldn't finish school. I also was in an EMT-Basic class that I took in high school. Never the less I graduated from high school in the top 11% of my class. In my EMT-Basic class there were only 20 students and of those 20 students only 5 of us passed the EMT-Basic class with an 80 or above and was able to complete the rounds. I was one of those 5 who completed and passed the class being 4 months pregnant none the less. Today I am going to be a sophmore in college full time and about to take the National Registry Exam for my EMT-Basic so that I can get a full time job working as an EMT-Basic. Also I am happy being a full time mom. SO WHAT!! IF YOU THOUGHT I WAS TO YOUNG I AM HAPPY AND HEALTHY AND SO IS MY SON!!!!!!

hey tyra!! i think its sooo awesome that you are doing this so what campaign!! it impowers young women like myself not to obsess over what we look like but to focuss on the more important things in life!

i got my curves really quickly, so i have a few marks... SO WHAT? im proud of my body, and i love embracing what i have become as i've grown.

Hey just wanted to say my "SO WHAT" is i am 19 and have 2 kids SO WHAT!!!

Hey just wanted to say my "SO WHAT" is i am 19 and have 2 kids SO WHAT!!!

Tyra,
i watch your show every day
sometimes i even watch it twice a day if i have the time :)
After seeing your SO WHAT campaign i realized that i needed to make some personal changes. i am 15 years old and i have been struggling with an eating disorder for about a year. i used to hide in big sweaters everyday and not want to even go out anywheres because i was so ashamed of my body. At school i would wear baggy clothes to try to hide my shape. i got so tired of my low self confidence that i decided to lose weight. unfortunaltey i did it the wrong way. i went from 156 pounds to 123pounds in about a month and a half.im glad i watched your show when i did because it made em realize that im beautiful the way i am and that i dont need to hide myself anymore. thankyou tyra for having confidence and for sharing it with the world

love alyson

hi tara im 13 and i have trouble being confident because of my thighs. i also have alot of friends but i cant like come out in public and feel every one isnt thinking im fat. i hate being fatter than my friends and i try to work out. but after i found out about your show and how many people have the same problem and got over it, i can now learn to except myself and i love myself. thanx tara i really appreciate you and your show.love,sarah

I'm a 13 year old girl and I have so many scars from cutting myself.I felt like it was an addiction.Most of them will be with me for the rest of my life.I get looks when I walk down the street if I wear a t-shirt or something that shows off my arms.I'm ashamed but SO WHAT if I have scars,the past is the past and I should be accepted for who I am and not not judged for what I did in the past.I'm young and I made mistakes but hey I'm still growing and nobody should have to deal with torment or bullying.

Dear tyra,
before i watched your show i tried every thing to become skinny. i would not even get in a bathing suit in frount of any one but my family! i even called my dad and made up reasons for him to pick me up when my friends wanted togo swimming! now i can swim with my friends and my boy friend!! thank you tyra!!!
janelle
age 12

I'm a 13 year old girl and I have so many scars from cutting myself.I felt like it was an addiction.Most of them will be with me for the rest of my life.I get looks when I walk down the street if I wear a t-shirt or something that shows off my arms.I'm ashamed but SO WHAT if I have scars,the past is the past and I should be accepted for who I am and not not judged for what I did in the past.I'm young and I made mistakes but hey I'm still growing and nobody should have to deal with torment or bullying.

I'm 15 and i used to be insecure my body.. all my friends are stick thin or have a bigger chests.. and i always feel like they are so much prettier... but i will never be a size 0 and i cant make my chest bigger... I'm just healthy, and thanks to So What and Tyra speaking out about people commenting on her weight, i realized being healthy is enough. I'm a size 5 and i have no chest.. but so what

tyra i think it's awsome when u did the so what campaign,i am gled that there is a celeb figure that doesn't fall to the pressure of being perfect in hollywood, i also what to say you are beutiful just as you are

Tyra I love blogging on your site. I have been blogging for a while but dont really see them come up so I hope you are getting them. You have helped inspire confidence in me that i never thought i could have. I love you. I have always believed strongly, maybe a little too strongly, in womens rights and i think you are a wonderful leader to show women how to be beautiful on the inside and out. You show that looks dont relate to how well you can succeed in society. I think you are a true inspiration. to anyone who disagrees SO WHAT!!!! i have always had problems with my self esteem. People always tell me I am so tiny and i look so little like 10 times a day so when i gained any weight i felt so huge and i would try to diet. i would avoid the doctors or where boots when i went to when he said i see you gained weight i could say oh its the boots. Well i am going on monday and yeah i gained weighed since last time SO WHAT!!!!! I love you

Tyra I love blogging on your site. I have been blogging for a while but dont really see them come up so I hope you are getting them. You have helped inspire confidence in me that i never thought i could have. I love you. I have always believed strongly, maybe a little too strongly, in womens rights and i think you are a wonderful leader to show women how to be beautiful on the inside and out. You show that looks dont relate to how well you can succeed in society. I think you are a true inspiration. to anyone who disagrees SO WHAT!!!! i have always had problems with my self esteem. People always tell me I am so tiny and i look so little like 10 times a day so when i gained any weight i felt so huge and i would try to diet. i would avoid the doctors or where boots when i went to when he said i see you gained weight i could say oh its the boots. Well i am going on monday and yeah i gained weighed since last time SO WHAT!!!!! I love you

Tyra I love blogging on your site. I have been blogging for a while but dont really see them come up so I hope you are getting them. You have helped inspire confidence in me that i never thought i could have. I love you. I have always believed strongly, maybe a little too strongly, in womens rights and i think you are a wonderful leader to show women how to be beautiful on the inside and out. You show that looks dont relate to how well you can succeed in society. I think you are a true inspiration. to anyone who disagrees SO WHAT!!!! i have always had problems with my self esteem. People always tell me I am so tiny and i look so little like 10 times a day so when i gained any weight i felt so huge and i would try to diet. i would avoid the doctors or where boots when i went to when he said i see you gained weight i could say oh its the boots. Well i am going on monday and yeah i gained weighed since last time SO WHAT!!!!! I love you

Hey Tyra!! First of all I want to say I LOVE YOU!!! I am 20 years old and have been through a lot, the past couple of months I have been really depressed, and have gained a few extra pounds. I got so down that I rarely came out of my apartment and I lost a lot of my friends! But so what if I gained a few pounds!!!!

Dear Tyra,first of all i like to say you are pretty. When i watched Next Top Model i always cheered on the plus size girl.I'am plus size i'm happy with my size. I dislike when people make comments on being fat as they say. What i hate most is when teenage girls comment on plus size girls that irks my nerve. It is so mean to talk of someone being that they can't fit in a siz 0 or 2.
In Conclusion,i'll just say that you are doing a great job and opening peoples eyes with the "SO WHAT" it has been a good movement to boost young ladys self-esteem!!

love you dearly..areanna

Hi Trya I m a guy I like this one I did like win I was watching this it made me cry woman need to feel more love it seems I like it because I dated 3 woman that were over Wight and I loved them but split up in different ways I m now single but god made woman to look good in any way in side or out I wanted to tell you I run around the block wear I live with out a shirt and walk myself cochins for many years from middle school and high school thinking I was fat or ugly but now I m not wearing a jackets any more in stores or the mall or wear I go now I been walking in jeans, shorts, small selves shirts and some time win I m walking around girls look like they like what I m wearing to day I say to my self so what and what people think I look like

I remember thinking to myself when your show first aired "what will she have to offer us..she's just a model with no idea what it is to be a real woman in todays society" I have to say that I was so very wrong and it only took one show to change my mind. What you do for todays women is absolutley amazing..I just hope that you can realize the entire effect that you are having on us. You are a real woman who understands the real concerns of females today. I am a 28 yr old divorced mother of 5yr old twin boys and a 4 year old girl. My body took a beating having 3 children in 2 years. Although i didnt get any stretch marks or anything like that...i stressed about being 5'11 and going from 130lbs to 180lbs. I topped out at over 200. Watching your show has mad me realize how true the so what campaign is. And what makes it all the more real is that you understand on a personal level. this isnt just you trying to do this to make people feel better...to make yourself look good..i honestly beleive that this comes from the bottom of your heart. So thank you for that. You are truley a wonderful person :)

SO WHAT IF PEOPLE ARE GAY!!!SOOOO WHAT!!!!!!

Hey Trya. I'm 15 and not skinny. All my friends are really skinny and 2 have 6 packs. I havnt wore bathing suits in a couple years. But I saw your "So What" campaign and started wearing them. So What? Nobody is perfect! I say if you don't like the way I look, I don't wanna hang out with you. SO WHAT!

Hi Tyra! I just wanted to let you know that you should be soooooo proud! That your work is changing lives!!!! My So What is that I was a size 9 and hade two beautiful boys and now I'm a size 15 AND SO WHAT!!!! I still fill Fabulous! It's Not how you look but how you Feel inside You!

I don't know where I am supose to put this but I hope tyra or the producers who ever is incharge of the topics of the show gets this. I just came across taryas show on cutters, which i think was quite ruyde and upsetting, being a recovering cutter I found these images a simple reminder as to what I am trying to fight, Its like putting a beer infront of an alcaholalic. You speak of it that it will help gurls who cut not to feel alone like shes the only one out there doing it but what about the ones who are trying to fight I found that you putting that stuff on t.v sicking and sometimes you shpuld think about the concequences of it for others...you did noyt help me but put me back on the road to self distruction. please next rttime you think aboutdoing these topics you think through all possiblites for the public. Its interesting for those who don't cut what about thse who do. you could have helped that poor girl with allyour money with out exploiting her on national t.v.

i'm not perfect.SO WHAT!!!
:{)

Hi Tyra,
I saw your show this afternoon, but missed the first 10 minutes. Is it possible for you to post the People's mag. article? Your "So What?!" campaign is an emotional boost for all - young and old - who have found themselves victims of our "skinny" obsested society. After reading some of the comments already posted - I feel sad for the young girls facing this problem. Unfortunately, I see this often with our girls in the highschool where I teach. As if there isn't enough for young women to think about . . . keep up the great job. We need role models like you - no pun intended . . . : )

Thank you Tyra this is such a amazing thing 4 women or young ladies like myself. SO WHAT I HAVE A LITTLE PUDGE SO WHAT!!!
THANK YOU TYRA!!
LOVE ALWAYS
-TAMARAH

Hey tyra,
I'm a 16 year old girl and my whole life my mom's been OBSESSED with being skinny. When my father was alive she had meat on her bones but after he died when i was 8 i still dont remember seeing her eat a full meal. All she's done is eat 3 bites and shes done, if she weighs 125 she'll say ohh im getting fat and it bugs me because it started wearing off on me!!! i didnt eat alot i didnt get to be 100 pounds until i was 14/15 and then i had a pahse where i ate A LOT and i gianed a little bit of meat on my bones and my mom was like ohh no your getting fat you need to lose weight. So thats what i did, i didn't have such big meals, or didnt eat as many snacks. but now what bugs me is my sisters 9 months pregnant and she's like "Oh my gosh look at you!! your big as a house" my sisters always had meat on her bones so shes always been insecure about her weight since me and my mom have always been skinny!! and i see that when my mom says that she feels bad about herself! and when i read your article i didnt care about my weight i mean im puerto rican we're known for having that J-lo butt and big thighs. Thats how it is! I'm not afraid on gaining weight or being the same size as my mom i eat a lot!!! SO WHAT! i wake up and have a midnight snack.. SO WHAT! i weigh myself in the supermarket on the big scales and i say to my friends hey I'm 5'4 and i weigh 115!! And even though my mom will say stuff to bring me down your article and your show will remind me that theres nothing to be ashamed of so thank you!!

Hey Tyra,
My name is Janneth i am 16 years old! Today i watched your show and u made me realize that im perfect the way i am. Since i was a little girl my grandmother always said i was too fat i didnt really think so but she told me so much that the only thing that made me feel better was to eat. With out knowing i started gaining wait and it never bothered me till i got to Jr. High when i saw that my friends were going out w/ guys but i wasnt and then i got my first rejection when i was in 7th grade This boy that i liked didnt like me because i was fat. Then i started seeing that my body was heavier than all my friends. I was bearly 12 or 13 and i was already going on diets. I tried every diet. And recently i would look in the mirror and tell my self that i was disgusting because i was fat. I thought so many times why am i here if im fat and ugly no one wants me. And im tierd of everyone always telling me that i only have a pretty face. Last year i got in the soccer team and since then i went from 198 to 181 and i plan to get in it this year too. When i saw your show i was omg tyra has cellulite. I've been so tramatized because i have some cellulite in my legs and i never want to wear short shorts but Owell who cares i bet u that the people that do care have cellulite too and the people that just make fun of us are just jealous because we r happy in our own skin! we may be bigger but people still love us!

I WEAR A SIZE 14 SO WHAT!!!
I WEIGH 180 SO WHAT!!!
I AM 5'8'' SO WHAT I CAN STILL WEAR HEELS!
I HAVE CELLULITE IN MY THIGHS AND BUTT SO WHAT WE ALL DO!!!
IM NOT PERFECT SO WHAT!
I HAVE A BIG HIPS AND A BIG BUT THAT JUST COME WITH BEING A LATINA GIRL SO WHAT!!!!!

THANKS TYRA FOR MAKING ME REALIZE THAT I AM BEAUTIFUL NO MATTER WHAT SIZE IAM AND WHO CARES WHAT EVERYONE THINKS OF ME! I SHOULD LOVE MY SELF FOR OTHERS TO LOVE ME TOO! THANK U!
LOVE JANNETH!

Hey Tyra,
My name is Janneth i am 16 years old! Today i watched your show and u made me realize that im perfect the way i am. Since i was a little girl my grandmother always said i was too fat i didnt really think so but she told me so much that the only thing that made me feel better was to eat. With out knowing i started gaining wait and it never bothered me till i got to Jr. High when i saw that my friends were going out w/ guys but i wasnt and then i got my first rejection when i was in 7th grade This boy that i liked didnt like me because i was fat. Then i started seeing that my body was heavier than all my friends. I was bearly 12 or 13 and i was already going on diets. I tried every diet. And recently i would look in the mirror and tell my self that i was disgusting because i was fat. I thought so many times why am i here if im fat and ugly no one wants me. And im tierd of everyone always telling me that i only have a pretty face. Last year i got in the soccer team and since then i went from 198 to 181 and i plan to get in it this year too. When i saw your show i was omg tyra has cellulite. I've been so tramatized because i have some cellulite in my legs and i never want to wear short shorts but Owell who cares i bet u that the people that do care have cellulite too and the people that just make fun of us are just jealous because we r happy in our own skin! we may be bigger but people still love us!

I WEAR A SIZE 14 SO WHAT!!!
I WEIGH 180 SO WHAT!!!
I AM 5'8'' SO WHAT I CAN STILL WEAR HEELS!
I HAVE CELLULITE IN MY THIGHS AND BUTT SO WHAT WE ALL DO!!!
IM NOT PERFECT SO WHAT!
I HAVE A BIG HIPS AND A BIG BUT THAT JUST COME WITH BEING A LATINA GIRL SO WHAT!!!!!

THANKS TYRA FOR MAKING ME REALIZE THAT I AM BEAUTIFUL NO MATTER WHAT SIZE IAM AND WHO CARES WHAT EVERYONE THINKS OF ME! I SHOULD LOVE MY SELF FOR OTHERS TO LOVE ME TOO! THANK U!
LOVE JANNETH!

Hey Tyra,
My name is Janneth i am 16 years old! Today i watched your show and u made me realize that im perfect the way i am. Since i was a little girl my grandmother always said i was too fat i didnt really think so but she told me so much that the only thing that made me feel better was to eat. With out knowing i started gaining wait and it never bothered me till i got to Jr. High when i saw that my friends were going out w/ guys but i wasnt and then i got my first rejection when i was in 7th grade This boy that i liked didnt like me because i was fat. Then i started seeing that my body was heavier than all my friends. I was bearly 12 or 13 and i was already going on diets. I tried every diet. And recently i would look in the mirror and tell my self that i was disgusting because i was fat. I thought so many times why am i here if im fat and ugly no one wants me. And im tierd of everyone always telling me that i only have a pretty face. Last year i got in the soccer team and since then i went from 198 to 181 and i plan to get in it this year too. When i saw your show i was omg tyra has cellulite. I've been so tramatized because i have some cellulite in my legs and i never want to wear short shorts but Owell who cares i bet u that the people that do care have cellulite too and the people that just make fun of us are just jealous because we r happy in our own skin! we may be bigger but people still love us!

I WEAR A SIZE 14 SO WHAT!!!
I WEIGH 180 SO WHAT!!!
I AM 5'8'' SO WHAT I CAN STILL WEAR HEELS!
I HAVE CELLULITE IN MY THIGHS AND BUTT SO WHAT WE ALL DO!!!
IM NOT PERFECT SO WHAT!
I HAVE A BIG HIPS AND A BIG BUT THAT JUST COME WITH BEING A LATINA GIRL SO WHAT!!!!!

THANKS TYRA FOR MAKING ME REALIZE THAT I AM BEAUTIFUL NO MATTER WHAT SIZE IAM AND WHO CARES WHAT EVERYONE THINKS OF ME! I SHOULD LOVE MY SELF FOR OTHERS TO LOVE ME TOO! THANK U!
LOVE JANNETH!

I would just like to thank you Tyra, for finally saying something and speaking out. It was about time somebody especially as big as you are in the medias eye to say something about this subject that i thought would never change. Throughout my life i have been struggling with self-esteem issues, from the time i was pre-pubecent child until now that i am 26 and i have my own child. The worst of it all is that i have my own mother to thank about these issues, and also my own sisters. Being raised in a household with four girls and me being the chubbier one of the four.Comments from "you have an ugly body" to "you know you can't fit into that so don't even look at it" have stayed with me to this day. But i have learned to love my own body and treasure it as a temple, because God does not make garbage!!!! That is why when it saw this show i was in tears and feeling proud as all those other women did wearing those red suits and showing their weight on their chest!!! I truly and gratefully applaud you Tyra and would like to thank you from the very bottom of my heart and soul and say... I weigh a beautiful 178 pounds and SO WHAT!!!! Once again i take my hat off to you Tyra you have truly inspired me to raise my daughter in a different light and teach her that she is beautiful no matter what her weight is!!!

Tyra,
I will try to make this brief: At the age of 17, before my senior year of high school I found out I was pregnant. I ended up making an extremely difficult decision and had an abortion. I've always been an extremely petite girl, never having weighed more than 105 in my life. (In fact, I struggled with anorexia for about 2 years.) In the months following my abortion I found myself becoming an emotional eater and allowed myself to gain close to 30 pounds. I now have stretch marks, a belly, and wear a size 9 jeans, but SO WHAT. I'm learning to accept my new body and am dealing with the reasons behind why I gained the weight. Thanks for being an inspiration to girls and women everywhere.
-Grace

I am 13 and I am not skinny like most of the girl at my school. once or twice have consired going on some extreme diet or somthing like that. But than I saw your "So What" show and now I don't care how much I weight. And it has been really hard for me to not to get upset when I don't get the parts in the school plays that I want and I think that it is because I am not skinny. It has been hard for me because I put on alot of weight over a summer. And I will say so what!!!!!!!!!

hi tyra

im 14 and is not the smallist person at school. im proud of my body and u are my idol forever. i am 190 sowhat!!! i have strech marks sowhat!!!!!!. i love my body and that is the most important thing to me

i am so embrassed i put champian instead of campaign lol

I have 2 children. Gone are my percky and firm breast! SO WHAT! I haven't weighed myself in nearly 2 years! When I go to the dr is the only time I even find out how much I weigh! All I need to know is that I am healthy. My body is mine and if you don't like it SO WHAT!

Hey Tyra,

Thank you so much for the So What Champain, it has made me feel so much better about myself. I have always been real self concious about the way i look and now that i have gained weight over the past two years i have been more self consious then ever. This struggle that i have been dealing with has discouraged me in many ways. All though school i have people make comments on how i look, and people jugde me. My mother would tell me things like the only boyfriend would be two ton charlie and things like that, just joking but made a big inpact on me. That was when i was a regular weight like 125-130. When i did gain weight i didnt even notice it because i always thought i was fat and unattractive. When i moved out when i was 17 i gained almost 40 lbs. I am only 5 foot tall. When my parents came to watch me graduate they really mentioned my weight gain, i then realized what was going on. I have been trying to loose wight so far i lost 20 and hope to loose more. After i watched your episode today about your People Magazine cover and article it has made me so much happier about who i am and i am more driven to loose more weight and stay on the road to being healthier and to having more confidence. I cried watching your show, i can feel for so many of those girls. You are truly inspiring and i think you are doing such a great thing, and to see how you are helping so many people is so uplifting. i love how you are so real and down to earth. Sorry for going on but thank you for everything.
Love ya
alessandra

Hi Tyra,

I love your so what campaign.

I used to have issues with my weight. I used to weigh 210 pounds. I am down to 165 now...but I still felt fat. I am glad that you are showing women can be beautiful no matter what size and shape. You gave me a lot of confidence.

My legs jiggle a little bit? SO WHAT?! I have a little belly. SO WHAT?!

That makes me feel good :) and now young women can see this because of you.

Thank you!

Tyra,

I just your show on this campaign today. And although I think it is wonderful what you are doing, I was wondering if you could change the color of your campaign bracelets. Red is the official color of the National MS Society, and the MS Society needs all the help it can get. Its a disease that goes under the radar most of the time, despite a desperate need for complex research. Again, I truly applaud what you are doing, but if you could reconsider the color of your bracelets it would be much appreciated.

Sincerely,
Damon Decker
LA, CA

The other day I saw one of your shows regarding the so what campaign for the first time. I was litterally brought to tears. I have battled being overweight for as long as I can remember. I honestly don't think I have ever felt good about myself. After high school I lost a little bit of weight but was battling severe depression to point of thoughts of suicide. I then got pregnant with my first child at the age of 20. The father of my child left me during the pregnancy wich only made things worse. Shortly after having her I met a wonderful man, whom I ended up marrying, and is adopting my daughter. During all of this I quit smoking and had a secound child, needless to say since I was 20 years old I have packed on about 75 pounds. I'm only 24 now and feel like a 50 year old woman. There is really so much more to my story that I just don't have time to tell, I just wanted to let you know that when i seen the so what show, it really hit home for me. I realised that I needed to stop pleasing everyone else and the reason that all of my diets have failed wern't because i was doing it for me but because i wanted to prove something to everyone else. I'm still dealing with a lot, and I really want to lose weight for health reasons. But seeing your show made things a little easier. SO WHAT that i'm heavy, i'm strong and beautiful regardless of what anyone else says!!!!!!
Thank you so much! I hope someday that I can meet the woman who has been such an inspiration in my life! Love ya!!!!

SO WHAT if I wear a size 16 and shop at a plus size clothing store.

I use to be scared of people knowing what size pants I wear, let alone people seeing me in a plus size clothing store. I would even hide it from my boyfriend of almost four years. After, watching the show where Tyra talked about her People magazine cover and everyone in the audience was wearing their weight on their chest. I decided SO WHAT if I wear a size 16 and shop at a plus size clothing store. Now I don't care if people see my clothing bags and see that it is from a plus size clothing store.

Thank you Tyra!

Tyra!! Honestly, Ive never really watched the show much. I am a fan of top model... especially this last season when you featured not ONE, but TWO plus size models. That in itself was inspiring, but then, this morning, while flipping throught the channels, I noticed you standing in that red suit with that number on your chest... All I can say is Thank You for your courage and for upholding a certain value that has been lost in our society for a long time. You truly are a role model for girls everywhere. I only hope that this is contagious throughout the media, and fashion industry in an effort to save the young girls of America from the steriotypical prototypes that we have been expected to uphold. I am 5'10 and 172 pounds, and I got some booty!!!!! SO WHAT!!!!!! I will definitely be watching your show from now on. You are going to be moving to New York, and Im only about 30 minutes away. I would love to be a part of your audience someday.

Tyra!! Honestly, Ive never really watched the show much. I am a fan of top model... especially this last season when you featured not ONE, but TWO plus size models. That in itself was inspiring, but then, this morning, while flipping throught the channels, I noticed you standing in that red suit with that number on your chest... All I can say is Thank You for your courage and for upholding a certain value that has been lost in our society for a long time. You truly are a role model for girls everywhere. I only hope that this is contagious throughout the media, and fashion industry in an effort to save the young girls of America from the steriotypical prototypes that we have been expected to uphold. I am 5'10 and 172 pounds, and I got some booty!!!!! SO WHAT!!!!!!

Hey Tyra! Im a 14 year old girl who is not over weight but unhappy. I am very athletic and have muscle. I just saw your "so What" campaign. You are a real inspiration. So what if I have a few extra pounds? When basketball season comes around those pounds will drop =] Thank you so much for being the person that you are!

Hi tyra!!

i saw ur show this morning!I get made fun of in school becaues im 126 pounds.Your show this morning made me see
that im ok the way i am!
just becaues in latin & jamacan dose not mean that kid have to make fun of me!i try to not cry but when i come home i take it out on my mom and i dont know what to do!but i do have some words to the kid in my school!SO WHAT im 126 SO WHAT!!!!!

Tyra,
Allow me to begin by saying thank you! Earlier today I had watched your show pertaining to the "so what" campaign; It allowed me to realize that no matter what others may say or think of you, all of what we are is the result of OUR thoughts! I've come to this realization and I'm working on being comfortable with my current (healthy) weight. I'm 17 years old and I'd recently dropped about 25 pounds due to a new food and exercise routine that my father had me on while I was staying with him. I was running about 2 miles a day and eating only one REAl meal (no snacks were allowed in the house). I had went from about 140 pounds to 113 when I returned home. After I saw all of my old friends and family they told me that I looked sick because I'd lost so much weight. I've been back home for four months now and I've gained back about 13 pounds. I now eat myriad meals a day and have a healthy and balanced out exercise routine. I've learnerd from this to be happy with who i am as long as I'm healthy and look decient (in MY eyes) thank you once again, you've helped so many people you have yet to realize!!

Tyra,
I was watching your episode featuring your "So What?!" campaign. I have been watching my friends (both men and women) feel guilty about their weight and how they don't fit the size 0, 2 or 4 physique. Even I have felt guilty about the days when my jeans won't fit or the "muffin top" over the waist of my jeans. To all my friends, family and all the women AND men out there who feel the sting or pressure when they see a "picture of perfection" walk past or have heard the comments from people who look like they never ate a slice of bread in their lives .... SO WHAT!!!!!

Thanks Tyra for being a voice.

Dani

Tyra...i saw your show this morning and it really hit me hard.im turning 16 in less than two months..and ive always felt insecure about myself...espically about my body. sure...i weigh more than some of my friends..but ive never overcome that...until i watched your show this morning! i watched how you werent ashamed of wearing your weight for everyone to see..and for me..that would be a HUGE milestonee! infact..after watching your show...i took my dog for a walk in a tanktop that i havent worn in public since i bought it like two or three years ago[ive always worn baggy teeshirts in public..afraid to show everyone my body]

so i guesss what im trying to tell you tyra is THANK YOU SOO MUCH!!! im sick of being put down for the way i look..and ive always been told i have a wicked awesome personality....sure...i have a jiggly stomach...SO WHAT?!?!

thankyou soo much tyra..you are honestly my rolemodel

-Alicia

Tyra,
I just watched your show, and while I think it's admirable what you're doing to fight the negative effects of what the media is doing to womens' body images, you've really targeted the "30 something" women who've struggled their whole lives thinking they're fat...what about those of us who are still young girls...i think we're the ones who really need help! I am 17 years old, 5'7'' and 125 lbs. I am a competitive dancer, and staying rail thin has always been important, but last year, topping out at 150 lbs, I decided I needed to do something about my weight, so I stopped eating, or ate very little. I am still doing this, because it has worked, and people have noticed that i'm getting thin, and it feels good. Sure, you've boosted a bunch of middle aged women's self esteem, but what about those of us who are still struggling, and putting ourselves in danger? I tried SOOO hard to watch you're show and think "Wow, It realy doesn't matter what size I am, so I'l stop doing this to myself, and I won't worry about my weight.", but unfortunatly, I can't say thats the effect it had on me...Seeing some larger women actually encouraged me that I don't need food to be happy, because I don't want to be larger like them. I think you need to help bring younger girls like me out of our struggles, because, like what has happened to me, it's the younger girls that think they are fat and do somehting about it...not the middle aged women.

hey tyra
i just watched your show today and u helped me so much. I am 5 feet and 7 inches and i am 13 years old and i hav always been well heavier then all of my other friends and i always thought i am fat stop eating so much but i could never do it because i new it wasnt healthy. It got worse when i turned 10 becasue that is when my mother even said i could lose some weight. and that hurt me, i would sit in my room and cry and then just sit and look at myself in the miror thinking i was fat, this never stopped. when i saw you on the tv today i cried because i finally relized i am beautiful and i am perfectly happy with myself and it doesnt matter wat anyone thinks of me. so i am 130 pounds SO WHAT!

Hey you big heifer you! If you really meant "so what" then you wouldn't have to do a show about how you're not fat....Other celebs have been called overweight and they never had justify the fact that they're not "fat". Well you are fat and your forehead is huge lmfao!!!! Any questions contact me Oh yea and that kiss with Chingy was really trashy and stop feeling on womens breasts are you dikin' or what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

Tyra - Thank you, you are an inspiration to all women!

omg tyra thank u so much 4 wat u did it was such a powerful epoide u did thanx 4 standing up 4 urself and 4 every 1 else!!! u helped 2 luv &exept myself 4 who i am there will alawayz b haters but datz okay cuz im strong and can over come them cuz of ur help SO WHAT im unique but thatz okay thank u so much ur my role model!!!!!!!!! luvz ya 4 life

I ADMIRE YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DID
U HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH YOUR CAMPAIGN BOOSTED MY SELF ASTEEM IM NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED ABOUT +MYSELF AND MY BODY BUT IM WORKING ON THAT YOU ARE MY IDOL AND I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH
THANX
THANX
THANX
THANX
THANX
THANX
THANX
THANX
THANX
THANX

Im not fat I can still fit through the doorway

Hi Tyra.
Your So What campaign is certainly admirable, and I think that you are an excellent role model for young girls. You are healthy and beautiful, and live a clean lifestyle. I do worry, however, that your campaign might be somewhat disingenuous next to your other show America's Next Top Model. While I have seen that you include fuller sized girls, you also seem to have them off the show pretty quickly. I understand that maybe the model industry just isn't interested, but perhaps, with the growing obesity rates in this country, they should be. Have you thought about making America's Next Plus Sized Model a real show rather than a 20 minute bit on your daytime show?
One of your best guests I saw was the girl from King of Queens (sorry, I forget her name), and along with guests like her, who really do reinforce your campaign, my suggestion would be to invite some of the celebrities who have famously spoken out against the weight requirements in Hollywood and in the fashion industry, like Kate Winslet (remember when they photoshopped her?), Liv Tyler, Alicia Silverstone, or Queen Latiffa.
You're in a really unique position, and I really hope that you can help change not only the standards in the industry, but help girls (of all ages) realise that their weight should not rule their lives.
Life is hard as it is, regardless of how you look or how much you weigh. It's easy to say that, however, but the pressure's on everyone, men and women. Recently, a photo of Andy Roderick (the tennis player) was photoshopped on the cover of Men's Fitness to appear as if he had larger muscles. It goes both ways. It's hard enough for regular people to compete with an image in their head of what they "should" be like (that is somewhat created by the entertainment media), without being bombarded with tampered images that are basically nothing more than caricatures.
LJ

hi ms. tyra! im ivan antonio from the philippines and im so in love with your show. eventhough it is delayed teleast here in our country but i make sure that i don't miss any episode. let me start by saying that YOU inspire me in a lot of ways, every single word that comes out of your mouth makes me strong and full of hope. i have so many issues in my life right now, but with YOU, YOU inspire me to go on with life and fight for what makes me happy and be positive in evrything. by the way i'm bisexual and that is why you're one of my role models in life. i've learn so much from you. more power to your show and i love you ms. tyra. GOD bless

Hey Tyra I think its amazing what you are doing and you are helping and inspiring a lot of women and thats amazing! Your the bomb keep on being you. And for everyone out there that thinks your fat they must need glasses or something and they are just jealous because you are beautiful no matter what you do and they know that!!!!! My so what statement is I may not be one of the skinny pretty popular kids at school but SO WHAT!!!!!!!!

wat up tyra,
i think it is so amazing what your doing to help women who don't have the "in" look. i just got back from a vacation at the river and ive been really insecure about my figure and the way i look. at the river that i went to all the girls were beautiful and thin and so pretty. i kinda stick out because im short and have red hair,and when i was at a dance that they had nobody really talked to me and all the other girls were dancing and laughin with all the guys, and i felt really left out. i just want to thank you cause when i watched your "so what" episode right after i got home it made me feel so comforted and i actually started to cry. i just want to thank you cause im just about to go to high school and seeing what you were doing has made me feel so much better, and i dont really feel so "stuck out" anymore. you are such a great role model. so thank you from the bottom of my heart.
luv ya
-Victoria

i love the show and when you told off the people who are mean to ppl jus becaause they are different made me cry. i am so ready to take on the new year with pride. this boy named sergio has been teasing me so much that he messsed up my first year of middle scool. i hav one thing to say.... kiss my @$** sergio!!! i love my body if u dont SO WHAT i am the one that matters!!!!!

Dear Tyra,
You are truly an inspiration. I'm 14 years old, 5'2" and 127 pounds. I'm super muscular, but my thighs are bigger than most girls. I've always been so self conscious and picked on for it by the disgustingly catty teenage boy crowd, and with you, I've had the courage to say SO WHAT! I'M NO PERFECT, AND NEITHER ARE THEY! Tyra your magazine cover has a special place on my wall. Thank you for changing the way I feel about myself. No words could describe how much meaning your SO WHAT! campaign has empowered me to love the body that God gave me.

God bless,
Brieana.

Dear Tyra,
You are truly an inspiration. I'm 14 years old, 5'2" and 127 pounds. I'm super muscular, but my thighs are bigger than most girls. I've always been so self conscious and picked on for it by the disgustingly catty teenage boy crowd, and with you, I've had the courage to say SO WHAT! I'M NO PERFECT, AND NEITHER ARE THEY! Tyra your magazine cover has a special place on my wall. Thank you for changing the way I feel about myself. No words could describe how much meaning your SO WHAT! campaign has empowered me to love the body that God gave me.

God bless,
Brieana.

Hi Tyra, I am thirty-two years old, five foot seven, and I currently weigh two hundred and twenty two pounds. Anyway, I was watching your show (so what campaign) the other day and it was awsome.Weight is something that I have struggled with for years, I go up and down on the scale constantly. I have hypothyroidism and take medication daily for it so it is normal for me to gain or lose thirty pounds fast.I wish that someone would do a show on this horrible disease that effects so many woman. I quess I just wanted to tell you what an inspiration you are to woman of our generation (and younger woman) your show is so refreshing and you seem to be a real and a genuine lovely person. Please don't stop being you, God has blessed you with so much and is using you to be a blessing to others. Thank you.

hi tyra i m such a big fan of you anyway i m only 12 bt still people call me fat n tat has once hurt me as a guy said tat 2 me n i did not know wat 2 do bt now when anyone says tat i m fat SO WAT anyway to all the people out thaere who thinks you r fat just be comfortable with your self and shout out 2 people saying SO WAT
luv you always Siti Heriyanni

HEY! I weigh 230 ... SO WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW, so basically i'm 18, and 4'11. I weigh 110 and it goes from there to around 116. I use to have to go swimming with t shirts, shorts covering up my thighs, i was embarrassed to change in front of ANYONE. Until i watched this episode of SO WHAT, i was hopeless. Now, i feel BEAUTIFUL, and unstoppable. Tyra you really are an inspiration. You helped me with so much in my life, and i really do appreciate it.

uh..hey tyra..well im 15 years old n im a fan of your SO WHAT campiain..but i still cant seem to find my SO WHAT. people tell me im pretty n i can KINDA see it but its not quite there guess...i just want to know how i could make MYSELF feel good about my self

uh..hey tyra..well im 15 years old n im a fan of your SO WHAT campiain..but i still cant seem to find my SO WHAT. people tell me im pretty n i can KINDA see it but its not quite there guess...i just want to know how i could make MYSELF feel good about my self

uh..hey tyra..well im 15 years old n im a fan of your SO WHAT campiain..but i still cant seem to find my SO WHAT. people tell me im pretty n i can KINDA see it but its not quite there guess...i just want to know how i could make MYSELF feel good about my self

It all started when I got mono a few weeks ago. I was sick and didn't have the appetite to eat. When my parents took me to the doctors I was amazed that my wieght went down not up for once. I decided that I want to keep up my wieght down by eating the same little portions I had been eating when I was sick. That would have put me close to anorexic.

Because I'm still a bit sick I'm on bed rest. I saw this show today, and my opinion about my wieght changed. Now I no longer want to be so skinny, I'm happy as I am at my 180 pounds.

I have always been a bit worried acout my wieght, and could never feel truely sexy. Now all of that is gone and I am proud to be me!

Dear Tyra,

I am a 15 year old girl from Illinois. I have always had very skinny arms and legs. Many people have called me anorexic, and it has made me lose some self esteem. After I saw your show I felt a lot better about myself. Now i can say "Yea you call me anorexic because my legs and arms are extra skinny, but anorexic girls dont have a belly or a double chin like mine. SO WHAT!"

Thank you Tyra

I just wanted to let you know that this affects men as well. I was hurt three years ago and have a huge spare tire now. I am also legally blind, but can see just a good as anyone with my extrememly thick glasses. It took me a long time to get past the glasses issue alone. Now after working for an airline and having a nice set of six-pack abs and really toned arms and legs I have gone to having a nasty spare tire and walking with a cane.

I somehow, by the grace of God, am much more confident now though my body is like an old broken down bus sitting in a junkyard. I pretty much decided that my life was over. I had lost my job and now I am disabled and worthless. When we talked about government disability, I refused. I could have been on it all my life, just because of my other physical problems, but I overcame those problems. I feel and have been told that I cannot overcome this, but I could still do something other than just accept a small government handout. God has been good in open opportunities to me.

Your show added confirmation, that who I am, is not what my body is. Something in me snapped and I decided I would talk to people. I was going to make people talk to me. I learned to just smile at people in the store or a work and say hello. They cannot, in most cases, help but to smile back and say something or even start up a conversation. I went from being buff and shy to a helpless old man with a spare tire that is very social and outgoing! Thank you for affirming me in this with your show.

Hi Tyra,

Greetings from Singapore!

These are my SO WHAT moments!

I have thighs that rub together when I walk..SO WHAT!

I have big breasts that I look too heavy on top...SO WHAT!

I have cellulite on my butt and thighs...SO WHAT!

I have a tummy showing out too much when I over-eat...SO WHAT!

I am short at 1.53m..SO WHAT!

I have big arms and people stare at me when I wear sleeveless...SO WHAT!

I have lesser hair in front of my head then the back...SO WHAT!

I wear a size XL or sometimes XXL...SO WHAT!

Dear Tyra,

I am an overweight woman. In Singapore, only skinny and petite women are considered 'beautiful'. It's very hard to find clothes for plus size women here. I just hate it when I have to shop for new clothes. I wish that they can cater more for the plus size women.

I always get rude comments, people persuading me to lose weight, etc. And what hurts me most are the poeple that say that I am fat and look at me like that are my aunties, good friends and my own family. The only people who stood by me are my sister and my husband. They love me for the person that I am, not the physical me.

I try not to let it get inside my head. At times, I cry and cry and I hated my body sooo much...I avoided weddings, functions, parties, just so that I won't meet these people.

But after watching your show, i realise that I should love my body. That I should learn to embrace my body and wear it to the best of my advantage. That it is God's gift to me...I am happy to be born normal, complete inside and outside. I am so thankful for all that I have now...

I was once 99 pounds about 10 years ago. I am now 28 years old and I am at 176 pounds.

I am trying to lose weight because of health reasons. I am not trying to lose weight to look sexy and beautiful. Because to me, I still can look sexy and beautiful even with present weight now.

I have been exercising and trying to eat healthy. I do it slow and steady, despite the people around me who always say that I can't make it, I will never achieve it, I should eat less, that I looked the same, that my butt still sticks out, that my thighs are still thick..etc..

Every time they put me down, I remember your show and your words. They kept me going every single day.

Thank you, Tyra. You are my inspiration. You are the inspiration to women all around the world. You are beautiful inside and outside.

I LOVE YOU. TYRA! YOU GO GAL!

Hi tyra! My name is ria and I'm from the Philippines (yes, your show reaches us here). I really admire your audacity to stand up against all those conventions which have affected how women should think, eat and look. It's really nice to see that someone like you, a former model, would go out of your way to make people feel a lot better about themselves, to make them feel that they are more than what others see on the outside. What hit me the most was when you said that I should be the best ME and just stop comparing myself to other people. I think that your message goes beyond the weight issue but in fact, it's a call and an advocacy to be the best as we can possibly be, after all, we are human beings with unique qualities. I am 20 years old and I have a baby. It was an unplanned pregnancy and right now, my whole life has changed. Physically, I'm not the same anymore. I have stretch marks and so I can't go to the beach because they're really hideous. My doctor told me that it was to be expected because my baby is really big for my size. But now, when I think about it, I should be thankful because my baby came out really healthy, and that I'd rather have a big and bouncing baby girl and have all the hideous stretch marks in the world than have a sickly baby and maintain my former body. So what if I don't look the way I used to look?!=) Thank you tyra, you have inspired so many, even me and i'm literally on the other side of the world.

Tyra,
I am a 38 year old mom of 3. I have 2 teen agers and a 3 year old. I have been anywhere from a size 3 to a size 12. I'm 5ft.1in. so every pound shows on me. I have always been very self concious of my weight. My honey is alot younger than me ,so I felt like I should always strive to lose weight. I've let myself be so overwhelmed by the thought of not being "small enough that I've been getting more & more depressed. My man loves me unconditionally. He says I am gorgeous and sexy no matter what. He showers me with love and affection and tries to convince me of that. I've been watching your show and telling him about it.
We went to a biker rally this past weekend. I told him that was gonna be my "so what" time. At first, I just couldn't wear the "skimpy" clothes my 17 year old daughter helped me pick out. She told me that I looked so-o-o hot.
I finally did it with you in my head saying "so what." I DID IT. I got all kinds of looks and compliments from my friends and family, I could not beleive it. My man kept saying "yeah that's my woman". So...THANK YOU SO MUCH,TYRA!!! I feel so much better about my self."So What" if I have tummy rolls and stretch marks and a few thigh dimples, I a sexy momma of 3 and proud of the way I look!!!!!!!!
You Are the
Best,
Wanda from
Seminole,
Texas

It's one thing to be fat or skinny, and it's another thing to be healthy. If you're healthy and you're just big boned/fat, whatever you want to call it .. or if you're healthy and you're naturally skinny then that's good for you. But from the message I got from your show is that, you can be fat or skinny and be proud ! but what about the being healthy aspect ? it's not okay to be fat and be unhealthy. and it's not okay to be too skinny and be unhealthy.

HI TYRA,
I AM 23 YEARS OLD.I AM 5 FOOT 5 1/2 INCHES.I WIEGH ABOUT 130-135 POUNDS.I AM A MOTHER OF 2 BEAUTIFUL KIDS AND I HAD 1 MISCARRIAGE.BUT WHEN I WATCHED YOUR SO WHAT SHOW IT GOT TO ME!I FEEL BAD ABOUT HOW I LOOK CAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY ALL THE NAME BRAND OR EVEN PRETTY CLOTHES THAT PEOPLE ARE WEARING.I FEEL LIKE I AM FAT ALOT OF TIME BECAUSE,WELL I HAVE KIDS SO THANKS TO THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN MY LIFE I HAVE A BELLY POUCH!!AND IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S JUST EXTRA SKIN I HAVE STRECH MARKS TOO.I DON'T WEAR ANYTHING THAT SHOWS MY BELLY CAUSE IF I DON'T LIKE IT NOBODY ELSE WANTS TO SEE MY STOMACH EITHER!!BUT I DO HAVE 1 PERSON THAT SAYS THAT I AM PERFECT AND THAT IS MY FIANCE GARY WE BEEN TOGETHER FOR 8 YRS NOW AND HE SAYS I AM FINE BUT I DON'T FEEL IT THOUGH!!ANYWAY WHEN I WATCH YOUR SHOW AND I SAW ALL THE OTHER GIRLS ON THERE SAYING WHAT THEY HAD WRONG I'M LIKE WHETEVER THEY LOOK FINE.THEN I RELIZED MAYBE IF I THINK THEY LOOK FINE AND THEY THINK THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG I MIGHT BE DOING THE SAME THING.THEN I RELIZED THAT ''''YEA I MIGHT HAVE A BELLY POUCH AND STRECH MARKS BUT---SO---WHAT---LOOK AT WHAT GAVE ME THAT BELLY AND THEM STRECH MARKS!!!NOW I AM PROUD OF THEM!!CAUSE I HAVE 2 BEAUTIFUL KIDS FROM THAT BELLY THAT IS WHY I HAVE STRECH MARKS!!!!!

SO THANK YOU TYRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU ARE A WONDERFUL PERSON AND A BEAUTIFUL WOMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hay i'm jessie,
15 years old 5'9 and 195 pounds. SO WHAT, i am BEAUTIFUL! everyone tells me o how pretty i would be if i would just lose some weigh. i hate hearing that, is that what you tell a little kid? NO! i've tried to, but i always get depressed and stop. i am now on the fat smash diet and have just started this week. i just want to say it's because of your show having the diet wars inspired me to try. i hope it works for me. i am making a promise to my self to am going stay with it and work out.
thank you tyra,
love ya

1st off i love your show.i have a 9month old son & i love him very much.sure he didn't come out w/my beautiful green eyes...but he is still gorgeous!!:)but he doesn't really get lots of clothes or toys...thank god i get the formula for free because of the W.I.C program near my home. i go to school, come home & take care of my son and do any homework. i really want to be a spychologist when i'm older. i love psychology!but i'm worried about the money for my college,i'm hoping i get a scholorship because i'm really going to try to get straight A's like i did last year.i'm a really great student & realy smart in school.But thats years from now.oh
by the way i'm 14 yrs old.i had gotten pregnant when i was 13 & still in the 7th grade. i was in homestudies for the 1st half of my 8th grade year. i lost touch w/most of my friends.but that didnt matter to me.i had my son on oct.31,2006, yes Holloween!&,thank god, my delivery was normal, i didnt have a c-section or an epideral. & my baby came out normal too.my mom was with me in the hospital. but my baby's daddy wasnt. my mom doesnt allow me to see or talk to him,at all. she still doesnt see him as a great role model.she still judges him on wat happened in the past.& she thinks he'll turn out just like his dad,but even his dad has changed his ways,but she doesnt see that. the only reason they dont try to come see the baby is because they arent sure of wat my mom will say.it means alot to me that my son will grow up with a father, i guess its because i never ever met my dad,heard, or even seen a picture of him.when i go to the store or church or just get introduced to other people & they find out that i have a son i see their expressions w/ their eyes getting wide. when i was pregnant everyone in the room would stare at me like i was some kind of freak,i would hate it!i hate the way they stare & judge,i know they think i had a one night stand or something like that.but i didn't, i've been w/my son's father for almost 3yrs & we never see each other now & he really is trying to find a job,but he doest have "papers" so its hard. but he really does care & really is trying,but he is still 16 so it makes it even harder. but sometimes it just gets to me when people begin to judge,but when i see you saying so wat! i begin to think: so wat if people always have to judge they dont know the real truth & i do.so ...so wat!!

1st off i love your show.i have a 9month old son & i love him very much.sure he didn't come out w/my beautiful green eyes...but he is still gorgeous!!:)but he doesn't really get lots of clothes or toys...thank god i get the formula for free because of the W.I.C program near my home. i go to school, come home & take care of my son and do any homework. i really want to be a spychologist when i'm older. i love psychology!but i'm worried about the money for my college,i'm hoping i get a scholorship because i'm really going to try to get straight A's like i did last year.i'm a really great student & realy smart in school.But thats years from now.oh
by the way i'm 14 yrs old.i had gotten pregnant when i was 13 & still in the 7th grade. i was in homestudies for the 1st half of my 8th grade year. i lost touch w/most of my friends.but that didnt matter to me.i had my son on oct.31,2006, yes Holloween!&,thank god, my delivery was normal, i didnt have a c-section or an epideral. & my baby came out normal too.my mom was with me in the hospital. but my baby's daddy wasnt. my mom doesnt allow me to see or talk to him,at all. she still doesnt see him as a great role model.she still judges him on wat happened in the past.& she thinks he'll turn out just like his dad,but even his dad has changed his ways,but she doesnt see that. the only reason they dont try to come see the baby is because they arent sure of wat my mom will say.it means alot to me that my son will grow up with a father, i guess its because i never ever met my dad,heard, or even seen a picture of him.when i go to the store or church or just get introduced to other people & they find out that i have a son i see their expressions w/ their eyes getting wide. when i was pregnant everyone in the room would stare at me like i was some kind of freak,i would hate it!i hate the way they stare & judge,i know they think i had a one night stand or something like that.but i didn't, i've been w/my son's father for almost 3yrs & we never see each other now & he really is trying to find a job,but he doest have "papers" so its hard. but he really does care & really is trying,but he is still 16 so it makes it even harder. but sometimes it just gets to me when people begin to judge,but when i see you saying so wat! i begin to think: so wat if people always have to judge they dont know the real truth & i do.so ...so wat!!

Hi, my name is Bianca and I am 15, about 5'1 and bigger then most girls. Mostly every girl loves to shop but sometimes I dont. Most times when I go Shopping at the mall for clothes I cry. You say Be proud of your body, but it can be hard when your a young teen finding clothes you like in your size. Most stores have size in small and its hard to find you size at your price range. My family is not rich so when I go shopping I cant just go and find clothes I like that are my size that fit me that I can efford. It makes me think if I am to big when I no i am not that big, it relly does hurts. Why do most places sell clothes for small or medium or large but are smaller then what it says or say a one size when people come in differnt sizes.

Hi, my name is Bianca and I am 15, about 5'1 and bigger then most girls. Mostly every girl loves to shop but sometimes I dont. Most times when I go Shopping at the mall for clothes I cry. You say Be proud of your body, but it can be hard when your a young teen finding clothes you like in your size. Most stores have size in small and its hard to find you size at your price range. My family is not rich so when I go shopping I cant just go and find clothes I like that are my size that fit me that I can efford. It makes me think if I am to big when I no i am not that big, it relly does hurts. Why do most places sell clothes for small or medium or large but are smaller then what it says or say a one size when people come in differnt sizes.

Hello Tyra,
My name is Amber, and Im 17 years of age, and about to begin my senior year in High School. Im inspired by your "SO WHAT?" campaign so incredibly much, because Im 5'3" and I weigh 160 pounds. Its really hard at times, because I use to be very tiny growing up, but my mother went to prison when I was in the 6th grade, and I got very depessed and just kept packing on the pounds. Though my mother is out now, and we have a wonerful relatioship, Im afriad I may have a lifetime battle with my weight. I have grown to ABSOLUTELY HATE the saying "She has a really pretty face, but..." I want ALL of me to be pretty!! Plus, this has grown into a health issue, because I now have high blood pressure, at ONLY 17! Im scared, because Im afriad is only going to get worse as I get older! I just went and had my senior pictures taken, and I felt insecure and ugly the entire time. My senior year should be something I enjoy and Im afriad I wont be able to. On top of all this, No one knows how I feel, not even my beloved, long -term boyfriend. Tyra I need help, I want to be happy and pretty, not for the world, BUT FOR ME!!

Hello Tyra,
My name is Amber, and Im 17 years of age, and about to begin my senior year in High School. Im inspired by your "SO WHAT?" campaign so incredibly much, because Im 5'3" and I weigh 160 pounds. Its really hard at times, because I use to be very tiny growing up, but my mother went to prison when I was in the 6th grade, and I got very depessed and just kept packing on the pounds. Though my mother is out now, and we have a wonerful relatioship, Im afriad I may have a lifetime battle with my weight. I have grown to ABSOLUTELY HATE the saying "She has a really pretty face, but..." I want ALL of me to be pretty!! Plus, this has grown into a health issue, because I now have high blood pressure, at ONLY 17! Im scared, because Im afriad is only going to get worse as I get older! I just went and had my senior pictures taken, and I felt insecure and ugly the entire time. My senior year should be something I enjoy and Im afriad I wont be able to. On top of all this, No one knows how I feel, not even my beloved, long -term boyfriend. Tyra I need help, I want to be happy and pretty, not for the world, BUT FOR ME!!

Hey Tyra, (I hope its not to late) I'm 17 yrs old and I've been overweight since the eigth grade and that's been really hard matter of fact because of my weight and the fact that I didn't like myself I didn't go to my prom this year, and there have been many time that I thought of suiside but there was always something inside that made me think otherwise. It even got to the point were I was in a deep depression and that drove me to eat more. Any who now I'm not saying that I didn't have friends I did I was mostly a home thing you know, I was mostly verbally abuse by family members and the only time they would actually have something good to say to me was when I sing other than that it's nothing good they would always say "It's how you take it" when I tell them how I feel when they have said something I did't like. But when I saw your show about "weight" you enlighted me so much I mean (not to be a pary killer ) for you to have so much confidence made me actually feel better about myself I was down for so long I thought I would never feel at least good about myslef. I was so use to saying "I wish I was her" but after seeing and hearing what you were saying I build up the strenght to say "I love being me. So thank for making me see that it is not bad being who you are.

Im 20 years old and gained the freshman 15, so i have a few stretch marks on my thighs. This morning the stretch marks stopped me from going to the water park for fear of what my sisters would say. Tomorrow it won't because I've decided to go. If they ask about them, I'll just say "Yeah, so I like chocolate pudding. SO WHAT?!?!!"
Thanks!! :)

Hey,
i think you are doing such a great job!! I love how u stand up for you'r self and others! you are such a cool and great person!! i need some advice with somethin, so sometime if ur not busy can u e-mail me?... :)

Hi my name is Heidi I'm an outgoing, athletic, open minded kind of person.I do have family and friends that care about me but sometimes it doesn't feel like it. I do have some trouble with myself. Sometimes I feel unapprecaited, unloved, wothless, and unbeautiful.I am pretty short (5ft tall) I do have a athletic body but I do have some unwanted fat on my stomach. I have great legs but they are chicken legs. Shopping is something I don't like doing because it's so hard to find clothes that make me feel good and look good.Sometimes I wish I could be someone else.There are other personal problem that I don't want to talk about. I want to feel good and look good. I want to feel pretty. I like watching you show because it help me to uderstand that I am beautiful. Every one has flause and it could be worse.That make me thankful for what I have.I just want to tell every body that you are beautiful and when you present your self to the world have comfindence in your self. Before you leave your house in the morning put on some liploss, mascera, and fix your hair. Make your self feel good and say to your self " I'm on top of the world I can do anything I set my mind to. And man I so beautiful!"Girl it does not matter if your 30, 40, or 50 you have the right to be beautiful make guys take a second look.

Hey Tyra...=D

My name is Esmeralda
Im 14 years old
I live in Texas
I am a freshman and
have tried to loose
weight throughout the years
i have starved myself...
tried to throw up as well..cut myself but I didnt because i thought of my family and my future (I want to be an actress/singer/dancer)... and even though your "SO WHAT?!" movement is an inspiration,to me and other women,
I Still dont have confidence with my weight, body, and apperance.
I never feel beautiful or skinny. I hope and PRAY to god, because my weight and apperance gets to my head... I dont do something that i will regret in life...[[Tear]]
PLEASE HELP ME TYRA!!!!!

Love, Esmeralda

Hey Tyra...=D

My name is Esmeralda
Im 14 years old
I live in Texas
I am a freshman and
have tried to loose
weight throughout the years
i have starved myself...
tried to throw up as well..cut myself but I didnt because i thought of my family and my future (I want to be an actress/singer/dancer)... and even though your "SO WHAT?!" movement is an inspiration,to me and other women,
I Still dont have confidence with my weight, body, and apperance.
I never feel beautiful or skinny. I hope and PRAY to god, because my weight and apperance gets to my head... I dont do something that i will regret in life...[[Tear]]
PLEASE HELP ME TYRA!!!!!

Love, Esmeralda

Hey Tyra...=D

My name is Esmeralda
Im 14 years old
I live in Texas
I am a freshman and
have tried to loose
weight throughout the years
i have starved myself...
tried to throw up as well..cut myself but I didnt because i thought of my family and my future (I want to be an actress/singer/dancer)... and even though your "SO WHAT?!" movement is an inspiration,to me and other women,
I Still dont have confidence with my weight, body, and apperance.
I never feel beautiful or skinny. I hope and PRAY to god, because my weight and apperance gets to my head... I dont do something that i will regret in life...[[Tear]]
PLEASE HELP ME TYRA!!!!!

Love, Esmeralda

Hey Tyra...=D

My name is Esmeralda
Im 14 years old
I live in Texas
I am a freshman and
have tried to loose
weight throughout the years
i have starved myself...
tried to throw up as well..cut myself but I didnt because i thought of my family and future ...and even though your "SO WHAT?!" movement is an inspiration,to me and other women,
I Still dont have confidence with my weight, body, and apperance.
I never feel beautiful or skinny. I hope and PRAY to god that because of my weight and apperance i wont do something that i will regret in the future...[[Tear]]
PLEASE HELP ME TYRA!!!!!

Love, Esmeralda

Hey Tyra

I am a new mom and I put on 20 lbs after the birth of my baby daughter. SO WHAT! I am healthy and my daughter is healthy; I do not need to be skinny anymore. SO WHAT TO WEIGHT GAIN!

Love your fan in Canada, Monica

Hey Tyra

I am a new mom and I put on 20 lbs after the birth of my baby daughter. SO WHAT! I am healthy and my daughter is healthy; I do not need to be skinny anymore. SO WHAT TO WEIGHT GAIN!

Love your fan in Canada, Monica

Ladies girls everyone listen we all have flaws stretchmarks, to rubbing thighs,to a belly, we have to love and feel comfortable in your skin be the best that you can be and love yourself,if you can;t love your self how can anyone else love you .Don't pick and look at yourself at the mirror,all that's doing is giving you a negitive body image.come on dont let weight hold you down.Iam 17,5'4 and 133 i have stretch marks on my thighs and love handles. come on everyone have flaws ,it doesnt make your value any less.love thats all you need.

tyra,
i was watching your show last night and it was the "so what" campaign episode.
this one really spoke out to me.
i'm almost 16 and will be a sophomore this year.
i see this kind of thing all the time, especially with being in highschool.
it's hard not to worry or obsess over what you look like due to the media and what we see.
i'm about 5'1 or 5'2 and somewhere around 127 lbs.
and you know what?
so what if i'm not a size 2?
i'm plenty happy with being an 8. :]

[and i loved how when you were talking to chandra wilson about her having to but clothes in petite because she's short, and that made me smile because i'm short and thats exctly what i have to do too.]

thanks for taking a stand egainst the media and showing women that you're beautiful no matter what size you are.
you are a true role model. :]

god bless,
shay.

Dear Tyra,
Im 13 years old 5'7 and 145lbs. About 2 years ago I lost 50lbs in 9 months.( I was 11 years old 5'5 and 191lbs)Everyone around me thought I wasnt eating but I lost the weight the healthy way.I went from a size 14 to a size 5.Though towards the end of my journey of weight loss I started to skip meals because I wasnt loosing the weight as quickly anymore.I would only eat about one meal a day. But before I lost my weight (this was when I was about 10 or 11) everyday I would go to school and they would make so much fun of me i remember my dad even saying "you're so fat loose some weight!"and he would force me to get on the scale at his job.(he is a mailman) so I would go home lock myself in my room and take a pair of scissors and cut myself but I only did it a couple times, I never told my mom.When loosing the weight I became overly obbsessed and all my friends would stare at me because I would only eat a few things and then I would work out for a hour. I gave up soda,and candy,bread and cheese and ice cream and other sweet things.I relized one day that all my clothes kept slipping off of me and from not eating I would be very weak so I turned things around.I kept one thing from my dieting secret. I dont eat pass 8 o' clock and I do 30 sit-ups a night and that keeps the weight off. But I am gaining some back. I've gained 5 lbs. at first I hated it and I wanted to diet again to get to my goal weight of 130 but then I looked at your show and I relized yeh I may be 145 and my thighs have stretch marks and jiggle SO WHAT!!! thank you tyra!

Dear Tyra,

I'm am 18 years old, 5'2", and 157 pounds. I saw your show about the "SO WHAT" campaign, and I must say that you are an inspiration to me. I will be entering college this fall, and my mom is worried about the "freshman 15."

I have strech marks on my sides and thighs... SO WHAT?! My thighs rub together when I walk... SO WHAT?!

Reading through these comments, I have noticed that there are a few people who are unhappy with you, saying that you're a hypocrit. If I could say one thing that could make a difference, I would like to say this: Name-calling is a cowardly move. This is the same thing that causes hatred and racism in our world. You should never fully judge someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes. To all you who have called Tyra a hypocrit- do you feel better? If so, it's probably because you are a hypocrit yourself and will always feel better about putting someone else down. This campaign is aimed at you.

Thank you, Tyra, for restoring hope to women everywhere, young and old.

I think it's great that you can stand up there and say "so what" to people who say that you've put on weight since you were 18. At the same time, I think that if someone is at an unhealthy weight for them, either too skinny or too fat, then they shouldn't say "so what". They shouldn't accept it. They should work as hard as they have to - and I know it's hard, I've been there - to get healthy. I feel like a lot of your shows are dedicated to women being pressured to be too skinny, and it's true, and it's a horrible thing, but I've only heard you say once that it's not OK to be fat, either.

Love,
Jackee

Hi Tyra my name is Jodie Ann Naughty I’m 18 and just 3 weeks away from turning 19. Tyra I started this year been on happy with my weight and at first I didn’t really think much of it until everyone started to tell how fat I was and how much weight I have gained. Since then I have tried dieting exercise even diet pills and still I can’t seen to lose the weight. I remember before I gained all the weight my mother wouldn’t say anything about my weight not even if she thought I was to small and even her at that time was a little big so her doctor put her on a diet so she can lose weight, he gave pills fiber cookies and told not to eat anything but baked chicken and fiber cookies and take her pill and now she wants me to lose weight and join her diet I told me off so bad that I stayed inside for weeks but thank god that last week when I saw the your show it was the rerun show of your SO WHAT campaign now I can say I’m 174 pound and I love my weight but I still remember when I was 138 I know that in order for me to lose some of this weight my family is going to have STOP STRESSING ME
BUT NOW I CAN SAY TO MY MOTHER SO WHAT I’M 174 I LOVE YOU BUT I LOVE MY WEIGHT AND MYSELF MORE AND I RESPECT YOU AND I HOPE YOU WILL RESPECT ME. THANK YOU TYRA BECAUSE WITH YOU I WOULD BE STILL INSIDE MY HOUSE HIDEING MY SELF. I WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU CAME TO CANADA WITH YOU CAMPAIGN BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF YOUNG HERE THAT PEOPLE MAKE FEEL BAD ABOUT THERE SIZE AND NOW A LOT OF THEM HAVE REALLY LOW SELFESTAM WE ALL NEED YOU TRYA I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU READING THIS

Hi Tyra my name is Jodie Ann Naughty I’m 18 and just 3 weeks away from turning 19. Tyra I started this year been on happy with my weight and at first I didn’t really think much of it until everyone started to tell how fat I was and how much weight I have gained. Since then I have tried dieting exercise even diet pills and still I can’t seen to lose the weight. I remember before I gained all the weight my mother wouldn’t say anything about my weight not even if she thought I was to small and even her at that time was a little big so her doctor put her on a diet so she can lose weight, he gave pills fiber cookies and told not to eat anything but baked chicken and fiber cookies and take her pill and now she wants me to lose weight and join her diet I told me off so bad that I stayed inside for weeks but thank god that last week when I saw the your show it was the rerun show of your SO WHAT campaign now I can say I’m 174 pound and I love my weight but I still remember when I was 138 I know that in order for me to lose some of this weight my family is going to have STOP STRESSING ME
BUT NOW I CAN SAY TO MY MOTHER SO WHAT I’M 174 I LOVE YOU BUT I LOVE MY WEIGHT AND MYSELF MORE AND I RESPECT YOU AND I HOPE YOU WILL RESPECT ME. THANK YOU TYRA BECAUSE WITH YOU I WOULD BE STILL INSIDE MY HOUSE HIDEING MY SELF

HEY TYRA! :) I’m so happy I found your website!
I’m 16 year old female Canadian. I’m from Ontario Canada and I’m so DISAPOINTED that we have no one in Canada to start things like the "so what campaign"! I mean we have Pam Anderson, I mean she is great with all the stuff she does with animals but, she has the Stereotypical kind of 'Hot' girl ‘body’ and blonde blue eyes look. That is why I love your "so what campaign". If I was able to get to your so what rally’s and campaigns I would! They look so fun when I see them on TV. Tyra I think you should visit all over the world because you are really an inspiration to everyone! Not just girls you are making changes for races, genders, people who change their sex, people who are attracted to same sex…the list goes on. You go in to every situation with open arms and I love that you never judge ANYONE. I love how you think everyone is beautiful in their own way and show them the way to find it. I try to watch all of your shows and I try to learn from them All though at times, I do not. I do still struggle with my weight and I tend to eat a lot when I m stressed. I m so very self-conscious that I do not want a boyfriend cause I do not like when I’m touched. I don’t even like when my own friends that I have had forever see me in certain things. No one knows my size. And I never go in bathing suits. I try to love my body but it does not work. I think it would be great if you did a so what tour through the world.. Stopping in Canada! Cause we need someone like you to show a healthy image to all and how to treat people with respect no matter who they are and what decisions they make about their life.! :)

I believe in Love, Peace and fairness to all ! So what!

Tyra I love ya you inspire all!

Alexandra!xo.

HEY TYRA! :) I’m so happy I found your website!
I’m 16 year old female Canadian. I’m from Ontario Canada and I’m so DISAPOINTED that we have no one in Canada to start things like the "so what campaign"! I mean we have Pam Anderson, I mean she is great with all the stuff she does with animals but, she has the Stereotypical kind of 'Hot' girl ‘body’ and blonde blue eyes look. That is why I love your "so what campaign". If I was able to get to your so what rally’s and campaigns I would! They look so fun when I see them on TV. Tyra I think you should visit all over the world because you are really an inspiration to everyone! Not just girls you are making changes for races, genders, people who change their sex, people who are attracted to same sex…the list goes on. You go in to every situation with open arms and I love that you never judge ANYONE. I love how you think everyone is beautiful in their own way and show them the way to find it. I try to watch all of your shows and I try to learn from them All though at times, I do not. I do still struggle with my weight and I tend to eat a lot when I m stressed. I m so very self-conscious that I do not want a boyfriend cause I do not like when I’m touched. I don’t even like when my own friends that I have had forever see me in certain things. No one knows my size. And I never go in bathing suits. I try to love my body but it does not work. I think it would be great if you did a so what tour through the world.. Stopping in Canada! Cause we need someone like you to show a healthy image to all and how to treat people with respect no matter who they are and what decisions they make about their life.! :)

I believe in Love, Peace and fairness to all ! So what!

Tyra I love ya you inspire all!

Alexandra!xo.

hey tyra,

My name is Courtney and im 11 years old size 3 103 pounds So what.i loved you Campaign because all the girls in my class are all so skinny even my best friend is and shes always bragging about it she says stuff like im a size 00 and i could be a model.Even my 14 year old cousin is skinner than me.
I know im not fat but when i go to class i always feel like i am because everyone is so skinny.My other best friend Bailey is a size 3 to and boys in my class were really mean to her beacause they thought she was fat, they made nicknames up for her the worst one was weight watchers.After your "SoWhat" campaign i learned to love myself for who i am and when ever I think im fat or someone's bragging or being mean i just say

SO WHAT!

Courtney
Love ya tyra

hey tyra,

My name is Courtney and im 11 years old size 3 103 pounds So what.i loved you Campaign because all the girls in my class are all so skinny even my best friend is and shes always bragging about it she says stuff like im a size 00 and i could be a model.Even my 14 year old cousin is skinner than me.
I know im not fat but when i go to class i always feel like i am because everyone is so skinny.My other best friend Bailey is a size 3 to and boys in my class were really mean to her beacause they thought she was fat, they made nicknames up for her the worst one was weight watchers.After your "SoWhat" campaign i learned to love myself for who i am and when ever I think im fat or someone's bragging or being mean i just say

SO WHAT!

Courtney
Love ya tyra

Well, i am a 12 year old. I am 5 foot 5inches and i weigh about 120 ibs. Sometimes i look at the mirror and feel fat and sometimes i feel like the skinniest in my family. I am a black Afrcan American and so sometimes i which i had more junk. Well SO WHAT!!

Hey Tyra,
My name is Michaela and I'm 17 yrs old. I have always had an extreamly complicated life and I have had extreamly low self-Esteem. It got pretty bad at times like crying myself to sleep everynight! I was hurting so bad that in middle school I was physicaly harming myself it became an addication to me it even came to try to give up on everthing even my life. That was about 6 years ago and i still find it hard at times to move on with life each day! But it came time were i learned from u and othering inspiring people in my life to nip it in the but! I'm saying "SO WHAT?!" And I'm moving on with my life and living each day as a blessing from God! I have accepted the fact that my life is a gift from God and i have no right to end it! Life is all about choices and the choices i'm making now are to bennifet me and my future! I just wanted to say thank you for being such a caring and inspirational person! U may not know me but u have truley touched my life in so many ways!
Again i say thank u!
God Bless!
I Love Ya!
4 ever a fan,
Michaela

Hey Tyra,
My name is Michaela and I'm 17 yrs old. I have always had an extreamly complicated life and I have had extreamly low self-Esteem. It got pretty bad at times like crying myself to sleep everynight! I was hurting so bad that in middle school I was physicaly harming myself it became an addication to me it even came to try to give up on everthing even my life. That was about 6 years ago and i still find it hard at times to move on with life each day! But it came time were i learned from u and othering inspiring people in my life to nip it in the but! I'm saying "SO WHAT?!" And I'm moving on with my life and living each day as a blessing from God! I have accepted the fact that my life is a gift from God and i have no right to end it! Life is all about choices and the choices i'm making now are to bennifet me and my future! I just wanted to say thank you for being such a caring and inspirational person! U may not know me but u have truley touched my life in so many ways!
Again i say thank u!
God Bless!
I Love Ya!
4 ever a fan,
Michaela

Hey Tyra!
My name is Krista. I'm 5'3" and weigh 128 pounds. I have a bit of a stomache, my thighs are pretty big, and I have love handles. I'm not the smallest girl in the world, but I've never really had a problem with my weight...Until I started dating a boy who did have a problem with my weight. He told me everyday that I needed to lose weight, and I shouldn't eat as much as I do. It got to the point where I was afraid to even eat in front of him. I didn't feel like I was good enough for him. I started exercising everyday and eating healthy. After a little while, I started to take it a little too far, and soon became obbsessed with my weight. I weighed myself about 10 times a day, and critisized myself in front of the mirror for hours each day. Right around the time when I started getting really bad about my weight, I watched your "So What" show. Tyra, I still exercise, and I still eat right. But I don't obsess about my weight. I don't weigh myself 10 times a day anymore. I don't have the body of a super model...SO WHAT!!! I'm beautiful, on the inside and out!! Thanks Tyra!! You're my hero!!!
Krista

i am everything all this people (down there)
l
l
l
l
v
feel and go through
"SO WHAT" im not the only one who goes through situations like these even though you might think your the "only one" that is overweight and big open your eyes and look .. your not the only one.. dont ever let nothing put u down because you dont live to please anyone all you doing is being u.

Tyra!
Hey girl! My names Kylie, and im going into the 9th grade. I am 156 pounds and healthy! I'm 5'10 and a basketball player, heading for a scolorship baby(osu), be looking out for me in about 4 years! Kylie Snead! I play center! I want to thank you for sticking up for us girls. Im fierce just like you! Yeah I'm pretty but for all the boys out there who said girls out there can play ball because there pretty "so what!" we can! THANKS Tyra~!

Tyra!
Hey girl! My names Kylie, and im going into the 9th grade. I am 156 pounds and healthy! I'm 5'10 and a basketball player, heading for a scolorship baby(osu), be looking out for me in about 4 years! Kylie Snead! I play center! I want to thank you for sticking up for us girls. Im fierce just like you! Yeah I'm pretty but for all the boys out there who said girls out there can play ball because there pretty "so what!" we can! THANKS Tyra~!

I am a 16 year old girl still in high school. I spend about every waking mooment making other people like me. I am a average girl with a bit of a stomach, and I look at my self in the mirrior and tell my self I am fat and ugly and stupid. But SO WHAT if people don't like me for the way I look. I really don't care I am finally starting to get comfortable in my own skin and as long as i feel beautiful that is all that matters.

I believe in myself and do not let others judge me for who or what I am. So what if I'm not pretty? It's my inner beauty that really rocks!! Go Tyra!!

Tyra
I am 12 years old. i was never continuously picked on for being bigger and developing faster than alot of other girls, but for a really long time ive had a really bad self image of myself. i watched your "SO WHAT" show and i was really inspired. i finally really see myself as beautiful. and i kno alot of ppl would think that 12 is way too young to be in love, but theres a guy that ive known for like 2 years and im REALLY crazy about him, and hes really crazy about me. for the longest time hes told me im beautiful, but i never let myself fully believe i was until you decided to say what so many young girls and woman needed to hear. i just really wanna say thank you for putting yourself out there in front of the world for all of us.

You are my hero, i adore you, and i wish some day to be alot like you.

lotz of luv-me*

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erhgjklsbhutiybgtrgubthutbhtrhlktrlkjtjhthrshtrhlktr
hgdfaghfadghkfdghkafkhgfryvgyvyyuvkyubyubyubbyuyubyu
hvhlbjlkbjlkbjlkbjljnbjlbjlljbljnnbjjnbjnjnbjnbjnbjn
jajhgahjajlhjhajhhjajhahjkh8hhh8h75h5hh5hn5jn3jj33h3
huhh6h56hj6lk7lh7hh878jkl8hk87h7uui7uy7y7uy8u8uu8y87

EDIT: misspelled a word ;)

Is anyone else not bothered by the hypocracy evident on this website? Here we have this campaign supposedly promoting healthy body images for women, yet right at the top of the page are ads for Nivea body cream that "eliminates cellulite".

How can you possibly say with a straight face that you're trying to promote women's self esteem when your website advertises products that try and make women feel inadequate so that they will buy whatever ridiculous product they're hocking.

Up yours, you hypocritical fuckwit.

Is anyone else not bothered by the hypocracy evident on this website? Here we have this campaign supposedly promoting healthy body images for women, yet right at the top of the page are ads for Nivea body cream that "eliminates cellulite".

How can you possibly say with a straight face that you're trying to promote women's self esteem when your website advertises products that try and make women feel inadequate so that they will buy whatever ridiculous product they're hocking.

Up yours, you hypocritical fuckwit.

I have been struggling with my weight for many years. After seeing your show, I've decided that my weight doesn't matter! So instead I did more with my life then worry about my life so I whistled for a cab and when it came near the Licensplate said fresh and had a dice in the mirror. I want to thank you for your show. Love Magne

Hay fatties

tyra,

i did not get a chance to watch your So What campaign but i have read a lot of the comments on here to pass my time away and one in particular caught my attention and i cried when i read it... i dont know why girls always put themselevs down..its not healthy...and your right its not healthy to be overweight. i am 15... and i know that seems a little young... i used to get picked on a lot because i am overwieght...and yeah it used to bug me i used to cry all the time, i used to cut because of it, i was stupid...i know that i am beautiful no matter what and i dont care what people think of me... i have a boyfriend...so girls you dont have to be skinny to get a good man...just be yourself and dont pay attention to the girls and guys who call you fat, ugly, ect. they are all jealous of you because when you show them that you have confidence you are showing them that you can do what you want, you are free, your a woman, ect.. the difference is what makes all of us unique and beautiful and believe me or not i dont hate anybody who might say anything to me i just show them that i dont care and even tho they dont treat me with respect i will always treat them with respect... so in a way im not following the do onto others rule because i dont strike them back with an insult...that is telling them that you have no self esteem and they are going to try to put you down continuely! so girls just be you!!!!

TYRA YOU ARE SUCH AN INSPIRATION I LOVE YOU

You're so-called MMORPG game is virtual terrorism.

Tyra
For as long as I can remember i have been struggling with my weight. Others around me have tried to have a positive outlook on my size, but deep down I have never seen myself to be up to the standard. After watching all your SO WHAT campaign I have realized that SO WHAT if I look different from them, SO WHAT if I am full figured. Thanks to you I see myself a beautiful full figured girl.
THANK YOU TYRA!!!

Tyra,
Okay, so here's the thing I know that it's been a while since your revolutionary "So What" movement aired on your show, but I felt like it's been a necessity to write you. I'm 15, I know young, right? Haha:) Well anyways like I said I'm 15 and for as long as I can remember someone incredibly special turned into a hero of mine. She's done so much; I think more things than I would possibly list. From portraying positive images, to relating to numerous others, to entertaining from left to right; along with all of that she's utterly stunning. Sure I have a few more role models or heroes if you will, but for some reason, to me, she simply stood out like a bright light in a dark room. I myself discovered at a young age that no matter what I looked like I had a confidence that shone- how do I know? Well the fact that I was told and I guess you could say self-assurance. I've been big my entire life, so what, it just gave me a more obvious reason to be more confident- plus I've always had a lot of charisma, so if any negativity surfaced I became witty and independent enough to not let it get to me. Tyra, I'm not sure why, but it seems that our society's minds are more locked in by close-mindedness than a security safe, but I know that the code to crack it. Here it is, our differences make us all equal. And what's so sad about it is that I’m sure everyone knows that, but decides not to accept it. It's so obvious, I simply hope that one day everyone and I do mean everyone will hear it, listen, and accept that fact. But with my drive I know that I'll grow sick and tired of hoping and go out and actually show the world. I'll know then, that our world will be that much closer to peace. Ah, look at me I sound like I want to be Miss America, haha put some of this in black and white and fax it over to Miss Rhode Island and I'm positive she'll make it to the Top 5. :) Haha Anyways, back to that hero business, I never did say who it is, did I? Whoops! My bad, well hopefully by now it's pretty clear... it's you, yes you Miss Tyra Banks :) I know, I know, I'm not the first that's told you that, and I most likely won't be the last, but you really are-are-are-hmm, what's better than spectacular? Miraculous? Yeah, yeah! Miraculous; 'cause for all any of us know without me having heroes such as yourself I'd be out on the street corner doin' whatever. So Tyra, I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, from every fiber of my being, for inspiring me, for being my "life saver" haha if that's what you wanna call it; for putting forth a difference in my life- regardless if you knew it or not I truly wanna thank you, and if you would be so kind as to accept my thanks, that would be incredibly appreciated. Just watch, one day I'm going to meet you 'cause I know I'll grow sick and tired of waiting. hahaha :) Thanks Tyra:)

"SO WHAT!!"

Tyra,

I've always thought you were such a beautiful woman. I'm even more impressed with you now after seeing your show last night. I'm not a big tv watcher, but I'm so glad that I caught your "SO WHAT" show last night. I only wish I could have seen it sooner! You are just awesome.

I have always struggled with my weight. Although I do look back at pictures sometimes and wonder why. The picture I see is, by no means, the picture that was in my head at that time. I'm not thin, but at most times, I was not the "fat" person I saw myself as.

After having a child and going through a breakup with her father a few years back, I have ventured back into the world of dating. I was just thinking last night (before I turned on your show) that I need to exercise a little more (I already exercise a lot) and shed a few more pounds. After a child, the weight doesn't come off as easy! ha!

I loved the part of you and the girl burning her size 0 jeans. You commented on the fact that a size 0 is beautiful when it is natural. You shouldn't force yourself to be that b/c then it is not natural and not beautiful. THANK YOU! That is so true!

I really listened and gave myself a little wake-up call with that. Yah, I could loose a few more pounds. I like to be healthy, and I am very healthy. I make healthy choices everyday.

I "COULD" loose a few more pounds, but SO WHAT?! I'm beatiful. I have curves, but I am a woman! I'm also 30 years old. I want to look that and not like a teenager! THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME OF THAT. THANK YOU FOR REMINDING MILLIONS OF WOMEN THAT!!

Most importantly -
I also teach middle and high school. I see so many beautiful girls obsessing over their weight and their looks. I just want to force them to stare in a mirror sometimes and see how beautiful they really are. It breaks my heart that they think this of themselves. So, I make as many possitive comments as I can for them and hope it helps. One thing I defintely know about kids - They will listen to someone like you, and I'm so proud that you are promoting this for them. Again, you are awesome!

Thank you for this show! I'm so glad God put people like you that try to do positive things for others on this Earth. God bless you. I wish you success with all that you do.

tyra im 12 years old and im pregnant my boyfreind is 21 and people make fun of me and tell me im a ho. ma boyfreind found out i was pregnant and left me i was crying i went home later that day and i turned on the tv and saw ure so wat compain and i said to ma self SO WHAT I can raise the baby ma self
THANK YOU TYRA U MADE ME STRONG WOMAN LIKE YOU

Dear Tyra,
hello my name is Antionette, i'm a seventeen year old female who has been suffering from Anorexia for two years. I'm writing you today because i've been watching your "So What" episodes and how they have helped women develop more self esteem. i want to be one of those women but i feel i need a little bit more support... i have been through two hospitalizations but nothing has helped. i feel it would help alot coming from someone who has been pressured to have the body you once had but has accepted herself for who you are. You're beautiful Tyra, i just want to be able to feel the same way about myself.

i agree the so what campaign is great...but this has been said before and i just want to emphasize it.

What is said on ANTM needs to be watched. Its really contradicting what is on the tyra show. A girl who did NOT need to loose weight was on Americas Next Top Model. i was babysitting when the girls were watching this show. it was their rutene in the morning to watch it while eating breakfast. And what i am saying is 100% true.
the 10 year old girl who was always very happy girl, very athletic. She is built "stronger" seeing as though she is a gymnast. She is watching ANTM while eating a pop-tart...once you (tyra) told this model she needed to loose weight. She put her pop tart down, i continued to watch her...gave it to the dog. Pinched some of the "fat" on her belly...ran up stairs into the bathroom. She then came down about 5 minutes later in a baggy t-shirt. i asked why she changed. she shrugged her shoulders and turned off the TV (which is unlike her to finish that show) she wasnt the same the rest of the day. I told her mom about the incident (who told me it was ok for her to watch ANTM in the AM) and her mom banned her from watching that show ever again. Which i think was the smartest move. It's a horrible show!!!!!!! to make a 10 year old girl feel that she was "too fat to wear a tank top" That is sad and discusting.

ANTM and Tyra show are two completley different shows...and if you were any kind of role model, you would quit ANTM. i dont care how much it pays. You couldnt pay me all the money in the entire world to make one little girl feel fat when she isnt. The money isnt worth it.

The so what campaign doesnt mean anything unless you too support it..and telling women on ANTM they need to loose weight when they dont, is NOT supporting so what campaign.

Hi, Tyra,
I somehow missed the first aired "So What" campaign, but watched a special that was on TV tonight on Oxygen. I can't tell you how much your show helped me. Helped me to as other women and yourself said "SO WHAT".
Seven years ago I was in a car accident and ended up having to have back surgery and with all the medications and turmoil what steroids do to your body, I had become very self conscious. This has suffered my love of music which I sing. Before my back surgery, I went out and sang in nursing homes and children's homes and wherever I could haul and setup my sound system. No that's been a thing of the past, but I've been trying to promote and get recognized other ways and even at that I am self conscious of how my weight would go up and down. The camera puts on more pounds whether it be camera or video. Two years ago I had lost my boyfriend in a bad ambulance accident which also killed two other paramedics, three total, the patient lived. However trying to carryon life with loosing him has been hard. I have three wonderful girls and since April 07 I am now a grandma. Still....On February 19, 2007 as freaky as it sounds, I was involved again in an auto accident which was exactly two years to the date and same hour I lost my boyfriend Jeff. And no neither of the car accidents were my fault I must add. Anyhow, the second accident of course ended up making me gain more weight unfortunately and with all of this accumulation in 7 years, I somehow lost myself in the shuffle. My youngest daughter earlier this morning even said to me that I've given up on everything and was so unhappy. That hurt because as bad as I've felt mentally and physically I thought I was hiding it pretty good around my family and friends. Only a few people know that after losing Jeff, I wanted to die and give-up. I had wrote a note to my family and girls, put it in my vehicle so that it would be found, and the plan was to park and walk in front of what was hoped to be the same train that killed the men just a few months prior. When I got out there, it was still very early in the evening and I didn't want anyone close to stop me. Jeff and I had danced several times at a club and I had decided to go there for one more last dance. I was not in the right mind to be drinking as I had, but I did have an angel that night watching over me, and a gentleman that wouldn't let me drive that night. A few days later he came over to my house to see how I was doing, which I then remembered in shock the letters I had wrote that was still in my vehicle. I went and got it out, he read them, we then both burnt it all. I did try to carry on with my life as much as possible, but never forgetting all he and I shared, Jeff. And as I mentioned two years later almost to the same hour, I was hit on driver side and thrown into two ditches which set my health backwards mentally and physically.
I know I expressed probably too much in this letter, it was important to me that you know where I stand when I express to you of the hurt and where the hurt leads people which affects them in many ways and everyway in their life. "SO WHAT" show when I was watching it, I just had to cry with yall, tears of yes I know where yall are coming from. I'm not gonna beat myself up anymore of trying to hide what I can't physically with my weight putting an extra burden on me anymore. Yes I will still try my best to become a healthy weight, as hard as it is because I can't do the exercises I would be doing had I not had physical problems. So I thank you Tyra for airing the "So What" program again. I would have missed a lot had I not been able to see it this time. The woman who spoke of suicidal and her husband was there too on the show, I can honestly say that I know how she felt. I've been there and now I can say that I can stop beating myself up over the things that bring me down, "So What"...... It's gonna be alright, I'm gonna be alright, and "So What" if someone doesn't think I'm loosing weight fast enough. They haven't been in my shoes and in my life to judge me, "So What"!!!!!

i love your show

Hey Tyra,

Being a guy , I still find you VERY sexy and many other women on the show..The "size zero" lady,is drop dead HOTTIE !

I watched your {July 13} episode on OXYGEN, when I saw you in the SI swim suit, I still drooled over you . You re just as sexy in it like you were ten years ago.

I'm 23 and never have I felt so close to how I used to feel before. I'm very afraid and feel that I have no one to turn to because no one sees me the way I do. I wish with all my heart I could love myself the way so many women are inspired to and accept themselves. Because of the love of my family and my mother who truly is my religion and best-friend, I never fell into an extreme case of anorexia or bulimia. But for many years, I couldn't stand myself inside out. I put myself through crazy diets and starved myself at times. I've put my body through the ground with strenous workouts and unhealthy eating habits. I started falling into bulimia and making myself throw up. I remember feeling so guilty because I'm so blessed with so many things and why can't I be truly happy. Throughout the years I learned to love myself and actually see what all the fuss was about. But for the past few months, old habits have come back and though they may not be exactly as before I feel strange in my own skin. I would love more than anything to be able to look at myself in the mirror and see me and love what I see without having to depend on workouts that exhaust me and keeping a mental journal of what I eat. I say "eat it", there's only one life, but then it feels very different when I get in a pair of jeans and have to be constantly readjusting positions so I don't feel as uncomfortable as I can feel at times. And though I keep it to myself because my family doesn't deserve the headache and it's safer to not say anything, I'm watching your show and I can't help wondering -could that be me one day, could I love myself like all of you do? In a way it almost feels as if I keep myself numb to not truly feel how uncomfortable I feel in my own skin, to the point that I have doubted my personality -and where am I left? What is there to love?

I don't anyone to see how weak I can be.

Tyra,

Your "So What?" campaign didn't do a anything for me. Zip. Zilch. Zero. I've had COUNTLES people tell me the exact same thing- that I'm a great person no matter what, I'm not that overweight anyway, weight doesn't matter, everyone has flaws, at least you're healthy, etc. But you know what? It doesn't help. I still feel as fat and disgusting as I always have. I lost about thirty pounds a few years ago, but some of that weight has come creeping back up on me. Even at my thinnest, I still felt horribly fat (and I weighed more than any of your Top Model girls, except that I'm only 5'3").

You contradict yourself, Tyra. You start this "So What?" campaign, yet on your modeling show you criticize the girls who aren't ultra-thin. I started bawling when you referred to a girl who was thinner than I could ever hope to be as a "plus-sized" model.

In the past ten years, I have been swimming twice: once in seventh grade when it was required (we had a five-day swimming lesson, and for the last four days I pretended to have my period), and last year when my friend forced me to go with her. I wore a vintage bathing suit from the fifties that almost went down to my knees, and I was still uncomfortable. Another anecdote: a few months ago, I had major jaw surgery and my jaw was wired shut for about a month. I lost twenty pounds in only two weeks (it was the happiest I've been in I don't know how long), but when I got the wires off, my metabolism was so slow that I started gaining weight back very quickly... I seriously considered asking my surgeon to rewire my jaw until I was down to my goal weight.

So What? What does it matter? I'll tell you- I will never be seen as pretty by anyone other than my close friends and family. So What? Guys will ALWAYS choose the skinny girl over the rubenesque one. So What? People have teased me about my weight. So What? My sister, who is six years my elder, weighs about fifty pounds less than me. So What? Everyone in my family is thin, no matter what they eat. So What? Being thin is probably one of the most important things in our society. So What? For as long as I can remember, I have hated my body, and I think I always will. I know I'm a good person, I know I'm smart, I know I'm funny, but I also know that I'm not attractive. Two words aren't going to change my life, unless those words are "free liposuction."

Watching you has never made me feel better about myself in the least, Tyra. I've always felt worse... the fact that you're considered voluptuous makes me think that I must be a whale. I know everyone has flaws, but it doesn't make me any less disgusted by mine.

I'm a 14 year old girl who is especially sensitive about my weight. So when I think of a celebrity role model, I think of you. I really think you have made it clear to me that it is ok to have flaws. I hear it all the time from people who love me, and of course it helps me, but to hear that from a celebrity is just so empowering. Hearing this campaign has almost helped me to accept the way I am and look more because I feel that it is ok that Im not perfect. SO WHAT if I'm not what the media says is ideal, I'm learning to appreciate who I am more now!

hello tyra my names is myis iam 12 and i have been a fan of your for a 2 years andi want to be a model when i grown up but i always feel like i was to fat or skin so when i saw your show about so what i was like so what if iam fat i weigth 148 and iam 5"6 i always thougth i was fat or to tall because when i was in the 3rd grade i was alwayz tease because i looked like a grown up or was to fatbut when i saw your show i said SO WHAT

Tyra! I think you are an awesome role model. Summer has come and almost gone and i have only been seen in a bathing suit once. I am 22 years old and 135 poounds, & 5'1". Fresh out of college. I saw all of these little freshmen come and they were size 0/2 while im 6/8. Ofcourse I feel over weight when I saw that. Now I'm going to Florida for my friends birthday, but your article makes me so proud to be 135!!! I feel like I have the power to be even more beautiful than all of those girls starving themselves. I have the self-esteem I haven't had. My thighs are larger than other girls my age...but SO WHAT?!?!!

I love you Tyra. You inspire me to be a better person, and have a better outlook of myself. Thank you!

you are a big hypocrite. america's next top model and your so-called "SO WHAT?" campaign clash, beginning with the fact that the lastest winner was 92 pounds and 5ft 7". you would have been a role model in my eyes if that whole time people were calling you fat, you just said "SO WHAT?" yourself. Instead, you had ENDLESS shows about how you weren't fat and tried on your sports illustrated bikini and took that same picture again(obviously retouched to the max) and kept on defending you thin-ness...i would have respected you if you had half of your next top model cast be plus-size models and give them the chance to actually win instead of being the second or third one to be eliminated...i am offended that you would promote the extreme thinness on your show and how you contradict yourself on everything you say...america's next top model made me insecure about my weight when some of the girls at their heaviest were my weight (117 pounds) and they are NOT 5"3. they are 5"8 and up. you are a terrible role model. instead of dressing up in a fat suit just gain weight and become FAT like the rest of us and see what it's really like every day.

liked that episode it was really sweet, but I don't really change like that, because I had change like a year or more ago. I'm 15 now and I weight around 140, but my whole life people even my own family picked on me for being “fat” at lest fatter then a normal Asian or so I was told, and I've watched all these shows about these skinny girls, and I wished to myself all the time wanting to be skinny like them, and really I thought no one would accept me.
I guess I've changed since I meet my boyfriend I told him all my problems and he told me to stop worrying and that I should accept myself for who I am fat or not as long as I was perfectly happy and healthy, because all he could see was a beatiful girl. After that I guess I took his advice and grew more happy then I ever have before, and now I've even realize that all my friends thought I was much cuter being chubby then skinny so I'm perfectly happy with were I am, and it's been a year since I've been dating my boyfriend and were even more happier then before!
Now I've learn that. size color race it doesn't even matter as long as your happy yourself on who you are then thats all that is important and those who accept you for who you are; are your true friends XD

hello tyra my name is sandra,I am 17 ,5'4 and 138 i have been struggling with my weight just recently when i began to have stretch marks on my knees and i feel that shouldnt hold me down i an using trilastin sr i just started and i hope it will improve my skin if not SO WHAT?

hey tyra,
i jus wanted to say that u rock!
i find that your campaign is amazing i mean u have helped so many women all over the world see that they shudn't be so upset about how they look or how much they weigh. i watch ur show everyday and wil continue to.
YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!

hey tyra,
i jus wanted to say that u rock!
i find that your campaign is amazing i mean u have helped so many women all over the world see that they shudn't be so upset about how they look or how much they weigh. i watch ur show everyday and wil continue to.
YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!

Hi Tyra,
I am 12 years old. I know I don't need to worry about my weight of 98 lbs, but I'm larger than all of my friends. A few weeks ago I learned that 2 of them had been saying I was fat and overweight. Now, beacause of you, I know I'm pefect the way I am, and I say "SO WHAT?"
Thanks Tyra
You Rock

Hi Tyra,
I am 12 years old. I know I don't need to worry about my weight of 98 lbs, but I'm larger than all of my friends. A few weeks ago I learned that 2 of them had been saying I was fat and overweight. Now, beacause of you, I know I'm pefect the way I am, and I say "SO WHAT?"
Thanks Tyra
You Rock

Hi Tyra, good day. My name is Ete Kwegang and i am from West Africa, Cameroon. I was born on July/24/1989. I came to America on dec/4/05. Ever since i was young, i had dreams of becoming a model. I never knew how i could accomplish my dreams being that young and thinking a little further. When i came to America and started watching your show "ANTM", i then knew, with determination i could draw one step closer to my passion. I look up to you. You weren't really skinny but you made it to the top and i know that was a break through for many people especially me. I am almost 150lbs which i believe is over weight trying to be a model. This has brought my spirit down, that maybe i wont get to the place where i long for because of my inner worries. I have tried many ways to loose weight but my weight fluctuates. When i watch your Tyra show and you talk about having dipples in your butt, i am very surprise because i have it too. i also fear because of that. i know when u started your career, you were skinny then and you didn't have any dipples i believe. Pls Miss Tyra, i need your help. How do i loose weight?, how do i get that your kind of courage?, and please, how do i get my way into modeling business?. Please Tyra i cry writing this mail. I really want to be a model. Please help me out, you are the only one i can look after in this business. I have watched every second of you in this career, how you strugled before going that far in modeling. You respect yourself which is what most yount womem celebrities lack and i admire the way you carry your mom high. May God keep blessing you sincerely from my heart. Please reply my mail back. Thanks for understanging

Hi Tyra!!!! Wow I love you so much and I just wanted to say that your "So what" campaign helped me so much. I'm only 13 and I've been upset sometimes to lose weight but now I know I don't need to! It's just all the skinny models and celebrities with perfect bodies. But now I just say so what. Thank you so much I would have been trying waaaay too hard possibly even going through anorexia until I seen your show. I watch it EVERY SINGLE day now! You are my idol and I'd do anything to meet you, my mom even says your the smartest model she's ever seen because you don't starve yourself like most! I hope to meet you one day I'd probably cry if I seen you. holy cow it's your such a powerful woman and your so smart. Your my idol forever and always, Loads of love, Halla

Dear Tyra,

I watched your show on the SO WHAT?! Campaign, and I have to tell you that you are such an inspiration to all of us. You seem to be as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside, and your kindness is so apparent. I have truly enjoyed your show, and look forward to seeing it every day. I have become a huge fan, and think that anyone who can claim you as a friend is blessed. Thank you for standing up for everyone who is not 'perfect' in this world's eyes. All of us have a flaw, and that is what makes us unique. Some people have their flaws on the outside, and some have theirs hidden deep within, but nobody is perfect. I have struggled my entire adult life with my weight, and never have felt good about my size, no matter what that size was. Even though I am 45, 5'8" and overweight, SO WHAT?! Love ya, Tyra!!! Cyndi in Tennessee

Hey Supawoman

Hope u r feelin' well 2day. Well they've already started, yep da sickle cell crisis is now kicking in and da stress meter has kicked up a notch. Dis week I had a paper due 4 my speech class and it's all about how society's neglection on those with diseases. Just hear me out, I did my research on Sickle Cell mostly. Did u know dat there are up 2 70,000 people dat have been affected by the disease, there iz 1 out of 500 African Americans born with the disease and 1 out of 1,000 Hispanic Americans with da disease, and up to 2 million Americans have da trait and 1 out of 12 African Americans have da trait. Da thing dat upsets me da most about all of this iz dat even with da advancements of medicine and technology we still have not been able 2 find a cure or not even make better medicines dat can help us live better with these diseases. Also there has been very little help from da Government. Da only thing dat we get iz a warning from Uncle Sam saying: "Don't have sex!" What about those who already have da diseases, people who were born wit it and can't do anything about it. What about those who have HIV, Cancer, Sickle Cell, ect. dat have cried out and have been ignored constantly. Like now there exist Affrimiative Action dat gives out help 2 those who already have a chance to survive, but r unwillingly giving it 2 those who r on da verge of death. Those who probably won't even live to fulfill there dreams or even live 2 c tomorrow. Why can't people c dat we r suffering more than most people r, Y iz it dat when we cry 4 help we end up being ignored?

Hey Tyra! My last comment wasn't about weight but I just had to get that out! You know what I mean? I also accidently didn't put my name on it but I won't make that mistake again (hehe). Once again SO WHAT!!! Bye Tyra!

Hey Tyra! My last comment wasn't about weight but I just had to get that out! You know what I mean? I also accidently didn't put my name on it but I won't make that mistake again (hehe). Once again SO WHAT!!! Bye Tyra!

Hey Tyra! I am fourteen years old and watch your show all the time. I watched your so what campaign. I am not the person people would call popular. I don't have the 'in' clothes but SO WHAT!!! Before I wanted to completely change myself to fit in but now I am happy with who I am. You are the one who taught me that I don't need to be in the 'in' crowd to know a lot of people. I now know a lot more people because I stopped trying to be who I wasn't. Thank you Tyra you're the BEST!!!

HEy Tyra!! I watch your show everyday and you've taught me that the more a women has, the more there is to love!!!!

HEy Tyra!! I watch your show everyday and you've taught me that the more a women has, the more there is to love!!!!

HEy Tyra!! I watch your show everyday and you've taught me that the more a women has, the more there is to love!!!!

hi tyra...I'm a 27 year old, from Toronto, Ontario, canada.

I have always struggled with my weight, having been heavy from child hood. I dropped a lot of weight in high school in all the wrong ways. I would starve myself, or binge and purge for years. All my friends worried about me, and monitored me, to try to help, but in my eyes I was never thin enough. At my slimmest I was 125 pounds, at 5'5", with a big bone structure. i looked sick, but was still to fat in my own eyes.

I ended up gaining more weight than before as i entered my twenty's and have hated myself for it. a couple of Months ago i found your show, and learned of the so what movement.

Tyra you have changed my life. for the first time in my life I am okay with who i am, and my fiancee could not be happier. He loves me the way i am, and could never understand how i could hate myself so much. Now i relize, thanks to you that I'm okay!

So here's my so what moment...I'm 27, 5'5", 176 pounds. I'm not perfect, and I'll never be a size two.....SO WHAT!!!!!

Thanks tyra!

Hey Tyra!
I just watched your "so what" episode yesterday for the second time and I just wanted to tell you that you are an inspiration to me. I think that you are so amazing and beautiful not only on the outside but on the inside as well. I'm fifteen and I have always worried about what people have thought about me but this past years since i have started watching your show you have shown me that everyone is beautiful, and if you are a good person then thats all you need to be. Now that i think this way as well i feel more beautiful then ever! You are such an amazing role model and an inspiration to so many people. People like you are making this world a better place. Thank you for being the amazing person that you are and thank you for teaching me to feel beautiful in my own skin!
God bless you!

Hey Tyra.
Im a 14 going on 15 year old girl.
I've Always felt Fat.
i've been teased about my weight scince the 4th grade.
i weigh 150 pounds.
i've had eating problems since i was 12 because of people that have teased me in the past.
My Boyfreind Tell me im Beautiful and skinny , but don't belive him.
What should i do?
Your So beautiful Tyra,
i Wanna be just like you when i grow up because your Smart, Pretty and Independant
I think people are wrong to call you fat. your so skinny. Whats wrong with the world today?

Tyra,
I want to thank you for giving me the confidence to embrace my curves. I think it's very important for women to view their bodies in a confident light. I didn't realize I have been doing the very opposite until I watched your show.

I just graduated from a private high school where anyone can participate on any sports team. I was a member of the track and cross country teams for three and two years, respectively. When I started running I gained more muscle, however, my beautiful curves did not disappear because of the way my body is made. I have an extreme hourglass shape because of my bone structure and because of the way my body stores fat. All the other girls on my team became streamlined and gaunt, not because they were running more than me, just because they all had the "running bodytype." Even though I'm not a good runner because, honestly, I'm not built for it, I was a dedicated member of the team, I supported my teammates, and it was obvious I had a deep love for running. Sadly, at the very end of my senior season I did not receive the recognition I deserved for my three years of hardwork. Instead, all the other seniors on the team received awards and praise. In that moment I realized my coaches only cared about the athletes that made the team look good and they ignored me because I stuck out from the rest of the runners and didn't gain points for the team. I was absolutely devastated and blamed my failure on my curves. I cried and cried for days because I felt like I was helpless and I was frustrated because my dedication had been ignored by my coaches, the people I'd looked up to for three years. For the past few months I've been counting calories and working out like mad to try to change my body so I can look like the other runners. Then yesterday I saw your show and realized, so what? I'm a curvy runner. I stick out. And that makes me beautiful.

Right now I'm sitting in tight, unforgiving spandex about to go run and run and run at the gym and make my "SO WHAT?" statement! I'm so excited! Thank you so much Tyra for giving me the confidence to show off my curves!

Sincerely,
Laura

tyra i love what you do.
its amazing and incredible.
i'm 17, 142 pounds.
and been teased because of my thighs and butt.
so what?
thanks so much

Dear Tyra,

First of all, I think you are an excellent role model for young girls out there, and for women of all ages. For a magazine to insinuate in any way, shape, or form that you are FAT is beyond ridiculous. I just watched the rebroadcast of your "So What" episode. OMG!! I can so relate with so many of those women. I am 41 years old now and I have always had issues with weight. I can relate with that nurse with the heart problem. While my heart is okay, I did try the diet pills as well, usually doubling the dosage, until one day my heart started racing so fast I thought I was going to die. Needless to say, that was not the goal and I discarded those pills immediately. I also had considered suicide at various stages of my life. I always felt unacceptable due in part to my sister being thin and beautiful. I have been treated like garbace by the "MEN" in my area, and wonder why I allowed this to happen. I now realize that part of it was because I really did not believe I was beautiful. I allowed my own negativity bring about more pain. To give you the back story, I lost my mother from cancer when I was 15. I had watched her suffer with this for many years, and I now believe I used food as a source of comfort. I have an amazing best friend, Tracy, who lives in Delaware. She has been my rock and touchstone for almost 20 years now, and I thank God for her daily. She helped me to see that I had abandonment issues, and perhaps, unconsciously, that opened me up to the people I dated. I let go of my last relationship, because I finally realized I am BEAUTIFUL! Not just on the outside, I strongly resemble my late mother, but because I am BEAUTIFUL from the inside out. I thank you for this show, and God Bless You for allowing all of us who are not small in size to say, SO WHAT!! My thighs may rub together, my belly may not be flat, SO WHAT!!!!!

Keep Up the Great Work, and again, GOD BLESS YOU TYRA!! Stay true to yourself,

Monica from Houston

Dear Tyra,

First of all, I think you are an excellent role model for young girls out there, and for women of all ages.

For a magazine to insinuate in any way, shape, or form that you are FAT is beyond ridiculous.

I just watched the rebroadcast of your "So What" episode. OMG!! I can so relate with so many of those women.

I am 41 years old now and I have always had issues with weight. I can relate with that nurse with the heart problem. While my heart is okay, I did try the diet pills as well, usually doubling the dosage, until one day my heart started racing so fast I thought I was going to die. Needless to say, that was not the goal and I discarded those pills immediately. I also had considered suicide at various stages of my life. I always felt unacceptable due in part to my sister being thin and beautiful. I have been treated like garbace by the "MEN" in my area, and wonder why I allowed this to happen. I now realize that part of it was because I really did not believe I was beautiful. I allowed my own negativity bring about more pain.

To give you the back story, I lost my mother from cancer when I was 15. I had watched her suffer with this for many years, and I now believe I used food as a source of comfort.

I have an amazing best friend, Tracy, who lives in Delaware. She has been my rock and touchstone for almost 20 years now, and I thank God for her daily. She helped me to see that I had abandonment issues, and perhaps, unconsciously, that opened me up to the people I dated.

I let go of my last relationship, because I finally realized I am BEAUTIFUL! Not just on the outside, I strongly resemble my late mother, but because I am BEAUTIFUL from the inside out.

I thank you for this show, and God Bless You for allowing all of us who are not small in size to say, SO WHAT!!

My thighs may rub together, my belly may not be flat, SO WHAT!!!!!

Keep Up the Great Work, and again, GOD BLESS YOU TYRA!!

Stay true to yourself,

Monica from Houston

heyy tyra!!!! i have seen your so what episode so many times and i think u are such a strong person for attacking back at the tabloids!!!! you are my idol even more than you were b4!!!!
ttyl
steph

heyy tyra!!!! i have seen your so what episode so many times and i think u are such a strong person for attacking back at the tabloids!!!! you are my idol even more than you were b4!!!!
ttyl
steph

heyy tyra!!!! i have seen your so what episode so many times and i think u are such a strong person for attacking back at the tabloids!!!! you are my idol even more than you were b4!!!!
ttyl
steph

This is a great idea, Tyra! I watch your show from the Philippines, and like there in the USA, women are also pressured to be as skinny as the ramp models. I'm 119 lbs at 5 feet 1 inch and I've been pressured by my parents and family to lose some weight, even telling me to go down 100 lbs. Thankfully my boyfriend loves me the way I am. =) My thighs are huge, my legs are short, but SO WHAT?! XD

Ive been feeling really down about my self since me and this guy fell out. BAsically we were talking and he went and got a girlfriend and now he and her and her 2 kids are one big happy famliy. My self esteem hasnt been up lately but after reading the comments and seeing the show it has risen far than ever. FORGET HIM!

Ive been feeling really down about my self since me and this guy fell out. BAsically we were talking and he went and got a girlfriend and now he and her and her 2 kids are one big happy famliy. My self esteem hasnt been up lately but after reading the comments and seeing the show it has risen far than ever. FORGET HIM!

I love that you are making so many girls feel better about themselves. It seems like every woman thinks they have flaws that need fixed when we should really embrace what we have. I am 21 years old and often i am teased by people who say i look 15...but SO WHAT! I have a big butt ..SO WHAT! You make me feel better about myself!