A Woman Recreated Kim's Fragrance Ad and It's To

From Cosmopolitan

When Carmen Smith, 30, saw Kim Kardashian's KKW fragrance ad on Instagram last Sunday, she recreated the pose to share in a post that received more than 4,400 likes and nearly 170 comments - way more than her average Insta.

A model and body-acceptance activist from Eagle Creek, Oregon, Smith has countless stretch marks and a stomach she describes as soft and fluffy. Meanwhile, she says, she couldn't help but admire Kim's original image: After all, despite having carried two children, the star has few stretch marks, a completely flat stomach, and smooth curves, Smith said.

"I was slightly bothered by the way her display could make women feel," Smith says of Kim's ad, which she was immediately inspired to emulate. "I felt empowered to share a different reality - a reality that many women can relate to."

So, alone in her bedroom, Smith ditched her clothes, copied Kim's pose, and used her iPhone to snap a similar photo. It took just a few tries to nail the shot. "When I put my photo next to Kim's, I smiled. I saw two beautiful, perfect bodies," she says.

The revelation is no small thing for Smith, who's long felt insecure about her swollen legs and ankles, a result of a hereditary condition called primary lyphedema. It doesn't help that, like many body-positive advocates, she's often accused of "glorifying obesity" - even though she takes care of herself and works out five days a week.

"I'm frustrated by the idea that because I am overweight, I have to explain my body to people who claim I am unhealthy," she says. After being body shamed during a photo shoot years ago, the model resolved to stop comparing her figure to others - and then Kim came along.

"The word 'perfect' kept popping into my head as I stared at Kim's curvy body," Smith says of the inspiration behind her copycat Instagram's caption: It defines "perfect" as "having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be."

"When we see all bodies through this idea of perfection," Smith says, "it’s clear to me we are all perfect."

Smith hopes her post spreads this message far and wide. "I envision and look forward to a time when all bodies are accepted - and even better, our differences are celebrated," she says.

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