I'm excited to be part of Adiosbarbie.com— not just because I used to give my Barbies punk haircuts, but because I want women to feel at home in their bodies.

I was a pretty skinny kid, and my body was never anything that crossed my mind when I was growing up. It was just something that helped me swim, climb trees, and play kickball. But when I hit junior high and puberty hadn't yet hit me, I started to scrutinize my body. While my classmates were growing taller and sprouting curves, I was still wearing shapeless corduroys from Sears' boys department. I felt like the other girls had become women, while I was relegated to the Land of the Playtex AAA-cup.

Of course, I eventually filled out in all the "right" places. Still, that didn't solve my body hangups. I thought my breasts were too small, my legs were too muscular, and my belly was too flat. And so on. It sounds silly, but I'd look at women in magazines and see certain features that mirrored my own body. "Hmm, I have a small waist like that model's, but her legs are smoother than mine," I'd think. I figured that if I had thinness in common with a model, then it was only a matter of time and effort before I, too, looked like the rest of her. We all know how feasible that is.

Some people might call me lucky: I never dieted, and I can't remember the last time I stepped on a scale. But I compared myself to the idealized female body anyway. Finally, during my junior year of college, I realized that reading fashion magazines and watching E! pre-award programming didn't make me feel good about myself. So I cancelled my subscriptions, turned off the tube, and made a goal to de-celeb my media intake. And what do you know? I'm feeling a lot better about myself now that Gwyneth and Kate are out of the picture.

I still struggle to accept my body sometimes, especially now as it moves toward a more womanly figure. But instead of obsessing over the shape of my thighs, I try to focus on the things that make life great: reading, writing, playing with my ferocious kitten, exploring all that the world has to offer, and having adventures with my friends. Like our editor Pia said, it's a process -- but I know the destination is worth it.

Pass the Krispy Kremes,
Annie Tomlin
Producer/Editor, Squirrel Emperor