Meghan McCain a 'Big, Juicy' Role Model

Let's all set aside Meghan McCain's politics for a moment. As a liberal, I might agree with her on gay marriage and Ann Coulter, but where the rubber meets the road, we differ significantly. She's also the best chance the Republicans have of re-growing their party, a dose of political Menoxidil that they refuse to take. No, liking Meghan McCain is not about political opportunism.

Meghan McCain has taken her fame, deserved or not, and done a lot of good with it, no more so than in combating the destructive standards of beauty and body that are foisted on women, especially young women. This is best exemplified by a gem of a declaration from her Twitter feed last night:

In case anyone is STILL confused, I am comfortable with the size of my big, juicy ass and the fat jokes are only making you look bad, not me

23 minutes ago from web

I immediately dashed off a post at Daily Dose extolling the virtue of Meg's stand:

I know Meg doesn't like it when one of her tweets gets blown up into headline news, but sorry. Women and men need to hear this. Obnoxious societal standards for female body image (and concurrent double standard for males) are highly destructive to women, especially young women. What kind of screwed up society do we live in when a beautiful woman like Meg, or any woman, has to take this kind of crap?

The amount of bile she's had to endure from internet trolls makes her response seem all the more measured. I'm sure Meg is secure in the knowledge that these warriors of the sickly glow are the smallest of people, in every respect.

Then, today,she tweets that her newest flipoff to the body nazis is already paying off:

Awww the sweetest woman came up to me in the lounge talking about having a positive body image! Amazing to hear it in person :-)

Being a crusader for women's self-esteem, though, is only part of what makes Meghan McCain a great role model. Making one great statement (or two, in her case) wouldn't mean much coming from an otherwise empty vessel.

Meghan, though, is fiercely, unabashedly...well, Meghan! Her Twitter feed is replete with the kinds of details that any 20-something (or more, or less) young woman would relate to. At turns funny, foul-mouthed, and even trivial, Meghan McCain is being herself.

Her blog at The Daily Beast covers a different, but similarly broad, spectrum. I first became aware of Meg's writing when she blogged about her hyper-odd dating experiences. She's not a flowery writer, very conversational, but even at its most innocuous, it has an authentic, live-wire quality to it. The story was funny and honest, all the more so because one of her suitors seemed to be talking dirty to her without her even knowing it.

When she went after Ann Coulter, I really thought, "Wow, that takes huge brass ones." The rest of the Republican universe was busy cringing at the feet of Rush Limbaugh, but Meg was taking on the right wing's Vice-Admiral.

She expected a fight, but perhaps naively, expected a fair one. What she got was cracks about her weight and her intelligence.

She never flinched, never tried to tailor her twitter feed to be more political, or dampened her criticisms in the least. Meghan McCain is not afraid of Meghan McCain.

Senator John McCain has accomplished a lot in his life, but I'm sure he's proud of nothing nearly as much as how his daughter turned out.

Tommy on: Daily Dose:

• Meghan McCain Proud of Her Big, Juicy Ass
• Michelle Obama Survives Apparent Lightsaber Attack
• Onward Christian Soldiers (General Order what now?)
• Michael Steele Flips on 'Barack the Magic Negro'?
  
  
  Tommy on: Twitter