But I can’t help but be greatly disturbed – and puzzled  – by the hype that this year’s winner has garnered. Rather, that her size has garnered.

Whitney, a twenty-year-old student from Atlantic Beach, Florida, received the coveted prize of being the 2008 face of America’s Next Top Model. Perky and energetic, with fresh-faced good looks of the girl next door, Whitney truly is beautiful.

But the wild thing – and the one thing that I just cannot possibly wrap my mind around is that at five-foot-ten and a size 8/10, Whitney is being heralded as ANTM’s first-ever plus size model! In fact, this is the headlines that hit news stands everywhere last Wednesday:

‘ANTM’ SHOCKER! CROWNS ITS FIRST FULL-FIGURE WINNER

Huh…? Seriously?

Because I know that thousands of young girls – including many that I know in my life  - are tracking this show and the models that walk its runway, it upsets me that this kind of message is being broadcast. If a size 8 is now considered plus-size, then our little girls don’t have a prayer of a chance to grow up with a healthy view of their bodies and their self-image.

I think that what disturbs me even more is that everyone, everywhere, seems to be accepting this fact without even blinking an eye. Even Whitney. She says this:

“People always say you have to be stick-skinny, emaciated and unhealthy and I’ve kind of stood up for [being full-figured] my whole life,” Thompson told The Post in her first post-victory interview.

“I’m not going to lose 50 pounds – if someone asks me to do that, I’ll go to another [modeling] agency,” she says. “I’ve already heard online from boys and girls all over the world who are dealing with eating disorders.

“They’re thanking me for standing up and saying, ‘I am a plus-size model and I am beautiful.’

“This is what people should look like,” she says, referring to herself, “rather than skin-and-bones, which is disgusting and sends a bad message to people everywhere.”

I applaud her spirit and her words, and agree whole-heartedly with the message that she wants to send. But in saying this she is acknowledging that she believes her size 8/10 self to be plus-size!

If this is plus-size, then, honey – make me a plus-size any day of the week!