The Woman’s World Photo Series: The Best of the Best
Here in the Eat Like a Bear community we’ve sure had a great time with Woman’s World! I was on the cover back in August and some seriously legendary photos came out of it. We had over 220 photos that hit Instagram with the #womansworldmagazine hashtag. At the time I was just so busy and then just so tired, that I never did a proper accounting of things. As I’ve looked back on it all, I thought: If I could do it all over again, I’d go even bigger on the photos, especially in the stores themselves. I was too busy with back end things to hit the actual news stands. That was a mistake. However, it really is never too late for the second thing I should have done: I should have posted a proper accounting of our very best photos. There were an awful lot of really great ones. This post is just a small sample.
Woman’s World is great because pretty much anyone in the U.S. or Canada can walk into just about any supermarket and find it right on the shelves for under three bucks. It was a scavenger hunt for a few people, but then that just added to the community excitement. We had one afternoon in the community where two different community leaders, Shelley Foudray and Georgia Baker, both in Texas by chance, were out hunting for the magazine at the same time posting video updates into the group. Some footage of Georgia includes her husband driving her around Texas looking. That’s some real love right there. (They are a double century couple, by the way.) Shelley is head of customer service for an independent grocery store that got the issue a week late and so she was hunting at competitor locations wearing a hat and dark glasses. And so I’ll add that Woman’s World is basically available everywhere, except where it’s not, and that in itself can (and did) provide its own entertainment.
There were so many great photos. These are the highlights.
Family News Stand Outing
We met up with my dad in a small central California town, ate salads on a patio at Chipotle, and announced we were headed to Target to find the magazine. My dad said, “I already have one!” He was going to head home. We laughed: “You don’t understand. We’re going to Target to SEE the magazine on the newsstand!” My dad got into the spirt pretty quickly, riding one of Target’s carts and talking to people: “Yeah, can you believe that was her three years ago?”
We actually made quite a few friends with that Target visit and I do think anyone who ends up on a magazine cover should just spend the whole time at random newsstands making friends. (Seriously. It’s never easier.)
The best Target photo is easily this one with my son Alastair. We do discuss in the community what these kids must be thinking when their mom has looked a certain way forever and suddenly looks totally different. We think it’s strange ourselves with body dysmorphia and all that, but what if your mom looked a certain way for 100% of your life and then, within months, looks totally different? Here’s Alastair.
(Let me also just offer that I’m two magazines above Mark Wahlberg on the cover of Men’s Health. I’m just putting that out there for anyone not paying attention.)
Actually, Ronda found the issue in Austin next to Jerry Garcia, so I really must post this one too.
Community Photos
Gracing the group’s banner for some months now, we have Christy’s masterpiece. I’m sure that no Photoshop sorts of apps were involved in this…
We’ve got Jo Ann whose grandson nicknamed her “Cave Girl” from this photo. She now contacts me and posts in the group with the monicker: “Cave Girl here!” When you see her running around wearing that badge, it started right here with this legendary photo.
Amy’s contribution really makes me want to get onto Snapchat just to recreate this little gem. I shall have to ask my 11-year-old about that….
Anna Sul’s nickname is “Bear #2” because she was the very first person to follow what I was eating. If you’re active in the Bear community she really needs no introduction, but I will tell you she’s very quiet and soft-spoken in real life, but she has this little secret side that came out in this photo. 🙂 I do think Anna could have done a tasteful nude with only one magazine. Maybe next time…
I think I’m still laughing months later at Laura’s photo. She is such a poster girl for the whole “go, get it” spirit of the community. I love it!
LOL. I wonder how many issues Jeanne ruined in the bathtub to get that photo!!! Well done!
Nearly a “century case,” Sara Carter’s husband Seth reports in. 🙂
Hahahahaha!!! Well done, Lori!
Family time at Patti’s house.
A shout out to my teenage diet buddy, Celeste, century club member and nearly half her size. I don’t even know what Celeste and I would have said about all of this back in 1985. I can’t imagine we would have believed it.
One big “what a shame” is that we didn’t make use of this little photo nugget we found from May of 2019 and recreate the heck out of it. I did get as far as calling a local handy man and junk collector and leaving a message for him asking for a toilet. He didn’t call me back.
We could go many years around here and not ever come close to topping the Rhode Island Coffee Club.
After spending two weeks looking for the issue and then her mainstay grocery skipping this particular issue, Melinda Troxel had given up and had arranged for a community member to send her one. And then, awwww…. her husband found one.
I leave Melinda’s photo right here, wondering if it was a harbinger of things to come.
Who knew, but it seems that community members will have a chance to hone their selfie skills and compete with Anna in the hammock, Jeanne in the bathtub, or the supportive bear husbands out there.
(Do you feel an announcement coming on? You should!)
Bueno Amanda, aquí estoy espero puedas traducirlo.
Soy Mirta, en realidad no se cómo te encontré, como hice contacto contigo. Pero siempre he estado buscando la manera de perder peso desde que comenzó mi menospaucia. Gracias a haberte encontrado he perdido 16 libras y sigo por más, soy muy feliz,,,, Gracias a comer como un oso ha cambiado mi vida…..
Oh my goodness, Mirta! I am so glad you found us. I do hope that in a year from now we’re completely in Spanish! Go get it!
Great pics by everyone!! Enjoyed this email tremendously!! Glad to see so many joining in on the mag fun.
This is such a great group Amanda. Thank you for all you do!! XOXO