A Letter to Kelly Rippa

Dear Ms. Rippa,

You are beautiful.
You are strong.
You are talented.
You are loving.
You are loved.
You are you and that is all you need to be.

So why do you insist on resorting to self-deprecating comments?

Only recently did I start watching morning television, so recently in fact that I never saw 'Regis and Kelly,' I have only been audience to 'Kelly and Michael.'  I very much enjoy watching the show.  I enjoy the repartee that you and Micheal have, I enjoy your ability and willingness to be silly.  What I do not enjoy are all of the negative comments that you make regarding yourself.  Continually remarking on the team it takes to make you not look like a little boy, the hours that go into sculpting you into a being ready for the camera.

People can see you.  People can hear you.

Just like mom's watch cartoons because their kids watch cartoons, kid's watch you because their mom's watch you.  Women truly do have a hard enough time in this world. From having to work twice as hard as men to gain positions to which they are equally qualified to hold, to feeling the pressure to chose between family or career as apparently women are responsible for the world but can not be complex individuals capable of desiring and juggling multiple life paths.  Intentionally or unintentionally, you have become a role model for women and girls.  Achieving great successes both with your career and with your family.  So why is it that you forsake all of these achievements and focus on your looks?

You are beautiful.  Inside and out.  Fresh out of bed or fresh from the make-up chair.

You are strong.  Physically and mentally.  While lifting weights, or holding your family.

You are talented.  As an actor, as a speaker, as an activist, as a mother.

You are loving.  To your husband, to your kids, to your family, to your friends, to you viewers.

You are loved.  By your husband, you kids, your family, your friends, your viewers.

You are you and that is all you need to be.  No changes.  No deviations.  No adjustments.


We don't need girls growing up basing success on looks.  Or seeing someone who is a success reacting as though their success is insignificant compared to their own negative physical perception.  We don't need boys growing up thinking that it's OK for women to be fixated on appearance.  You are in the perfect position to show both girls and boys, and women and men what it means to be a success and a complete person.  And to show all of that without the negativity or focus on outward appearance.

So please Kelly, embrace the position you have earned and help to raise a generation of strong, successful, and confident women.

Thanks!