Lady Gaga Launches Body Revolution

Lady Gaga has launched a “Body Revolution” —and there's already been a massive outpouring of support. In response to the grossly excessive media coverage of her recent weight gain, the 26-year-old pop star posted several un-airbrushed pictures of herself in a yellow bra and underwear Tuesday on her social networking site, LittleMonsters.com. Gaga exposes herself completely, standing in her bra and underwear with her eyes closed and a caption that reads: "Bulemia and anorexia since I was 15."

Gaga writes on her site: "But today I join the BODY REVOLUTION. To Inspire Bravery.and BREED some m$therf*cking COMPASSION." She explains that she launched her Born This Way Foundation "to inspire bravery...May we make our flaws famous, and thus redefine the heinous." In a separate post, she urges her readers to " be brave and post a photo of you that celebrates your triumph over insecurities."

Last week, various media outlets published photographs of the 26-year-old pop star at a performance in Amsterdam looking more voluptuous than she had in the past. In an “exclusive” story, Radar Online reported she had “piled on the pounds.” They also spoke to “health experts” about her sudden weight gain. After the photos went viral, Gaga, who has struggled with an eating disorder in the past, admitted to gaining 25 lbs. “I really don’t feel bad about it, not even for a second,” she told radio host Elvis Duran. In Paris last weekend, Gaga boldly drew attention to her curves in an oversized Comme des Garcons coat—a tongue-in-cheek fashion statement on the media hype over her new figure.

"She knows how to convey a message and her message is right on: A woman's body is her own business, nobody else's. So butt out!" says Jean Fain, a Harvard Medical School-affiliated psycotherapist and the author of The Self-Compassion Diet, to The Daily Beast in an e-mail. "Her attitudes have proven contagious. Here's hoping girls and women not only get this message, but embrace it."

Judging from the reactions on her website, Gaga's little monsters are doing just that. "Gaga i'm battling the same thing right now," one fan wrote. "[sic] looking at this is making me strong. You inspire me. If you can be strong, i can too. Thankyou for helping me. TYhankyou for everything."