Passed along by Spirit Fingers at AYYYY.

Young cowboy Tyrel Benjamin holds on to someone as he rides a sheep during the Mutton Bustin event at the annual three-day Chiniki First Nations Canada Day Rodeo in Morley, Alberta, July 2, 2006. [Reuters]

Yeehaw, we-all around these parts ain’t never seen a case of bad career choice to beat this ‘un. Looks ter me lahk li’l Tyrel Benjamin hee-yar is ridin’ fer a fall! He shud jess finish school and become all accountant-like or sumpin. Nahss hayt, tho.

Or blogger. There’s big bucks in blogging.

Captions in the comments, jest lahk yew-zhew-wul.

(Looking for the TeenyManolo Sweepstakes? Go here)

Christina Aguilera is stripped, all right.

I know that in this age of digital retouching and trying to make things look perfect even when they are far from it, I am foolish to even ask. But I am going to anyway. Where are the stretch marks?

Looking at that creamsicle-colored expanse of flesh, I can’t help but gaze in amazement at how perfect it is. Well, as perfect as distinctly orange-looking skin can be.

I don’t care if the ex-Dirrty girl has enough money to pay 10 magic elves to constantly slather her abdomen with Creme De La Mer, in that stage of pregnancy, stretchage has occurred.

Why are the marks on your skin, made when your body was accomodating the growth of a tiny little person inside of you, seen as so ugly by so many women? Christina and the editors of Marie Claire among them, apparently. I’ve heard perfectly beautiful women bemoan the existence of their stretch marks as if they were some sort of horrible brand, dooming them to a life of unattractiveness.

Honestly, I feel like shaking them. And not gently.

Get over it. When you signed up for the mom gig, your knew your body was going to change. And if you can’t deal with the changes, some permanent, some not, then maybe a reexamination of priorities is necessary.

I say stretch marks should be worn with pride. No one has a body that is flawless, and why do we keep trying to pretend they do?