A husband’s love letter to his wife and her curvy body is going viral

All Robbie Tripp wanted to do was show his appreciation for his wife with a little love letter on Instagram. But the internet being the internet, that letter’s now gone viral.

Tripp’s letter to his wife, body-positive blogger Sarah Tripp, is all about loving curvy women in a society that has long tried to deem them less desirable.

“I love this woman and her curvy body,” Tripp wrote. “As a teenager, I was often teased by my friends for my attraction to girls on the thicker side, ones who were shorter and curvier, girls that the average (basic) bro might refer to as ‘chubby’ or even ‘fat.’ Then, as I became a man and started to educate myself on issues such as feminism and how the media marginalizes women by portraying a very narrow and very specific standard of beauty (thin, tall, lean) I realized how many men have bought into that lie.”

“Her shape and size won’t be the one featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan, but it’s the one featured in my life and in my heart,” he continued.

Then, he offered some advice to the men who continue to discriminate against women above a certain size.

“Guys, rethink what society has told you that you should desire,” Tripp wrote. “A real woman is not ... a bikini mannequin or a movie character. She’s real. She has beautiful stretch marks on her hips and cute little dimples on her booty. Girls, don’t ever fool yourself by thinking you have to fit a certain mold to be loved and appreciated. There is a guy out there who is going to celebrate you for exactly who you are, someone who will love you like I love my Sarah.”

The response to this letter has been electric. Since its posting on Sunday, it’s gotten more than 15,000 likes, and an overwhelming amount of positive comments. “Made me believe there is hope out there. Thank you for guys like you. You and your wife are blessed to have each other,” one wrote. Another: “This is the sweetest thing I’ve ever read! This gives me hope I’ll find love someday.”

“The past few days have been completely insane and incredible all at the same time,” Sarah Tripp wrote in an email to Mic. “It’s surreal to see Robbie’s post get this kind of coverage. It’s so humbling to see something so positive being passed around. I’ve always known Robbie loves my body just the way it is, but to see others chiming in and tagging their own significant other is so amazing! We never expected this post to go viral but it really connected with people around the world because of Robbie’s beautiful words and the relatable topic.”

On Wednesday, Robbie Tripp posted again, writing a thanks to the people who have been moved by his letter. “Seeing men from around the world tagging their girlfriend/wife and telling her how much they love her curvy body has been amazing,” he wrote. “Thanks to each and every person who has commented and messaged us with your thoughtful words. It means the absolute world to us.”

In an email, Robbie said that he’s most moved by how many men have reacted to his letter.

“My absolute favorite part about this whole thing has been seeing all the guys tagging their girlfriend or wife and telling her this is exactly how they feel,” he said. “It also goes to show how curvy women really are overlooked and overshadowed by the media portrayal of the female body and the truth gets drowned out: there are lots of men who love curves.”

For Sarah Tripp, the post’s virality speaks to a certain universal feeling that curvy women are misrepresented. “Seeing hundreds of thousands of people respond in a positive way has really highlighted how many people, particularly women, feel misrepresented by the media’s portrayal of the female body,” Sarah Tripp said. “I think this post has gone viral because it perfectly put into words what so many curvy women and their partners feel every day.”