Lately it seems like more and more women are embracing their curves and their bodies, no matter the size. While America has continued to get larger, those once shunned by the mainstream have begun their own acceptance movements and have helped more women feel comfortable about their bodies. But does curve confidence have a downside?
According to Britton Delizia the answer is yes. Delizia recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $20,000 for a book that celebrates thin bodies. Her goal? To collect images of women “standing up against a society that protects fat culture while bastardizing thin and athletic women.”
Its undeniable that when we stand a skinny, athletic or even average sized female next to a larger (even if less healthy, overweight or obese) female, that unless we live outside of this stigma, we as Americans will assume that the heavier person is funnier, smarter, nicer, and less sexually promiscuous, all because she is not as thin or physically fit than the girl next to her.
The premise of the book is not to bash or assault any single body type, quite the opposite. I want to share the stories of women who have dealt with this discriminatory action.
There are millions of women out there and im sure you know at least one looking for a voice , not from tvs and magazines, not from victorias secret.. but from the ground level , to speak up and tell them that its okay to want to be in better shape.
Now, I’m all for women of all body types celebrating what God gave them, but it seems like Delizia’s book is less about honoring women who have worked hard for their bodies, and more about addressing her perceived “haters.”
While Delizia says she aims to protect little girls against the pressure of being overweight just to fit in, her book muddies the waters by insisting that there is a war on skinny women. Although it’s true that a growing number of Americans are overweight or obese, most of them don’t want to be that way. I mean the diet industry is a billion dollar business for a reason and folks hop on every weight loss fad hoping it will finally help them drop the pounds.
And while actresses like Melissa McCarthy and Amber Riley and singers like Adele and Jill Scott are praised for being confident plus size women, they are exceptions to the media’s beauty standards that still hail thin women.
But I guess if Mo’Nique could build a career out of proclaiming skinny women as the enemy, then Delizia can pen a book about our society hating on athletic chicks, even if neither one of them is right.
I guess I’m surprised that ole girl is white.. It be more believable if she were black…where someone will beat you to a pulp telling you that obese is curvy.
What is not being communicated properly here is that you have this culture in our country that makes imperfect women feel bad about themselves. It’s is fueled by magazines and TV and movies, etc. It’s NOT fueled by women who are in good shape walking down the street next to you. However, the women who are in good shape sometimes get the brunt of other women’s frustration, which is completely unfair. Women have the right to be in good shape and to work hard to be fit. The frustration unfit women feel should be directed toward the people who actually try to convince them they’re not good enough because they’re unattractive or unfit.
That said, there is a health aspect to being fat or in shape, and that simply can’t be denied. There are too many women who are thin enough who just feel like failures, but way too many women who are simply unhealthily fat who think it’s OK because we shouldn’t be superficial or “big is beautiful.” Just because a man is attracted to your bigness doesn’t mean you’re healthy, no more than an anorexic woman is healthy just because a man validates her boniness. Unhealthy is unhealthy,
There is also this growing trend in this country to blame the successful for their success. It happens with wealth, and it happens with fitness. If someone worked hard and got rich or ripped (or accomplished any other goal you clearly didn’t) don’t begrudge them because you wouldn’t, couldn’t , or simply didn’t. It’s their right to work hard and succeed. I’m not rich or ripped, I promise you, but I have been on the lower end of each at times in my life, and it took work. I watched too many people pull themselves up from a bad place and succeed physically, financially, and every other way to accept that we should be bitter towards the in-shape, the wealthy, the successful, or any other people who accomplished something. To quote Pulp Fiction, “…you may feel a slight sting. That’s pride fucking with you.” Channel that sting into improving yourself, not into attacking someone better than you at something. Success is the best revenge, as they say. Be able to say something like “I’m not a size two but I just ran a half marathon. I’m awesome as I am.” Or “I don’t drive a BMW but I saved up for my kid’s college. I’m an awesome, responsible parent.” THAT’s how you take the sting out of standing next to rich models at the crosswalk.
Sermon over.
Wish this article was longer.
Soo true.
I am a naturally thin woman and I am constantly being discriminated against because of that.
People feel as though they can say any kind of remark about my weight or “how small” I am just because I am not overweight. So unfair.
Glad someone does realize that discrimination is a two way street.
@Ki:
I agree with you. All my life I have been the recipient of very hateful comments because of my small size. For me, I never wanted to be that small it was all genetics and as I result I hated myself and had extremely low self esteem. I’m over that now and I love my size. I love being healthy. See my weight, BP levels, and heart rate when I go to the dr makes me proud. So anyone with a problem with my size now can go kick rocks with no socks.
Its amazing what lengths people will go to in order to protect their privilege. When they see it slowly disappearing, they will do anything to prevent that. As a thin woman, I don’t think were being villainized. Embracing “curves” is not a bastardizing of thin women, its a progression in the way we think about our bodies. This is almost as laughable as a white person starting some group that celebrates whiteness because our country is becoming more and more diverse. Can you imagine someone saying “white people are becoming more and more villainized while ethnic and racial minorities are more celebrated!!!! Help me raise money to bring awareness to this issue and celebrate whiteness”. Ridiculous.
Agreed! The notion that this chick has is nonsensical! (Yes, Black folks, that is a word! Lol… ;-p) And, I don’t know what part of the U.S. she is living in, but everywhere I turn – Thin is still IN! JHud Weight Watchers commercials are Still in heavy rotation and b/c all the attention JHud got, we saw Entertainment Heavyweights like Mariah Carey and JANET JACKSON trading it all in to become spokeswomen for weight loss. Smh…Everyone from Raven Symone to Jordin Sparks is in on Thin. Hell, even Jessica Simpson, who I Know does not need a program to lose weight (Umm…do we remember her as Daisy Duke???) is playing the role and slimming down. The VS secret fashion was just on and Nan one of them girls was nothing short of being an Uber -Skinny Minny. And actress, model, and Magazine Covergirl needs to be a size 2 or less. So…whatever channel Ms. Delizia is watching – (perhaps The Gabourey Sidibe Network??) – has to be way off kilter b/c as far as I can see – Thin is Still IN…in America.
It is a double-standard. Now you can call a very skinny person any discriminatory name, and it is fine. Even those in medicine fine excuse after excuse for the obese. Now it is called a disease, but being to skinny is called a mentally disorder that gets you time in a mental hospital. Do obese people get force into hospital to lose weight? I think they should being that tons of adult underweight people get forced against their will into mental hospital and on feeding tubes. The medical professional label tons of diseases as obesity related. Obese people should get the same medical harassment as very skinny people. There are probably more people dying from obesity related problems than skinny people dying from lack of eating problems. Obesity cause so much in healthcare, and it cost more to bury and obese person. Most people just take up for obese people and criticize skinny people because most of us are closer to being overweight than underweight. High fashion is about the only industry that even like super skinny people anyway. Super skinny people have never been okay.
I disagree. I recently went to an interview and the first thing the woman interviewing me commented on was my weight. That would be fine if it were an interview for something that depended on my looks, but this was an immigration interview. My natural thinness has absolutely no bearing on the case therefore she had absolutely no right to make any comments regarding my appearance. Imagine the outrage that would have been felt if she had commented that someone was too fat?
^Thanks for that comment. I was about to post the same thing, but I see that you took the words right out of my mouth. I completely agree.
@BreaktheCycle: Great comment! Protecting privilege. That’s exactly what’s going with this absurd book.
Sorry but when women take their frustrations out on thin women and bully them then use the excuse that they hate magazines or celebrities, this isn’t about some mythical privilege. This is about how so many bigger women claim to on one hand be victims of being bullied but then do the same to someone who did nothing to them. Knock it off.
You aren’t all that and honey there aren’t any curves if your fat covers it up.
I watched my wife (thin due to illness) have people treat her poorly for years, based on the fact she could eat “anything” when in truth she was allergic to most everything and had metabolic problems that meant she could NOT gain weight (I fed her an entire cake every 2 days and she lost weight) and was often in hospital from this. The smallest stomach bug and she was dehydrated enough to require an IV. And people treated her badly because she was “thin” and that made her an OK target.
There is one element to fat vs thin which people do not know about (well most people) We live in a poisoned world. This means filling your fat cells with a lot of stuff that your liver cannot remove. Go past a certain level and your body will add fat cells (and more fat in the cells you have) just to give you more storage space for all the pesticides and other junk in your body..A while lot of fat people get that way form being poisoned by Monsanto, Bayer, GE (etc). and when they lose weight they get very very ill as all the poison in their fat cells burns off, goes out through their liver via the bile salts, then they absorb it again and it gets sucked up again into their blood and back into their fat again..
We are poisoning people into obesity
“The premise of the book is not to bash or assault any single body type, quite the opposite.”
Yes, that picture.. .and the caption makes this very clear.
I’m surprised ths website actually gave any light to this issue considering it’s rest haven for fat acceptance beyond reason. I think it’s valid like with LGBT issues, as normal healthy human interactions and lifestyles are marginalized as tyrannical in favor of small factions that aim to disrupt ways of life that have helped us get to this point in human history. If you’re fat be fat but don’t try to make normal, healthy people down to further your choice.
@Anonymous: Agree. Who really WANTS to be fat?
@CC: Maybe I don’t want to be fat, but I wish I was curvy. Everyone calls me a pole and I don’t feel like a real woman.
@darlene: Curvy is most of time another euphemism for fat. I applaud the attempt to deny fat but seriously you can be curvy without the fat.
@Anonymous: being fat doesn’t mean that someone is unhealthy. t
@Sahrah: Most not all fat people are unhealthy. The stats are overwhelming when it comes to obesity.
It’s true that thin has its privileges but let’s not be so quick to dismiss her claims. Some of her premises may be reaching, but as a woman who has an athletic build I can buy into some of her frustration. I’ve been told don’t work out too much or I’ll disappear, and a potential boyfriend told me he didn’t want my backside to get hard. My curvier friends refer to me as the “skinny bitch” and I’ve heard plenty of ignorant comments about big girls having the better personality. All should be able to voice their experiences because they are different, this shouldn’t be overweight vs. skinny.
@Well:
This. *clap*
girlfriend…you need to move or just get you some white friends……..
@veggiechick: veggiechick…..that is ignorant, you are worse than a racist…white people are not the answer to everything.
So Sad that you could not find the humor in it. Must suck having a knee-jerk reaction to comments you disagree with. I bet your eye-brows need a serious vacation cause they stay on high alert 24-7.
“I can’t believe you said that…you must be racist!”
“I can’t believe you think the white man’s ice is better. You must hate being balck?”
“I just can’t believe you said that?”
“You must be racist?”
Ohhhhh I see… You are the Black Police Auto robot. You can’t think the box. Poor thing.
As a naturally thin black woman, I get called “skinny b” all the time or people laugh in my face and tell me to eat more even as an adult. It’s absurd that people feel they can do this. To me, it’s akin to going up to someone and telling them they’re fat and that they need to lose weight. But a book dedicated to hating bigger women isn’t the answer. All weights and sizes should be celebrated. We should all eat well, get a regular amount of exercise and be comfortable with our bodies whatever size they are.
@Tiffany: Exactly! I’ve seen people of all sizes talking shit about each other and THAT is what she needs to address, not hating on fat women specifically. Hell I see people on tumblr who are quick to defend people talking shit about a popluar fat model, but post Britts picture to make fun of how she looks….which kind of makes her(Britt’s) point valid about big women being bullies.
The “whiteness” argument would be valid if curvy women were just looking for acceptance as they are. The problem is they often feel it’s necessary to belittle thinner women in the process. A more valid comparison would be if racial minorities went beyond celebrating cultural diversities to having racist attitudes towards white people. Just because curvy women want their body type to be seen as beautiful doesn’t mean that it can only be accomplished through turning a negative eye towards thin women. I’m thin and I hate being called “skinny” or “bing” because I’m not. I’m an athlete so my body is built that way and if I don’t call you fat, don’t use derogatory teens to describe me. Let’s just all embrace our beauty, whatever it looks like, and leave it at that instead of making it a competition.
@Kara:
The other fundamental problem with the argument here is that there IS such a thing as being thin and curvy. No one seems aware of this.
Very true. It is called svelte.
I was agreeing with this until I got to this part: “we as Americans will assume that the heavier person is funnier, smarter, nicer, and less sexually promiscuous, all because she is not as thin or physically fit than the girl next to her. ”
There are negative stereotypes about both heavier and thin women. I don’t believe that should be premise of the book if you’re going to talk about the discrimination skinny women face.
I will say that as “thin” woman who works out regularly, I DO get discriminated and even harrassed by people. People always make snide comments on my fitness and eating habits “you must be one of them salad eatin chicks” “you’re depriving yourself” “you’re tired because you ain’t eating no real food.” “how much longer you gon be on that diet?” “it’s little miss workout queen over here”.. I KID you not, there has not been a day where I’ve walked into my job and someone hasn’t taken it upon themselves to comment on my lunch or the fact that I have my gym bag at my desk to go workout after work.
WHY people have such a problem with those who chose to partake in healthy lifestyles in beyond me but i’m over it. This country has such a strong disdain toward health and fitness because it’s viewed as not being “fun” or “enjoyable”. Personally, what’s not “fun” or “enjoyable” is diabetes, obesity and heart disease. All things that affect people in my family and that could be prevented by making better choices.
LET ME LIVE!
@Elle: Elle, you hit it righ on the head. What’s so fun about diabetes, heart disease, obesity. None at all. Whether you’re slim or full-figured, the focus should be your level of fitness and overall health. It doesn’t make sense to have a butt so big that it’s difficult to walk, run or that discourages you from movement, even if it looks great in super spandex. Or to be so thin that your bones are petruding, or your tired, lacking muscle tone and energy. Really, I think, though we live in a relatively diverse country (at least in the urban areas), that Americans still do not accept diversity, only stereotypes.
Descrimination can be a two way street, but fat based discrimination far outweighs thin-based discrimination. Fat people do not catch a break when anti-fat folks under the guise of concern, for health, social acceptance, and perfection belittle them for being fat. There are indeed certain stereotypes about thin women,but the same way those stereotypes exists, unflattering stereotypes still exists about fat people due to their weight. Four that I can think of off the top of my head are being lazy/particularly less healthy fit. gluttonous,plainer, and less responsible/organized. Out of four of these stereotypes,IMHO, maybe one has some merit at times, but all four for every fat person, really?
Why people have such a problem with those who choose to partake in healthy lifestyles is beyond me but I’m so over it.
Just because curvy women want their body type to be seen as beautiful doesn’t mean that it can only be accomplished through turning a negative eye toward thin women.
I sincerly weep for /genuinely feel for nice, healthy, skinny folks that get shade for their weight. I sincerly feel that people that say these things “when unprovoked” should either get in shape themselves or simply get a life. However,crazy skinny people themselves do not help the cause of skinny folks.They are part of the problem-and one of the reasons nice skinny folks suffer. For every nice skinny person out there, there is another one that is fatbashing, mean, and unapologetically quick to display their superiority complex, anti-fat stereotypes and fat bias when it comes to weight. Some are quick to talk down to not only fat people, but anybody that is not as thin, overtly health conscious, or antifat as they are. These are the type of characters that give a grain of truth to the stereotypes about some thin people.
Its amazing what lengths people will go to in order to protect their priviledge.(Break the cycle.)
My sentiments exactly.
I’ll confess, I get constructive criticisms about the health concerns about too much weight, but skinny health conscious health fanatics overstep their bounds when they lord their obssession over other people that just are not obsessed as they are.
Not all thin women are in shape and not all curvy women are fat. The notion of this book is not to uplift all body shapes or else it would be about all body shapes and types. It would be about total body acceptance regardless of shape.
No, to the contrary, most overweight (even if less healthy) women are thought of as “easier” to get into bed, “freakier” once they’re in bed (because it’s assumed they’ll do anything to keep a man instead of looking cute), sloppy, disgusting, not well put together, lazy, rude and jealous of slimmer women.
Instead of bastardizing either side, why don’t we all love ourselves as-is but push for optimal health in the form of a weight that works for us, our lifestyle and keeps us within healthy ranges in all our numbers and not just on the scale?
Or even better, not write “woe is me because I’m thin/fat/thick/pretty/ugly” and focus on crushing our own personal goals and defying the “stereotypes” we’re all labeled with in our own way?
@LaurenDolls, I agree with her comment. Also at 5’5 130, I’m average weight and love my body as is. I don’t want to be “skinny” or “fat” and I think both body types try to rouse the masses with the “woe is me” thinking by exaggerating or actually thinking people care so much(narcissism much?). All the media is doing is making women beat each other down. Do you and be the best YOU, you can be. Fat, skinny or average take responsibility for your own SELF-esteem.
Hateful comments, teasing and ribbing is NOT the same thing as discrimination…let’s stop splitting hairs here. I am not arguing that skinny women don’t face criticism but let’s not pretend that fat people don’t take the brunt of the criticism. Show me where fat women make more for being fat as oppose to a study that reveal thin women will make more money than her fat counterpart. Please show me movies, books, magazine,dolls,websites/blogs, etc. model after fat women on a large scale…I wait…or the weight loss industries that are not longer trying to sell dreams if being skinny…again I wait. There is not war on skinny being skinny is very much. Again nobody is not denying that body bashing happens to skinny women it does and that kind of behavior should be reprehend because nobody’s body should be bash in a harmful and hurtful way but I won’t go as far and say it is discrimination. Because I am sure any given day Britton’s body will be praised over her fat counterpart. Thus does seem like a ploy to protect privilege because curvier bodies or butts as she points are getting shine.
Just because skinny women aren’t all over tv and the internet crying about discrimination doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. So tired of this argument because its ignorant, get out of your bubble. I’ve lost out to larger women in my job multiple times, and been publicly ridiculed for my size. The trades aren’t like trying to get an office job. I’m going into automotive and my teacher, first day of class in front of everybody told me to get an office job because its such a physical job, didn’t say anything to the 3 other fat chicks in the room. I forget what size I am all the time because I feel like I’m actually 6’2 and 200lbs but I’m really 5’5″ and 110lbs and I’d rather never think about it but it is constantly being brought up, I suppose because I’m thin my body is a topic of public conversation, but I can’t say anything because only fat chicks are allowed body image issues.
As a skinny girl I guess I didn’t get the memo on this alleged war on us. It’s obvious looking at the culture that bigger women get the brunt of the criticism. I’ve had my fair share of snippy comments about my size from bigger women but not enough to think that there’s a war on me. I can’t tell you how many time perfect strangers have asked me how much I weigh. If I was obviously overweight I doubt they would ask. That being said…I think it’s dangerous to confuse “curves” with obesity. I have a 300 lb. friend who swears she’s curvy. After failed attempts at dieting she’s decided it’s easier to accept her “curves” rather than try to get down to a healthy weight. She’s on a dangerous path. My mother is concerned about her and tells me that I should say something to her. But what do I look like, a size 2, whose never battled with weight, giving her advice? I do think there is a fascination with skinny women that propels this billion dollar diet culture. You see is on these tabloids…photos of celebrities in bikinis, celebrities on the cover of magazine touting their weight loss a month after giving birth. It’s a very warped perception.
Thank you for recognizing that! It is not exactly easy for someone who is overweight to loose and I really DO NOT think there is a “war” on skinny women…..that argument is ridiculous.
I’m married to a skinny woman. She gets talked about all the time for being thin. I have to constantly reassure her that she is beautiful. She hides from me when she gets out of the shower and pretends like she is cold. She very seldom shows her body to me. She is 5′ 5″ and 115lbs. And yes, she is call skinny *itch all the time. People always makes comments like I bet you can eat anything you want too. Well she can not eat anything she wants, that is why she is skinny. To all the big women out there. You are big from what you are putting in your mouths. Stop making excuse and blaming the baby. After my wife had our son I watched her belly drop like a cake going flat in an oven. In one month she never even looked like she had a baby.
My wifes secret to being slim is she drinks water all day. She never drinks pop and very seldom eat fast food.
My wife eats according to her blood type. A lot of people dont know but some food you eat is no doing you any good. Some food acts as a poison to your body.
My wife eat fried food only as a treat. She bakes almost everything. I just taught her how to fry chicken.
My wife works out at least three times a week and streches everyday, even when she was expecting. You can’t get around cardio.
My wife use honey in stead of sugar, eats sweet potatoes instead of fried white potatoes, drinks protein shakes for breakfast, eats all the fruit she can handle and does not eat before she goes to bed.
If any of this information will be a help to somebody. I’m glad you read it.
So big women stop looking at skinny women like they are the competition. They are not. If a man likes big women he aint looking at a skinny woman. He’s looking at another big woman. And please stop assuming that all skinny women can eat anything they want to eat. If they could eat anything they wanted, they would be big like you.
@Mike C:
Your wife sounds like my twin. I’m 5’5 114 lbs. Work out 3-4 times a week. Strength training mostly. Run stairs for cardio. Eat 5 times a day to keep the metabolism fired up (3 square meals with healthy snacks in between) I stay away from sodas and soft drinks and limit bad carbs. Protein shakes after work outs to feed my muscles. I eat a very high protein diet. I pretty much eat clean Mon-Fri and give myself room to eat whatever on the weekends. I’m actually trying to put on more muscle. About another 5 or 6 lbs. ideally. I think as women….no matter what size…we’re never going to be completely satisfied with our bodies.
all though i like curvy being three hundred and fifty five pounds with a gut and double chins is not attractive neither is being under weight going to the gym can work wonder’s for you and make you feel so much better so yeah i don’t like obesity that is why i’m trying everything to avoid it
I relish, cause I found exactly what I used to be having a look
for. You’ve ended my four day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
I am not going to make fun of anybody’s frame…but thick is not FAT as some women think..I will never be slim..not in my frame..I am 38 26 42 and I work out daily and I am a vegetarian…women who are slim should never be ashamed.
I can see where she is coming from. From what I observed, people who are thicker and fuller tend to be seem more as managers and leaders. Im sure there are skinny people who are managers but there seem to be a lot more fat or overweight bosses and managers.
There’s no war on thinner women. There are bigger, thicker women trying to get slim, the many commercials, instagram pics and other things prove how many women are on the “Thin is in” wave, especially women of color these days. It’s just that the tables are turned and maybe thinner women don’t like the spotlight off of them, and feel like they’re being picked on. Now when thinner women were the main pictures of “confident beauty” no one complained it was the thicker, bigger women complaining and saying how they felt discriminated against. It’s just the tables have turned “A little” but thinner women are still in and will forever be in because small and dainty is identified as characteristics a woman should have even if she’s tall. It’s not really about health because if it were about health people should realize a healthy body comes in any size except for morbidly obese and aneorexic thin. There are many athletic women from slim to plus size with toned legs like jill scott who swim, play sports walk/run daily. Google HAES. Until we dismiss “GREAT FITNESS AND HEALTH” as a body fashion show about who has the best abs, best quads and best biceps only, or dismiss the superficial undertones to health and fitness the whole body bashing stuff will go away.
Not all thick or plus size women are unhealthy, the human body can hold up to 200 pounds, plus size models as Tyra mention “HAVE” to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle, and thicker women like video vixens orKim Kardashian, yall don’t follow their twitters and instagrams? They stay posting gym pics. All thin women aren’t thin because they’re starving themselves, there are women who are naturally thin and workout to remain healthy just like you and I so I don’t agree with the skinny bashing or you’re to skinny or muscular stuff either.
When we start showing healthy female bodies, and healthy images of fit woman not just one particular type then this stuff will disappear, andwill also help keep people wanting to exercise and workout and quite making excuses, because they won’t feel the pressure to conform or feel discriminated against.
To those who believe there is no bigotry or war on the thin – then why are naturally slender models banned (because they MIGHT be anorexic) with no testing to see WHY they are that thin or monitoring of their eating habits? At most large international fashion week shows all over the world, the naturally thin – if below a certain :”BMI” can no longer model in many venues. Incidentally, BMI was abandoned early in the 20th century on the first “go around” because it is utter bunk & pseudo health-science and fails to work at all with the naturally thin or the very muscular. Models who never starve themselves, eat a lot, and are just naturally thin have lost their careers over this nuttery..
Well Put! I totally agree. Yet, we are celebrating women of all other size calling them real women. If the goal is to encourage people with eating disorders to gain weight, the psychological side of an eating disorder is just being ignored. There are genetic and other medical reasons for a person to be extremely under and overweight. These facts seemed to completely be ignored with very skinny people. If we must give one numerous excuses for being overweight, why are that not numerous excuses constantly being broadcast for the extremely underweight? When I say over and underweight, I am not talking about people who are on the BMI.
I know my cousin is naturally thin and has had to put up with people bullying her for it. She’s had people come up to her “worried” or can just hear them talk behind her back about how “sad” her condition is. She’s just naturally tall and skinny and if she were to try and change that it would be unhealthy for her. My grandma said she dealt with the same thing because she has been skinny her whole life. When I was younger I was skinny and heard comments like that ALL the time. Now that I’m slightly overweight if I tell people I’m on a diet or trying to get in shape they give me those eyes of pity and tell me I am beautiful and fine. I can try to tell them my frame should be smaller and it causes me health problems, and they will just go on and on about how I shouldn’t let the media define how my body should look. I also have friends that will sabotage me trying to be healthier thinking they are helping save me from myself by making fun of the fact I work out, putting dessert in front of my face, and saying rude comments. Yes there are girls that get picked on for being overweight, but there is also a similar world just as bad that skinny and fit girls have to live in. Anytime I log onto Facebook I see another “inspirational” picture saying that men only like curvy women and skinny bitches look like 12 year old boys. Yeah, I’m sure that would make someone feel feminine!
Sheesh, naturally thin people do exist. It’s genetic. I love how people get all suspicious and think “they MUST be doing something or else they have an eating disorder!”. Uh, no, that is not always the case. Why can’t people just accept it? So friggin jealous.
Where the heck do some of you people live? In the boonies? As a city girl, I have found that being called a “skinny b____” is more often taken as a compliment, and being told “girl you need to eat a sandwich” usually makes a girls day. I know it isn’t just me–and maliciaous or not, nobody really expects you to get mad. Let’s be honest, being thin is fantastic. As someone who has worked hard to be as fit and slim as I am, I have to say I KNOW I get treated better in general for my looks. I also know that people talk about fat people like DOGS–I do NOT condone it nor do I participate in it, but I am just stating fact. Thin is what gets marketed day in and day out. As as far as discrimination on “too thin models” goes…. well I certainly haven’t seen many big girls on the catwalk. I have witnessed so much cruelty towards overweight people, and it just doesn’t compare to the jealous jabs by people who also know that thin is what is marketed as beautiful. Let’s not kid ourselves here. If you work hard (or even if it’s just natural) and have a svelte body, don’t be mad that some people are going to be jealous. Just like if you drive a more expensive car than the people around you–jealous people will make snide remarks now and again. Should you cry about it? NO, you drive that ferrari and wink as you leave them in the dust. As for people who are overweight, that kind of teasing and meaness is for a whole other reason: it’s for NOT being what is marketed as “beautiful”, and that is more wrong and hurtful in my opinion by FAR. Anyway, that’s just from my experience. I’m guessing in areas where the largest amounts of overweight people live, it may be a different story altogether.
Embracing curves, and being ok with being overweight are two different things. You can be curvy and still be in shape instead of looking anorexic skinny. Society shouldn’t discriminate against too thin or too fat. If a person chooses to be fat then so be it but we don’t know the story as to why they are (there really are people who try and try and really can’t lose weight) so it is best to not judge. But a person themselves should not be ok with being overweight. It causes way too many health issues to just sit back and eat whatever you want and say “I’m embracing my curves” I am a little overweight and want to lose but still keep my curves and not aim to be unrealisticly model thin. There is a difference in wanting to be curvy but fit, and not carrying about your body.
I don’t think thin people are discriminated against whatsoever. The thinner people always get the jobs over the fatter people, most men are attracted to thinner (not super thin but in shape)
There is a balance. If a woman is happy with her body that is great, but she shouldn’t be happy with being unhealthy and should WANT to strive to be healthier, not “skinnier”
It’s about time someone acknowledged the open-season hatred and discrimination against women who look good. About time. Because it makes me reel with disbelief when large or ugly women tell stories (which are lies if you really investigate them) about how THEY get discriminated against for looking unattractive. What a crock. What they REALLY mean to say is- I can’t get a man to be attracted to me and so I’m really angry and am going to make up stories about how awful good looking women are so that people feel sorry for me and hate on her so that “little miss good looking” knows what it means to be “handicapped too.” Now THAT is the truth!
Try being a thin mom in her 30’s surrounded by women who are much larger than you. Try having them talk behind your back, ruin your reputation then smile to your face and make snide comments about your body. Try having them also take it out on your kid by not allowing their kid to hang out with yours or making it clear that your child is only at the birthday party because her child begged. I’ve grown tired of this bullshit. How about women grow the fuck up…not out!