Ladies, ladies. As if the size of our hips or the cellulite on our thighs isn’t enough for us to worry about, apparently the rest of the world has to get involved with it too. It used to be asking a woman’s weight was as offensive as asking her age, but today the weight of anyone in the spotlight is broadcasted on tabloid magazines. Models are scrutinized by employers for having an extra inch on their waist, while the public labels them anorexic. Curvy bodies are ogled by men, while other women point out the stretch marks and fat. It’s a bit ridiculous, right?
I know there are revolutions with size-acceptance happening. London Fashion Week filled the runways with size 12+ models, while V magazine featured entire layouts of plus size girls. Christina Hendricks herself has done a world of change for the curvy girls out there, turning heads away from petite Victoria Beckham over to an hourglass figure.
While I embrace these long overdue changes, there are still many problems facing women and their weights. Its other women.
Yes, the tables are turning. Being a size 12 doesn’t disqualify you from magazine covers anymore, and extra curves are idolized on television and off. But we cannot use this as an excuse to continue putting down other sizes. I know, we’ve all been sick of seeing every media outlet strutting women around with a size 2 waist and putting the size 14 girl in the corner. But that’s doesn’t mean it is appropriate to put down the skinny girls.
- Recently news has been throwing around the term “real women” in reference to plus size girls in fashion. I’m sorry, but because I am skinny, I am suddenly not a real woman? What does that even mean? I’m some sort of robotic skeleton? A mythical unicorn? This term is both ridiculous and demeaning. Stop isolating girls who are small. How about they all walk the runway and they’re all real women?
- America Ferrera, star of (recently canceled) Ugly Betty, said in an interview about her size, “We’re not all a size 2 and we’re not all a size 0, and you know what? That’s OK, because some of us like to eat!” I didn’t know that if you ate food you can’t be a size 2. I’ll put down my fork because I guess that’s impossible. I forgot smaller girls hate eating because they are all anorexic and also robot skeletons. Thanks for being so insulting and making a generalized and ignorant statement, Ferrera.
- Gina Torres, who is voicing the character of Super Woman in an upcoming action film, had this to say about size: “There aren’t really any skinny bitches in the world of comic books, they’ve got muscle.” Skinny bitches? Okay, well maybe she was using the phrase in jest. But then she goes on to say, “What I love about superheroes is that in that comics world they’re all curvaceous. They’re strong. And it’s important to have strong images of women out there, women who aren’t afraid of expressing themselves, women who aren’t afraid of taking chances, women who aren’t afraid of their own power.”
- I have to continue this on an entirely new bullet point because WHAAAAAT??? Number 1, have you SEEN what women in comic books look like? They are far from realistic. They are on occasion portrayed with muscle (She-Hulk), but in general all the ladies from X-Men, the Fantastic 4, and Justice League all have 00 waists and double D boobs. Secondly, since when does being strong require you to have curves? Sure, the image of a model doesn’t exactly scream “I can lift a truck”, but it doesn’t mean they’re weak. I guess to Torres, ‘skinny bitches’ simply are afraid of expressing themselves and taking chances because they don’t have muscles (and giant boobs).
Wow, that was a rant. But it’s true. Really, the hate needs to stop. Not only do we have to deal with men criticizing our every inch of body, but now women too? Just quit it. It’s wrong, hurtful, and does NOTHING to help the overall size revolution. Let’s just appreciate each other, no matter what size, okay ladies?
