I'm bothered
Apr. 29th, 2010 03:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
holly_evolvingI'm a curvy woman. A rollercoaster based on me might cause whiplash. I'm not 100% happy with every inch of myself, but I put effort into looking my best and I'm confident that I generally pull that off.
Skinny women don't bother me in the slightest. Now, if I suspect someone has an eating disorder, then I am concerned for her health. But I don't think that the skinny girl in the GAP billboard is solely responsible for her ailment. I mean, where are the parents while their daughter wastes away to nothing? Why didn't they teach her that her mind and soul were worth more than her visible ribs?
But that's a general bother. No, what's bothering me today is the way people attack skinny women. Of course they're not the ideal body type. But you know what? There isn't one. Everyone, everyone is beautiful to someone.
I see these posts around facebook that say "real women have curves" and it's all very affirming and positive...except to skinny women. It invalidates them. It says, "Because you are not shaped in the way I think is right, you are not a woman." And really, how is that any better than making fun of a fat girl?
Oh sure, RIGHT NOW, it's probably harmless. But what about the kids who grow up reading these things? Are they better off because they are going to die of an obesity-related heart attack than an anorexia-related heart attack? Of course not.
The trick to building self-esteem in women is to affirm ALL women, not to continue the cycle of competition and derision. Turning the tables doesn't solve anything, it just makes new victims.
Skinny women don't bother me in the slightest. Now, if I suspect someone has an eating disorder, then I am concerned for her health. But I don't think that the skinny girl in the GAP billboard is solely responsible for her ailment. I mean, where are the parents while their daughter wastes away to nothing? Why didn't they teach her that her mind and soul were worth more than her visible ribs?
But that's a general bother. No, what's bothering me today is the way people attack skinny women. Of course they're not the ideal body type. But you know what? There isn't one. Everyone, everyone is beautiful to someone.
I see these posts around facebook that say "real women have curves" and it's all very affirming and positive...except to skinny women. It invalidates them. It says, "Because you are not shaped in the way I think is right, you are not a woman." And really, how is that any better than making fun of a fat girl?
Oh sure, RIGHT NOW, it's probably harmless. But what about the kids who grow up reading these things? Are they better off because they are going to die of an obesity-related heart attack than an anorexia-related heart attack? Of course not.
The trick to building self-esteem in women is to affirm ALL women, not to continue the cycle of competition and derision. Turning the tables doesn't solve anything, it just makes new victims.