It used to be that they were
the standard. You want attractive? Look to them. They are normal. Everyone else
is overweight.
But now in a disturbing trend
in society, it’s all been flipped on its head.
Generally in the past, it was
thin, fit women that were seen as beautiful by society (I would argue that
there has never been a time when men didn’t like curves, but as an overall
standard, I would agree that being slender was more accepted). If a woman was
too voluptuous, it was seen as a negative thing. Society wanted low fat and
flat stomachs. (Bear in mind that this is somewhat awkward for me to write, but
I’m gearing up for my main point.)
Over the past few years, beauty
has been redefined. In a hybrid celebrity-grass roots movement, women have been
taking a stand, acknowledging that curves can be beautiful too, and ladies
should be comfortable with their bodies.
Nothing wrong here. I totally
agree. While being confident shouldn’t necessarily mean that one doesn’t want
to change (speaking from experience), people, and women who are generally held
to a higher standard of appearance and hence are judged accordingly, should be
confident in how they look. Curves are not a bad thing, nor is not fitting the
mold of society. The new generation of female celebrities seem
to be embracing this.
Fantastic. Where do we run into
a problem?
Almost in an affirmative
action-esque bitterness, women with curves are lashing out at anyone who
doesn’t fit their image.
I thought this was about women
being confident with their bodies?
If the female proportion of
society is screaming to accept and love whatever body type one has, so as not
to tread on those who are curvier, why are the women who used to fit the mold
of attractiveness now being downtrodden?
I think I finally came to this
realization a couple years ago when I watched Julie Borowski’s video
about being naturally skinny and how the counterrevolution attacked her for it,
which was about the same time a friend of mine was being called a “skinny
b***h”. You can say what you want about me; heck, I’ll probably laugh with you.
But my protective nature kicks in when people start to mess with my friends,
especially those
of the female persuasion.
And honestly, it doesn’t really
matter who writes this, because the arguments should make or break the point,
not the person. But if it is any help, I have never been accused of being thin;
even when I was playing soccer regularly I still was large-framed. So this
isn’t me being upset over being personally offended; rather, I am defending the
people who are being attacked.
Anyway, I have no problem with
curves being considered beautiful too. As “beauty is in the eye of the
beholder”, who cares what the media says anyway? (That really goes for
anything, in fact.) But what did skinny girls do to suddenly come under fire
for their bodies? What of this utter hypocrisy that screams to curvy women to
embrace their bodies while shaming those without a fuller figure?
I’m not generalizing all women
with curves by any means, but it’s enough of a trend that it warrants mention.
Women can’t help their body
type. They can usually have control over their weight, but even then they
should not be looked down upon. So does it not stand to reason that if a woman
can’t help but have curves, a woman also can’t help but be skinnier? Why, in
the midst of this counterrevolution, is curviness natural while being slim is
seen as unnatural?
A woman may work hard, insanely
hard, to stay in shape and be physically fit, and she is berated because she
doesn’t have as much cellulite. Sure, perhaps back in the day thin women made
fun of heavier ones to make themselves feel good. Now, heavier women make fun
of thinner women because the in-shape women do what they won’t. Instead of
taking inspiration, they take up arms against anyone who looks better.
Take the case study of the
Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show last year. Now before you go jumping headlong
into conclusions, no, I didn’t watch it. I don’t think Christians should be
watching it. But I also don’t agree with the alarming
backlash received. Many have no issue with the nature of the Show or the
advertising of a company like Victoria’s Secret. They’re just jealous.
Everywhere you see, “Don’t pay attention to these women, that’s an impossible
standard.” Clearly not, because they have met it. Generally something is not “impossible”
if it occurs. “They look too thin.” “They look malnourished.” “You need to go
eat a cheeseburger.” Women who are disciplined and try to look good are
attacked. The women insulting these models could never themselves be models. Instead
of at least having the respect for those that work hard to stay there, instead
they take up pitchforks and torches to go after those who look better than
them. Who are thinner than them. Who stay in shape. Again, I don’t excuse the
Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show or things like it. And I know there are women
and men who are legitimately underweight. But is this a legitimate concern I’m
hearing from these “bold and beautiful” women, or is it envy?
I always try to stay a step
ahead of mainstream society. When curvier women were seen as unattractive, I
was asking, “What’s wrong with them?” Now that the table has turned, I’m asking
what is wrong with being slim.
This is fueled even more by the
music industry. Meghan Trainor in “All About That Bass”:
 |
| Meghan Trainor in "All About That Bass" |
“Yeah, it's pretty clear, I ain't no size two, but I can
shake it, shake it, like I'm supposed to do. 'Cause I got that boom boom that
all the boys chase, and all the right junk in all the right places…”
“I see the magazine workin' that Photoshop. We know that s**t
ain't real, come on now, make it stop…”
“Yeah, my mama she told me, ‘Don't worry about your size.’
She says, ‘Boys like a little more booty to hold at night.’ You know I won't be
no stick figure silicone Barbie doll, so if that what you're into, then go
'head and move along.”
So Trainor wants women not to
base their worth on their size, but on their…ability to please men? And she’s
so body positive that she lashes out at slender women. That sounds rather
insecure, actually.
Or take Nicki Minaj in
“Anaconda”:
“By the way, what he say? He can tell I ain't missing no
meals…” [Lines skipped for your benefit, believe me.] “…He keep telling me it's
real, that he love my sex appeal. He said he don't like 'em boney, he want
something he can grab. So I pulled up in the Jag, and I hit 'em with the jab
like ‘Dun-d-d-dun-dun-d-d-dun-dun.’”
“Yeah, he love this fat a*s. Yeah! This one is for my b*****s
with a fat a*s in the f*****g club. I said, ‘Where my fat a*s big b*****s in
the club?’ F**k them skinny b*****s, f**k them skinny b*****s in the club. I
wanna see all the big fat a*s b*****s in the mother*****g club. F**k you if you
skinny b*****s. What? Yeah. Ha-ha, ha...”
“Yeah. I got a big fat a*s. Come on!”
Not a whole lot of punches
being pulled there. Plenty of grammar and basic decency, but no punches.
And in mainstream society,
phrases like “Real men like curves; only dogs go for bones” are certainly
encouraging naturally skinny women to love their bodies. “Real women have
curves!” You get the picture. We’re all about that body positivity–unless you’re
thinner than me.
Attacking someone because they
are different to make yourself feel better is immature and cruel, no matter
what the circumstance. This is nothing more than schoolgirl games being played
by adults who ought to know better by now. It doesn’t matter what size they
are. Men will find different qualities attractive. If you are naturally skinny,
embrace it. If you are naturally curvy, embrace it. And don’t tell the other
that there is something wrong with them because they are different.
Used to, it was acceptable to
tell a woman she needs to lose weight. We have removed one ridiculous thing and
replaced it with another. A thin woman can’t tell a fat one that she needs to
lose weight, but the fat one can tell the skinny one that she needs to gain
weight.
This is a false sense of
security bred out of jealousy for women who keep in shape or who are naturally
thinner. I’m not at all saying if you don’t work out or aren’t slim you’re
unattractive, but the women who do work out and are slim aren’t either.
Last time I checked,
“celebrating what God gave you” includes all body types, not just the one we’re
being told to accept. Get over your egos and practice what you preach.
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