There’s a picture circulating on Facebook. I’ve seen it in my News Feed a few times, and it has a viral amount of shares. I am unsure of its origin. If you know, please tell me, and I’ll be happy to credit the creator (even though I doubt he or she owned the pictures of Marilyn Monroe and Kate Bosworth).
Profanity ahead, consider yourself warned:
Thousands of comments applauding the post’s sentiment.
“That bony twig needs to go.”
“Eww. The skinny one looks so sickly.”
“I didn’t know toothpicks could wear clothes.”
Last year, a few Facebook groups popped up and went viral…
I’m a little baffled by all of this. How is tearing apart Kate Bosworth okay? How does one make the claim that real women aren’t a size zero? I know lots of women who are a size zero. I’m pretty sure they’re real. I’m pretty sure they’re not hiding male genitalia behind their size zero zipper.
Lola is a 00P (that’s double zero petite). Are you going to go up to her and tell her she’s not a real woman? Come on.
Are women who are considered boy shaped seeing these viral posts and groups and feeling great about themselves?
Telling someone that she’s way too skinny should not be more acceptable than telling someone that her butt is too big. Making comments about someone’s body shape, weight, or size is not nice, unless you’re walking directly up to someone and saying something like “OH MY DANG, YOU LOOK AMAZING.”
I am all for applauding curves and full figures, but the above photo and the Facebook groups are not promoting positive body image. It’s more comparing. It’s more judging. Taking stances on what’s more attractive or socially acceptable does nothing to promote acceptance or self-confidence.
Perhaps the better option would be to stop comparing and speculating on shapes and sizes and beauty, and instead, just shut the heck up.
Amen.
Just think of it this way: we are who we are.
One’s not bad, one’s not better.
I,too, wish this would stop.
I don’t have daughters, but I can imagine, and remember,w hat it was like to be a teen who was too skinny.
[Reply]
Roo Reply:
October 19th, 2011 at 10:34 am
I like that: One’s not bad; one’s not better. :)
[Reply]
Thank you, Roo!! There are already a bazillion comments, but I really appreciate your support of not judging any body type. I’ve been little all my life because that’s the way my DNA cards fell, and I think a lot of people don’t realize how embarrassing it can be when people make a big deal about it. Really, truly, thank you for making give us a voice. And thank you for broadcasting the fact that tearing down someone doesn’t make a point stronger. Thank you.
[Reply]
Roo Reply:
October 19th, 2011 at 10:34 am
Awww, Laura. Thanks for this great comment. :)
[Reply]
I love, love, loved this post. I think women have been knocking down other women for far too long. I have been guilty of it myself. We need to be more supportive of each other in general and not seek to tear someone else down because of our own insecurities. And, I am a ‘full-figured’ woman so I know what I’m talking about. I have known very tiny women that have the same body issues as their heftier counterparts, i.e. they have a difficult time finding clothes that fit, they don’t always feel confident about how they look, etc. Let’s just live and let live, ladies and conduct ourselves in a better manner.
[Reply]
Roo Reply:
October 19th, 2011 at 10:31 am
Beautiful comment, Tara. :)
[Reply]
The problem is women are vaginas…
If someone looks better than we do, whether fat tall skinny short, we don’t care. We break out the claws and attack.
Such a shame.
[Reply]
Seriously? I’ve been both skinny and curvy in my life, and I’m ashamed of women on either end of the spectrum for talking shit about one another. I linked this on my FB and was treated to a pathetic rant from a woman whose daughter is “only sticking up for herself as a curvy woman” …by showing that woman can also be misogynist? I was also informed that “most of society believes the fashion magazines” who insist on size 0 models. Women, please listen to me: I’m 53. Please don’t try to convince me you are getting your values from fashion magazines. I simply won’t entertain that notion. Especially after reading this blog, and the informed comments. This is my new favorite place to hang out! I think I need to do another mass “unfriending”!
[Reply]
Clap…..clap……clap. (that’s a slow clap since I totally agree) Thank you for sharing this. I actually didn’t see this on Facebook-thinking my choice of friends must rock ;).
[Reply]
[...] Real Women Own Pet Dinosaurs | {NiceGirlNotes} | {NiceGirlNotes} How is tearing apart Kate Bosworth okay? How does one make the claim that real women aren't a size zero? I know lots of women who are a size zero. I'm pretty sure they're real. I'm pretty sure they're not hiding male …http://www.nicegirlnotes.com/r .. [...]
Hear, hear!
All that matters is that we personally consider ourselves bad-ants … and that self-confidence shouldn’t come from the shape of a body that will change dramatically throughout the course of life.
Bravo, NGN!
[Reply]
We cant control what natural curves we have (monroe got blessed with very exagerrated curves) however, we can control how much we weigh…. Not pleasant but true.
[Reply]
kim Reply:
January 21st, 2012 at 9:08 am
To an extent. In a perfect world, good diet and exercise would work for everyone but you don’t know what another human’s body can or can’t do. Take my personal situation for example. I have hypothyroidism which if untreated, can cause weight gain, hair loss, fatigue, etc. I also have a genetic heart condition which causes me to have an irregular heart beat among other things. Now the medication to treat the thyroid problem aggrevates my heart problem which could cause me to have a heart attack or stroke. So which is better? To carry an extra 30 pounds and be as healthy as I can be or to take a medication and increase my risk dying so I can be the aesthetic ideal for our societal standards?
I know a lot of people are heavy or thin and they’re heavy or thin for different reasons, some medical and some not. But no one knows why unless they put their medical history out there for the rest of the world to see which is quite frankly, no one’s business but they’re own. So my point is we just need to be kind to each other and stop policing everyone else’s bodies and do what we feel is best for our own.
[Reply]
Monica Reply:
April 2nd, 2012 at 6:23 pm
I think this is the big difference though. There are women who have reasons that they are thin, and then there are women who purposely force themselves to be too thin.
And yes, no one would know unless you put your medical history out there with your picture, but we’re talking about celebrities with these pictures. Unfortunately for them, every detail of their lives are public knowledge, and if she had some serious health concern that was stopping her from losing weight, it would be known by now.
[Reply]
kim Reply:
April 2nd, 2012 at 6:32 pm
That is the point though… Regardless of their size, weight, shape, whatever… A person’s body and their health is their own personal business weather they are famous or not. By demanding to know a celebs personal health to justify and validate their body is no better than judging a person’s health based on appearance alone. The body police have got to stop, period.
Monica Reply:
April 7th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
I think the main reason that people end up making such a big deal about celebrities health is because of how impressionable kids (and even some adults) are by celebrities. Think of how many children adore certain celebrities, no matter what their parents say, they want to mimic these people. How is it a good thing to have celebrities that purposely starve themselves to be super tiny and then have kids want to mimic that? There are even young adults (and sometimes even older adults) that try to mimic celebrities. Look at how many hair cuts are based on celebrity hair styles. There are plenty of people who take it a step further than hair and try to mimic clothing and appearance. That is not a good thing.
Also, it’s not the general public that really cares that much about celebrity health and appearance. The media constantly makes “news” about them, and there’s really no getting away from it. It’s not that the average every day person is hunting down celebrity health.
Amen Roo!
Females have enough pressures and issues with body image all on their own; curvy, skinny, heavy, stickly, women should be told their beautiful. There isn’t a good, better, best, there’s only what there is, and what there is is beauty in a million different shapes, sizes and colours.
I understand what the images are trying to say, but perhaps the caption should read more along the lines of, “f*ck society; whether you’re this (points at marilyn) or this (points at kate) or somewhere in between or bigger; you’re beautiful! Period.”
[Reply]
Cyn & Co. Reply:
March 28th, 2012 at 9:55 pm
Ew grammar police: Correction:
“…women should be told they’re beautiful.”
[Reply]