It's more than just thing, fit people judging people who weigh more than them, it's ruining the name of the body acceptance movement, and many of us are guilty of it. I know I've justified my own looks by shaming others (especially in the good ol' days of high school) and you know what? It sucks! It doesn't help anything, and it doesn't further body acceptance and positive self images. Let's go through some examples...
Meghan Trainor's song "All About The Bass" is a good one to start with. She comes off as a thick, cheeky blonde with a sassy attitude about loving her body, and before I even heard the song (or her voice), I thought "Cool. I'm down with that." Then I listened to the song a little closer. With lyrics like "Yeah, it's pretty clear, I ain't no size two / But I can shake it, shake it, like I'm supposed to do" I thought, "Ok, she's embracing herself! Great!" and lyrics like "I see the magazine workin' that Photoshop / We know that shit ain't real, come on now, make it stop" I thought "Awesome! Enhancing photos or adding a theme related filter is one thing, but crazy photoshopping so the person in the photo is unrecognizably 'perfect' is another story". Then you get to lyrics like "Boys like a little more booty to hold at night" and "I'm bringing booty back / Go 'head and tell them skinny bitches that / No, I'm just playing, I know you think you're fat". Bitch, what? That is NOT a good way to tell people "Every inch of you is perfect, from the bottom to the top", and adding that doesn't sugar coat the bullshit that just spewed from your mouth. Her song comes off as "Embrace your body if you aren't skinny. You're perfect. Unless you're skinny, then you suck and no one wants you." Nice message.
Then there are the memes and pww's all over the internet. "When did this become more attractive than this", depicting super slender models vs vintage bombshells like Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. True, the societal standards have changed, but those vintage bombshells were dieting, taking experimental pills for weight loss, and using waist-training corsets. You don't think Sofia Loren's waist was all natural, do you? Yes, those vintage hotties were curvy, with some help. And yes, those vintage babes were size 10, 12, even 16, too bad those sizes are no the same as modern sizing. Modern day, Miss Marilyn Monroe would have been, at her heaviest, wearing a size 10/12, wearing size 6 at her lightest. I get the thought behind it, I really do. Those women were curvy, they were healthy, they weren't starving, but to act like it was all natural and non-augmented and compare it to modern women (whose every breath is in the tabloids), it's an unfair comparison. How about "healthy is more attractive than starving to death". No photographs, no shaming. Simple fact. A person who is healthy, regardless of the size, is more attractive than someone who is on the verge of death and needs help.
And we can't forget about the people who shame body acceptance in general, but play it off like they are all for it. I've seen comments on the pages of plus size models like Tess Holliday (who is a goddess), saying things like "I like the body acceptance movement, but you are fat and need to lose weight before you fall over dead." or the even more lovely and subtle style like "You're encouraging women to be fat, not to love their body" and "This isn't acceptance, this is disgusting". I just want to give people like that a virtual throat punch. YES, it is acceptance, a person is accepting their body instead of hiding in shame and in fear of what people will say. If you are a part of the movement, whether a blogger, a model, or just a follower, then you can't go from saying that you are part of the movement to judging and shaming someone who is truly part of it and truly making a difference.
So, what's my long-winded point? Quit the fucking body shaming, damn it! You are either pro body acceptance or you're part of the problem. Comparing a curvy woman to a slender woman is like comparing a pit bull to a chihuahua--they're built different. That "fat" girl you called unhealthy? She may bust her ass to work out and eat properly. That "skinny bitch" you just trash talked? She might be trying to gain weight. In either case, there may be health conditions you don't know about.
Instead of trashing one body type and trying to say you're lifting up the other, support them ALL. Support healthy living. Support a positive outlook. Being different than your preference doesn't make them any less of a person.
Meghan Trainor's song "All About The Bass" is a good one to start with. She comes off as a thick, cheeky blonde with a sassy attitude about loving her body, and before I even heard the song (or her voice), I thought "Cool. I'm down with that." Then I listened to the song a little closer. With lyrics like "Yeah, it's pretty clear, I ain't no size two / But I can shake it, shake it, like I'm supposed to do" I thought, "Ok, she's embracing herself! Great!" and lyrics like "I see the magazine workin' that Photoshop / We know that shit ain't real, come on now, make it stop" I thought "Awesome! Enhancing photos or adding a theme related filter is one thing, but crazy photoshopping so the person in the photo is unrecognizably 'perfect' is another story". Then you get to lyrics like "Boys like a little more booty to hold at night" and "I'm bringing booty back / Go 'head and tell them skinny bitches that / No, I'm just playing, I know you think you're fat". Bitch, what? That is NOT a good way to tell people "Every inch of you is perfect, from the bottom to the top", and adding that doesn't sugar coat the bullshit that just spewed from your mouth. Her song comes off as "Embrace your body if you aren't skinny. You're perfect. Unless you're skinny, then you suck and no one wants you." Nice message.
Then there are the memes and pww's all over the internet. "When did this become more attractive than this", depicting super slender models vs vintage bombshells like Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. True, the societal standards have changed, but those vintage bombshells were dieting, taking experimental pills for weight loss, and using waist-training corsets. You don't think Sofia Loren's waist was all natural, do you? Yes, those vintage hotties were curvy, with some help. And yes, those vintage babes were size 10, 12, even 16, too bad those sizes are no the same as modern sizing. Modern day, Miss Marilyn Monroe would have been, at her heaviest, wearing a size 10/12, wearing size 6 at her lightest. I get the thought behind it, I really do. Those women were curvy, they were healthy, they weren't starving, but to act like it was all natural and non-augmented and compare it to modern women (whose every breath is in the tabloids), it's an unfair comparison. How about "healthy is more attractive than starving to death". No photographs, no shaming. Simple fact. A person who is healthy, regardless of the size, is more attractive than someone who is on the verge of death and needs help.
And we can't forget about the people who shame body acceptance in general, but play it off like they are all for it. I've seen comments on the pages of plus size models like Tess Holliday (who is a goddess), saying things like "I like the body acceptance movement, but you are fat and need to lose weight before you fall over dead." or the even more lovely and subtle style like "You're encouraging women to be fat, not to love their body" and "This isn't acceptance, this is disgusting". I just want to give people like that a virtual throat punch. YES, it is acceptance, a person is accepting their body instead of hiding in shame and in fear of what people will say. If you are a part of the movement, whether a blogger, a model, or just a follower, then you can't go from saying that you are part of the movement to judging and shaming someone who is truly part of it and truly making a difference.
So, what's my long-winded point? Quit the fucking body shaming, damn it! You are either pro body acceptance or you're part of the problem. Comparing a curvy woman to a slender woman is like comparing a pit bull to a chihuahua--they're built different. That "fat" girl you called unhealthy? She may bust her ass to work out and eat properly. That "skinny bitch" you just trash talked? She might be trying to gain weight. In either case, there may be health conditions you don't know about.
Instead of trashing one body type and trying to say you're lifting up the other, support them ALL. Support healthy living. Support a positive outlook. Being different than your preference doesn't make them any less of a person.