LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Sunday 4 November 2012

"You're So Thin! - Here, Have a Burger!" | Weight & Body Image

 Image: WeHeartIt

We all know how much pressure is put on girls these days to look a certain way - there's no getting away from the fact that us females get the shit end of the stick when it comes to what we look like. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are conscious of what we look like, what we're wearing, and what other people think to a certain extent. I'm a massive fan of glossy magazines - I love to see what's in fashion, what new products are coming onto the market and I must admit I'm partial to having a little nosey at what celebrities are wearing (as I'm sure most of you do) - but sometimes, these magazines really get on my nerves.  The past few years, there's been a lot of focus on weight, and what is 'healthy' for your height and age. Rightfully so, it's no longer acceptable for these magazines to focus on 'overweight' celebrities - these days it's all about celebrating your curves and your lumpy bits. I'm all for this. What annoys me, is that they still think it's perfectly fine to publish pictures of women on the other end of the scale, naming them 'skinny' and 'underweight'.

I've never ever been one to fuss over what size I am or what i weigh. I've always been a size 8 and i rarely ever vary from this - if you asked me how much i actually weigh I wouldn't be able to tell you - in fact I can't remember the last time i stepped on a pair of scales. I have bloated days just like everyone else, I have bits of me that I don't like so much just like everyone else, and i have hips, boobs and a bum like everyone else. Just because somebody is a size 8 or a size 10, doesn't mean they don't have curves like everyone else. What gets on my nerves is that all my life I've had to put up with people saying 'get some meat on your bones' or 'how do you stay so thin?!'. Now, I'd never ever walk up to someone i barely know and say "oo, you're so fat!" or 'bloodyhell, you've let yourself go, lose some weight'- so what gives people the right to assume that just because I'm 'skinny' - that I don't eat?  I've never had an eating disorder and I've always loved my food (albeit being a bit of a fussy eater, i must admit ;)), but it annoys me so much when people stare at me in shock if I order a burger in a restaurant, or eat a few packs of crisps in a row. I feel as if i have to apologise for being the way I am - I'm happy with myself and I eat like every normal person does.. and above all, I'm healthy. I'm petite, and there's nothing wrong with that. I don't moderate what calories i intake - it just doesn't bother me. I'm aware I'm quite lucky to not have to think about these things too much - and a lot of you will probably be rolling your eyes right now - but I know for a fact that other girls feel like this. It's not just me. I don't judge people on their weight, if you're happy and healthy then it doesn't matter whether you're a size 8 or a size 18. Why should it matter so much?

I don't even think of myself as 'skinny' - yes there are girls out there who genuinely need help, I'm not denying this. But sometimes i can't help but feel a little bit offended when people say to me 'you're so thin' - surely you can put that in a slightly nicer way rather than sound so accusing? I know they don't mean to be so negative - but I'm normal for my height and my build.  I'd personally never dream of calling anybody fat - or telling someone they should lose some weight - so what makes it acceptable the other way round? I've had friends in the past make me feel so awful telling me they don't want to be photographed near me in case i make them look 'fat' - this made me incredibly upset - 1. because they said it in the way they did and 2. because they felt as if they had to indirectly put themselves down like that; because to me they're beautiful anyway. 

So girls, please, please, please stop reading these magazines and believing everything they imply. And stop looking at these 'perfect' girls that certain men seem to idolise and realise if you had a team of makeup artists on hand to airbrush your every imperfection 24 hours a day, and a professional photographer/touch of photoshop everytime you took a walk on the beach, you would probably look like that as well (in fact, most photos you see of celebrities on a beach are staged... in ridiculous sweaty heat, would you really have a full face of makeup on and your hair curled all the way down your back? no.. no you wouldn't). These perfect girls don't exist. I love it when I see features here on Blogger about how everyone can wear what they like no matter what their size; American Apparel's disco pants have been this years staple wardrobe item - and ever since my outfit post I've had girls email me asking me how to wear them because they don't think they'll suit them - you can. And you do suit them. Everybody has down days about their body whatever size they are - everybody has a case of nervous jitters before they break out the bikini on the beach and everyone has that heart stopping moment in the changing rooms when the lighting makes your thighs look like an ancient bit of orange peel. I just think it works both ways when something is said about body image/weight. There should be no 'ideal' size for anyone - as long as you're happy and above all else you're healthy, then it shouldn't matter in the slightest. I realise i've done a similar post on this before, but it annoys me how girls get labelled 'fat' or 'skinny' - either way, it's offensive.


What's everyone else's thought on this matter? Is it just as offensive to call somebody 'skinny' than it is to label somebody 'fat'?
 

40 comments:

  1. I agree with this so much! I've always been thin and get so annoyed when people call me 'skinny', it's the exact same as calling someone 'fat'! As long as you are happy about your weight, it doesn't matter what size you are! xx

    http://belle-amiebeauty.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thankyou Amie :) Its so annoying isn't it - i never know what to say back to them. Its almost as if i feel as if i have to apologise! Im happy how i am and thats all that matters :) xxx

      Delete
  2. Beth this is such a truthful and meaningful post! I really enjoyed reading it and have related sooo much. Im a size 6/8 and all my life people have kept on and on at me about being 'too skinny' or think i dont eat, it irritates me because I adore chocolate and hot chips by the beach but also eat my 5 a day. I totally agree with you hunny, everyone is different and as long as your healthy and happy - who cares!
    Thanks for the lovely post and I hope lots of girls read this and realise celeb bodies arnt perfect, like you said, makeup and airbrush!
    xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thankyou sweets :) Oh goodness me too - i eat crisps and chocolate as if theyre going out of fashion - and people stare at me shocked when i do! So glad you agree - i wondered if id get a bit of backlash for this post but im so overwhlemed by the positive response already. So glad it isnt just me :) x

      Delete
  3. I love your posts like these Beth. Calling someone skinny/underweight in my opinion is the same as calling someone fat or overweight. I don't know when these magazines will learn to stop writing such rubbish, people shouldn't take notice of the rubbish magazines right nowadays and should just be happy within them self. :)

    Vanese
    xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thankyou lovely :) I sometimes just skip the articles/photographs aimed at body image now.. fed up of labelling people 'fat' or 'thin' - theyre just people..
      xxx

      Delete
  4. This was such a great post, thank you! I have always been fairly thin and I don't have a massive appetite but I am healthy! I am like you, I can eat whatever really and wont put on weight and some people try and make me feel bad about that! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aw thanks Becky :) me neither - cant eat massive meals but i eat whats normal for my size - if not more! I have a fast metabolism too - im aware in the future its going to slow down and im going to have to concentrate more on maintaining my body - but wish people wouldnt make me feel so awful about it! :( xxx

      Delete
  5. Calling someone skinny is exactly like calling someone fat, just don't do it! It's 10x worse when it comes from somebody you thought understood you too! I'll admit I've had a few *ahem* problems over the years meaning my body is used to living off very little, I physically cannot eat what my friends do. There is nothing!! more irritating than when my friends shout 'oh my god rachael your eating! quick somebody take a photo!' as some kind of joke (to which everyone usually laughs) but imagine shouting publicly comments about one of your friends being overweight, im certain nobody would be laughing then!

    I have soooo much love for posts like this! People like Gok Wan have done wonders for women of a fuller figure (so much so that this becomes peoples ideals of happy and healthy) but theres not a single alternative for smaller people. Im sure if there was this alternative people would realise you can be any size and happy!

    aisforayla.blogspot.com xox

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aww thankyou so much for your comment :) I can't eat as much as some of my friends either - i just dont have the space for it in my little body! haha But that must upset/annoy you so much when your friends make a joke of you having something to eat - its not nice :( I think people stare at me sometimes if im out having a bite to eat - like theyre making sure im eating whats on my plate! I can see them staring at times! Its so unfair.

      i agree there needs to be an alternative too - it needs to be more balanced. Magazines and media are trying so hard not to offend people of a larger size that infact theyre actually offending people who are naturally quite thin! It isnt fair at all :( xxx

      Delete
  6. Such a great post lovely lady!! I do agree that it's just as offensive but I also think that a lot of people think "you're so skinny" is a compliment so they often don't realise they are offending someone if that makes sense?

    Also, I'm sure we have the same minds when it comes to blogging haha! I've literally saved that picture you've used to the laptop to use in a similar post to this one haha! I wrote my uni dissertation on how the female Body is portrayed in women's magazines so I have a lot to say on the matter of Body Image!!

    Ooh and I also saved the birthday cake photo you used in your '1 year blog birthday' before I even read your post!! Spooky haha!! Great minds think alike ;)

    PS - Your BEAUTIFUL with a great figure :) don't let anyones opinions or stupid comments bother you!!

    Kayleigh
    xxx.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aww bless you Kayleigh :) your comments are always so lovely :)

      haha great minds think alike petal!! :) Its a good picture - will look forward to it popping up on your blog in the future :P
      i read somewhere on your blog about what you wrote for your dissertation - id probably sit and read every single word and agree with everything you said. Its such an important issue to me. Im just so fed up of people talking about 'ideal weight' - it doesnt and shouldnt exist. xxx

      Delete
  7. I really enjoyed reading this post, it is so true! I think people's weight should not be discussed! Whether you think somebody is 'too thin' or 'too fat' is actually has nothing to do with anybody! xo

    http://electricdaisies.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  8. Amazing post and so true! I used to be really slim and my friends always said that I was anorexic, which really upset me as I wasn't, but also because it is a serious disease and not something which people should be labelled with just because they have a flat stomach! After all, it's not like you'd go up to a larger person and tell them that they have diseases due to their weight. I believe that everybody is beautiful just the way they are! xo

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a great post babe! People should learn to be much more accepting of other people! i was set off on an eating disorder because someone in a shop called me fat. At that point I might have been a little chubby but I was nowhere near fat! Sparked 2 years of utter hell and problems that are still with me till this day.

    Now I refuse to go on scales and just go by how my clothes fit me. I work out 6-7 times a week and keep myself toned without starving myself. My flatmates sigh at me for making them feel bad but I encourage them to love their own bodies because we're all built differently and being a size 0 is not a hallmark of beauty for everyone :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I totally understand this!!! I lost some weight recently and the amount of people who have accused me of not eating and stuff and saying how skinny I am is phenomenal! I am a size 8 like you :)

    Nafisah xx

    www.bamblingsonaffy.blogspot.co.uk xo

    ReplyDelete
  11. I, like many of the others who commented, really enjoyed reading this. It's nice to hear it from the other side. I'm a size 16-18 myself and I'm always being called fat and overweight - my doctor told me I'm classed as morbidly obese!! I couldn't help but laugh but if it was someone else it could have really hurt/upset them. It was nice to read that you don't care if someone is a size 8 or a size 18 as there are many smaller girls who wouldn't want to be friends with a larger girl. Personally I don't care what shape or size people are, if they're nice and we get on that's all that matters :) xxx

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm a student mental health nurse and eating disorders are a HUGE problem. People need to realise a lot of thin people are naturally that way. I'm a size 6-8, I rarely exercise, I dance once a week, as a hobby not to loose weight. I eat what I want, when I want. I've ALWAYS been like this. So what?! People are so naive at times.

    http://golddustk.blogspot.co.uk/

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you so much for writing this post! You dont realise how happy its made me! i couldnt agree more! I've always been naturally thin and people are always making comments such as "you need to get some meat on your bones" it's so frustrating and I find it very rude. At school people would call me names because they thought I "was really skinny" but I'm heathy and have quite a big appetite. As long as your heathy then it doesn't matter what size you are! Lyndy xx

    ReplyDelete
  14. I've struggled with my weight and eating problems for years so it really makes me upset when people judge how little I eat and make comments about me being so skinny. It's so nasty and cruel. I'm actually a healthy weight for my height so people have no clue what they're talking about.

    ReplyDelete
  15. beth, firstly well done and thank you for writing such a great post that so many of us will be able to relate to. i agree with everything youve said. im also naturally thin, and my whole life ive had to grin and bear comments like 'get some meat on your bones', and although im sure its not meant in a horrible way, i also think that i would NEVER say that to someone who was overweight, so what makes it okay for other people to say it to me!! double standards!! your not alone on this one so thanks for the post! xx

    ReplyDelete
  16. Such a great thought-provoking post! I'm a size 8, always have been and always probably will- I've got a fast metabolism. I find it really annoying when like you have- people tell you to eat more or exclaim at your skinnyness- there's nothing I can do about it! I might sometimes wish I had bigger boobs but I know it wouldn't suit my body shape. The doctors at my surgery have on several occasions insisted on weighing me and then asking "what is your relationship with food like" and "have you always been thin"- practically trying to label me with an eating disorder when I eat regularly and have a good appetite. I think far too much pressure is put on women to be the 'ideal' shape when that shape doesn't even exist!! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  17. AMEN to this post haha! Forever being called 'twig' or 'skinny' or being asked if I eat. I'm always eating! I'm very happy with my weight. I don't find it offensive anymore - at all. In fact, I do tend to joke about it now. Although I do understand why people would find it just as offensive as being labeled 'fat' etc. People need to realise, everyone has feelings, no matter what weight you are. Weight is just weight at the end of the day x

    http://vividiorquue.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm not the skiniiest person but happy with myself, not every day, but mostly. that's just normal.
    Everybody should feel good. if they don't: Go and to something to change it, its your decision and your body :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. That is a fantastic post, I can really relate to this. I have had doctors on my back for years as I'm quite underweight on the BMI scale and generally slim. I can't put on weight easily and I have a healthy diet and although I need to do more exersize for healthy-ness! I'm fed up of people telling me to be a couch potato and that I need help. Great post! I feel as if I've gone on a little rant here now! sorry! xx

    ReplyDelete
  20. Beautifully and perfectly said. It bothers me so much when people think I don't eat at all when in reality I have the biggest appetite ever-- I just so happen to have a fast metabolism. You are so right, everybody is different and we need to just see the beauty in any size. The media plays a major role in criticizing girls for being too skinny or fat and airbrushing girls to be what's perfect. There's no need such thing as perfect. Society needs to be less judgmental. We are all beautiful the way we are as long as we are happy.

    ReplyDelete
  21. While I'm on the other end of the spectrum in regards to being a curvier girl, I can totally understand the other point of view. While on vacation not too long ago, a few of us bigger girls were a bit nervous about putting our bikinis on and one of my very petite girlfriends was also super nervous-because she didn't have a "large chest" or curves like the rest of us. It was crazy to me because in my mind she had a perfect thin body that I would love to have. It just goes to show all girls have insecurities about themselves, regardless of how big or little they may be.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I completely agree with this post, how does accusing of someone of being skinny be any different to accusing someone of being fat! We live in such a warped world! If you love who/what you are that's all that matters :) loved reading this post and you have a beautiful figure! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  23. Great post and it's so good you speak out! I know there are a lot of people in the same position who agree with you. I'm a bigger girl and I can imagine being told you don't eat is just as upsetting as being called fat. What I think is that a stranger can make a jibe about how fat/thin you are but they don't know you, they don't have a clue how lovely you are as a person and it just shows that they have a horrible personality. Keep that in mind because you have a lovely personality and feel good about yourself :)
    Xx

    ReplyDelete
  24. brilliant post. thanks fore highlighting these issues, so so relateable xx

    ReplyDelete
  25. This is such a great post Beth, you really talk about these important issues so well, I've always been a size 8 too and I hate when people say 'oh how do you get to eat that sausage sandwich and stay like that', I just eat a balanced diet and do lots of walking and at the end of the day it doesn't matter what size you are as long as you're happy! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  26. I love this! I'm exactly like you, people are always saying to me, your so thin, eat something. I want to shout back look at yourself, they're usually as 'thin' as I am.
    Real girls aren't perfect and perfect girls aren't real.
    Www.styleinwonderland.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  27. Aw hun! like so many of these other girl who have commented on here too, I'm very much the same! was just one of those lucky people with it in my genes to stay pretty slim. It doesn't bother me too much but I do get the odd comments from friends who mean it harmlessly like 'omg how have you eaten all that pizza and you stay so slim?!' and it makes me feel pretty awkward cos I'm just like.. well.. I dunno 8) haha just brush it off when people say it and be happy about what you look like, a lot of people will probably envy your slim figure so don't worry if they use a word like 'skinny' or anything like that I'm sure it won't be meant offensively beauts :) xxx

    ReplyDelete
  28. Fab post babes, I couldn't agree more. I've always had the same problem with people saying 'your too thin' and 'you are so bony and skinny'.. its horrible how they come out and say it, I would never dream of calling someone fat or make some feel insecure about there body. You are the way you are and people really need to learn to be happy and comfortable in their own bodies as we are all beautiful. So pleased you have wrote about this as I think everyone can relate to it in some way xx

    www.misssunshinesparkle.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  29. What annoys me is that if you say you have a 'curvy' body shape, that it means overweight. I'm a size 8-10 but I have boobs, a 27 inch waist and 35 inch hips. That's definitely curvy but doesn't make me overweight! Or just because I'm a size 8 or 10, doesn't mean I can't have curves. Grrrr! Great post! X

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is soo inspiring, we need more people like you in the world! ;) I'm now a follower, i'd love it it you could drop by my blog sometime, you seem really nice:) xx

    ReplyDelete
  31. This is such an important subject and I'm glad that you're so passionate and caring about it. I have been overweight me entire life, and my best friend was underweight. We went everywhere together as a size 20 and size 6 and she would cry at pictures of herself because she could see her bones and she wished she looked like me. No one likes what they've got; everyone judges themselves against everyone else. It's high time we started creating a culture where all bodies are celebrated. This body is keeping you alive and that's beautiful in itself.

    There will always be people that will laugh at the "fat girl" eating a salad and there will be people that laugh at the "skinny girl" eating a burger. It's enough that we're not one of the people laughing :) Thank you for this.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I couldn't agree with this more!!! I'm a size 8 & my friends often accuse me of not eating or say things about my weight in a nasty way. It makes me feel uncomfortable when people say I make them feel fat or disgusting because I have a smaller figure. I work hard to keep the weight off but yes I do eat a healthy balanced diet. I'm so sick of people making me feel like I'm some kind of horrible person that makes others feel awful about themselves!!! They would never say this if I was over weight!!! RANT OVER lol xxxxx

    http://thelittlethingsbb.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  33. wellpeople always try to make you uncomfortable they are not happy if you are thin or fat so don't care them just love yourself no matter you are thin or have more pounds just wear confidence and this will shut mouth of such nasty people kindle tablet price in pakistan
    Essence original mascara price in pakistan

    ReplyDelete

I always read all of my lovely comments. Make sure you check back as i often reply but if you do have a specific question and want a quicker response then please do email me over at birds.words@yahoo.co.uk or tweet me (@Beth_BirdsWords). Thank you for all your support! x