This was a strong runner-up for most viewed, and one of my personal favorites…
A Story of Reverse Prejudice Towards Thin Models
-By Genna Bee
Media, such as magazines, television shows, and even billboards for plastic surgery send a message that you should look a certain way. Whether it’s to be attractive to others, to feel confident, or even to succeed in your career, there is always some “ideal” size or shape to live up to. A great deal of this media is geared towards shaming you for being 20 pounds heavier than some cover girl, or poking fun at a celebrity for having the tiniest jiggle on her booty. It’s all quite ridiculous when you think about it. Making someone feel terrible about their looks or their size is a nasty thing to do, whether it be name-calling, trash talking, or any other mean-spirited action. If you walk around calling people “wide load” or “thunder thighs,” everyone knows you’re a jerk, and you can expect to be treated poorly in return.
Lately, I have noticed that a great deal of people think it’s not alright to be thin. There has been a surge of skinny-bashing as of late–especially online. Have you ever liked a facebook page, reblogged a tumblr post, or message otherwise shared a message of “if you’re skinny you must be anorexic,” or “if you don’t have a big booty, you’re not a real woman?” Have you seen pictures like this:
This may, at first, seem like you’re sticking it to a society that promotes an unrealistic standard of beauty– but when you get right down to it, that’s only attacking the self-esteem and body-image of yet another group of people.
Some of these posts look funny and even poignant at first glance, but if I were to condense the ones that I have seen (especially the comments), I would be left with a message that thin people are disgusting, wicked beings that starve themselves until they can barely function, and spend all of their time oppressing people who weigh 10 pounds more. Ridiculous? Yes, but these messages are being sent, and it does, in fact, hurt feelings. If it’s not alright to make fun of someone for being thicker, then why is it cool to pick on thin people? It’s become a bit of a double-standard, and the harm this can cause is being overlooked by many. I do not think it’s productive to hate someone or treat someone differently because of the way they look–no matter how they look, and no matter how you have been treated in the past. It doesn’t do a thing to change society for the better, it only makes more people feel sad, unattractive, or just unwanted.
To move forward, the bashing has to stop. If we want to get together and redefine body image, there can be no stereotyping, no name-calling, and no hate. We must not compare apples to oranges, pears to bananas, and so on. We must forget about our insecurities. We must love ourselves–and self-loving individuals do not need to put down anyone else in order to feel good. This is what we should be promoting:
WINK Pinup 