5 Reasons Why Skinny Shaming Is a Real Thing

Unfortunately, skinny shaming is a real thing…and here’s why:

1. Because telling someone who’s skinny to “eat a cheeseburger” is the same as telling a heavy person to “put down the fork.”

An insult is an insult, and referring to someone’s body, as “a stick” isn’t pleasing to hear. Telling someone, “if you turned sideways you’d disappear” isn’t empowering. The fact is that, most of the time, when someone makes a comment like that their intention isn’t to be mean or horrible. They may even see it as a compliment. In actuality, all it does is make others feel ashamed of they way they look. Compliments should be given with genuine positivity, not with backhanded lashes of insecurity.

2. Because pop culture is constantly reminding us that they “like big butts and cannot lie” about it.

Everyone loves the jam “All About That Bass” by Megan Trainor, but a few words from that song really resonate with me. She first introduces herself by saying that she’s not a thin girl: “Yeah it’s pretty clear, I ain’t no size 2.” Then she goes on to say, “but I got that boom-boom all the boys chasing; all the right junk in all the right places.” In a way she’s saying that she’s glad she’s curvy because “the boys” want her. Megan Trainor is an incredibly beautiful, talented, smart, and successful young woman and that’s why the boys should be chasing her, not for her strategically placed junk. As a society we need to stop encouraging women to look a specific way in order to better appeal to men.

The big booty queen herself, Nicki Minaj, repeatedly sings at the end of her hit song, “Anaconda,” to “f the skinny bitches in the club.” Why, instead of simply promoting beauty at any size, do we have to deliberately put one group down to raise another? Why not embrace curves and the lack of them?

3. Because your body isn’t always representative of your health.

Just because someone is skinny doesn’t necessarily mean they’re on the treadmill seven days a week, eating a perfectly well-balanced diet, and sporting a six-pack of abs. The same way some people are born naturally thick, some people are born naturally thin. Instead of demonizing each other for what biologically takes hold of us, we should empower one and other to embrace who we are, because it is truly what makes us one hundred percent original.

4. Because we’d all rather look like Jennifer Lawrence.

Curves are beautiful, but you don’t have to have them to be beautiful. There’s this notion that curvy women represent the “real woman.” I’d have to disagree. Being a woman is found within your true self, not within the shape of your body. While the truth is I would love to possess those ideal Kardashian curves, that’s not my body. As women, we have to learn to love the body we are in because it’s the body we’re stuck in. What good is it going to do to beat ourselves up about it? We don’t all need to have a JLo booty to be considered attractive or a woman.

5. Because it makes you feel less.

Pointing out what is probably someone’s major insecurity, regardless of intention is bad practice of being human. Just because someone’s body fits the societal norm, doesn’t mean their immune to self-esteem issues. We should all be promoting the idea that everyone should love their natural selves and not be ashamed about who they innately are. When we send negativity out to one person, all it does is make them think negatively about themselves. As women it is our duty to empower others through positivity.

So what do we do about it? Well first off, to clarify, skinny shaming isn’t the same as fat shaming because that happens on more of a societal level. Skinny shamming is more individual, so that’s where it starts—the individual. Individually, we need to be aware that women are kept in this perpetual state of anxiety, publically scrutinized, and constantly wondering if their bodies will ever be good enough for society. Instead of making it harder for other women, we should help encourage everyone not to define themselves or anyone else by their appearance. We are so much more than the shape of our body and the definition of our curves.