Tuesday 11 December 2012

The Weight Debate.

The other week I was reading The Daily Mail website (I know it's full of trash and I hate those kinds of press but I can't help myself!) and came across an article on Katie Waissel, if you don't know who she is, she was a contestant on the UK xfactor a few years ago! The article was titled "Abs-olutely tiny! Former X Factor star Katie Waissel shows off her super-toned figure as she gets to grips with LA lifestyle" I clicked on it as I was curious. When she was on the xfactor there was a lot of controversy going on as to why she was picked to go through to live shows. I did watch xfactor at the time and I personally didn't care that she got through but so many people HATED her and still hate her! I was reading through the article and got down to the comments section and was shocked to see comments like:

"Yuck too thin!!"

"Ew! She's disgusting!"

"Oh my gosh eat a hamburger!"

"She's clearly starving herself!"

I was actually shocked! I asked myself (and my instagram followers) this question.

Why is is unacceptable to write negative comments about overweight/bigger people (I agree this is wrong) however it is fine to leave downright disgusting comments about thinner people?

I was having a discussion on twitter with a few people about this and I still don't understand why people think it's okay! Yes, in our culture the thinner you are, the more "beautiful" you seem to be considered so people tend to feel like it's okay to say negative things, but surely you wouldn't write "oh my gosh, she's so fat! She needs to lose weight!" or "gosh, she needs to stop eating those hamburgers!" Because that is deemed "wrong" and "offensive." However surely it is the same thing, you are judging someone and criticizing them because of the way they look.


Another issue I have is when people use the term "real women have curves!" Umm, no. Are women who are size 4, 6, 8 suddenly invisible? I'm pretty sure they still count as "real women." I've always found that term really odd and I feel like although people focus on the negative comments bigger people get, they ignore the fact that so many people are downright horrible to slimmer people. I have known people get shouted at in the street and called an "anorexic bitch." I've had friends tell me I need to gain weight, (Although I'm not saying I am "skinny" or anything close to that!) I personally don't feel like my weight or anyone else's for that matter should be judged by anyone other than themselves! One of my friends had a comment on her facebook photos just saying "gain some weight!" I think it was one of her friends but it just angered me because I thought "why are you telling her that she needs to change herself?" I think people should focus on their own lives and let others get on with what they are doing! People really like to give their opinion these days on what others should do and because of the amount of magazines we have judging celebrities it happens so frequently. I personally never read "trashy mags" as I feel like they just emit negativity, although I read the daily mail website occasionally I read that for the real news stories and try to avoid celebrity ones. 



Although it's hard to miss the front covers of magazine with cover lines like "*name of celebrity* has BALLOONED to a SIZE 12!!" Ballooned? Size 12? I have always been under the impression that a size 12 was small, my Mum is a size 12 and is skinny but she's just quite tall. Everyone wonders why five year olds (yes FIVE year olds!) feel like they are too fat because the media is saying that size 12 is massive when the average size for a woman in the UK is a 14! 


I feel like there is so much negativity everywhere surrounding weight and there are always articles and adverts telling women they need to lose weight. 

Please don't feel like I am only sticking up for "thinner" people as I know I went on a bit of a rant at the beginning, the comments I read on the article just annoyed me! 


What is your view on this debate? Even if you disagree with anything I have said, please leave a comment as I love knowing other peoples opinions!



All images from Tumblr



14 comments

  1. I'm quite slim and I've been called all different things from "You need to start eating properly" to being called "Anorexic". It's just as hurtful as someone calling someone "fat". People tend to think it's not hurtful and think it's okay to say these things!
    I wished everyone stopped thinking all these "small" sizes like 4, 6 and 8 were disgusting and actually thought maybe this person and their body is comfortable at this weight. I've been the same weight for years and it's very hard for me to gain weight, that's just who I am.
    I'm glad people write posts like this to make others aware of this problem :) xxx

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

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  2. This is a great post!
    I am so glad you wrote this because its literally what I always wanted to say!
    I am very slim and its genetically. I can try to put on weight as much as possible but it doesn't budge. People need to realize that even 'skinny' people can be very conscious of their body. And if you are size 12, 14 etc that's completely fine and by no means makes you over weight! The 'real woman have curves' slogan is VERY annoying! I can't stand it. Women are all equal.

    This is a lovely post!
    Hareem x

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  3. I couldn't agree more, it's downright disrespectful to judge ANYONE on their size. Its all down to your genetics, or lifestyle. I'm really glad you've written this post, because it needs to be said. I've tried to stop buying magazines as much as I can now, and relying on blogs instead to get fashion and beauty news because they just make me feel bad. If it isn't about size then it's about "you NEED these jeans" or something.

    Great post! :) x

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  4. I agree with what you have said! I have had friends tell me I need to eat more and gain weight. One of my friends asked me if people ever ask me if I'm anorexic because I look it! You wouldn't ask an overweight person if people ask them if they are obese because they look it! People seem to think it's okay to be rude to slimmer people but if you said mean things to overweight people it would be unacceptable. I agree that people should just focus on themselves and not others so much and not be rude or mean to anyone about their weight. xxx

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  5. I really love his its totally true, weight should not matter and the same should go for really skinny people as it does for overweight people, some people really struggle with weight and its not their fault, others it is their fault. So we never actually no their story when leaving hurtful comments!
    Http://throughchelseaseyes.com/ xxx

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  6. This is a great post. Im currently attempting to write one similar!
    I cant even count the amount of times I've been called anorexic and told my legs are like twigs. Its such double standards. You'd never call your friend fat! Being slim doesn't mean you must love your body, I certainly don't. And I agree about the 'real woman' phrase. No one should be made to feel bad about their body no matter what shape or size they are. x
    http://britishbeautygeek.blogspot.co.uk/

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  7. No one should be judged on the way they look or what size they are. I have been a big girl all my life and have always had people give me sly looks and stare at me when i'm out and it isn't nice at all. I do wish that I was smaller because I feel people who are thinner get better thought of and are accepted in todays society. But, then I think, well, i'm me and I don't really care what you think about me. No one deserves anyone's negative comments towards them.

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    1. I agree, you should be proud of who you are no matter how you look! If other people think negatively then just ignore it!

      xx

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  8. I think we should all agree that its healthy to be at a weight that is NORMAL for your height and age.Moderation is the key word not too fat i.e. obese and not too thin i.e. anorexic either. But u gotta admit a flatter more toned ab looks hotter than a flabbier cellulite one even though you might say "real women have curves" :p

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  9. I love this post! I am so thankful for people like you who are willing to speak up about it! Personally I am about a size 10 or 12 and while I feel as though I have weight to lose because of my height I still am astounded at even myself sometimes for thinking that I am "too fat" or that I should be as small as other people. People easily forget whether big or smaller that each person is made differently and there is nothing wrong with either side! Some of my dearest friends are very thin and beautiful women who absolutely hate it when their family or someone tells them to eat more. I spend plenty of time with them and know that they eat as much as any normal person, their bodies are just different! If everyone could get to a place where they are confident with themselves and just take steps to be healthy and not judge one another. Not everyone should be the same size and weight because each body type is completely different! Really wonderful blog post. I can't wait to share it!

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  10. I know this is old, but I couldn't help getting very passionate about it. I understand that skinnier women do have problems with people commenting to them about their size- I get it. It sucks. No one has the right to say anything about a woman's size. But you have said no one comments about large girls? That is completely untrue! I understand that you are a skinny person, so you don't hear these comments. But I, as an overweight woman myself, get these comments all the time. I've had strangers come up to me and tell me I need to lose weight because i'm not worth the space I take up. I have been taken out of class by teachers, who have told me that I need to 'loose some weight'. I have had my family straight up restrict my diet to nearly nothing because they say i'm too fat. I've had friends stop talking to me because they don't want to be seen with someone as ugly as me. I've had students at my school call me a whale every time I eat- even though I already practically eat nothing. Don't say large women don't get called names just as much as skinny girls. I'm not saying it doesn't happen to skinny girls too, but it's not fair to say that its sooo taboo for people to say it to fat girls. Skinny girls don't have to deal with not being represented everywhere they go. Skinny girls don't have to drive an hour out of town just to find a store that sells things in their size. Skinny girls don't get laughed at at the gym, or when they're doing healthy things- because I have been laughed at for trying to become smaller. Don't think i'm attacking you, but I just don't think it's fair of you to say it's unacceptable to make fun of fat people, when I've had an entire classroom full of people staring at me in P.E. because i'm the largest kid in the room. I've had teachers use me as an example of a fat person who's a lazy slob. I've had people shove food in my face and call me a pig just to see my reaction. I've had people who are hiring for jobs turn me out and tell me that it's because i'm not skinny enough to be pretty while i'm working a cash register. It's not unacceptable to comment on a fat person's weight. It's not unacceptable at all. It doesn't matter what size you are. It's always okay for people to comment.

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    1. I have just re-read this post that I wrote two years ago and cannot find anywhere were I say "no one comments about large girls." I wouldn't call personally call myself "skinny" if I'm being completely honest. NO WHERE in this post does it say that larger women don't get called names because that is completely untrue and I'm not entirely sure where you have got that from. I simply stated that people think it is okay to insult skinny people in the same way that people insult larger people and that they think it's okay to do this for some strange reason. I don't think you can say that skinny people don't struggle, when I was a size 4 because I hardly ate anything, I could barely find any clothes to fit me. I feel like you are generalising, how can you say that "skinny girls don't struggle to find clothes" because I did and I have been shouted at because of my weight. I feel like you're taking out the negative things people have said/done to you on me. I have had people say negative things to me about my weight, so I don't think you can say that "because I'm skinny, I don't hear these comments." Because I do get comments, maybe not the same ones as you but I have still received terrible, humiliating comments from people that make me feel awful. The aim of this post was to explain that it's NOT okay to comment on other people's weight because it's THEIR body and they can do what they want and look how they want. I NEVER said that no one comments on larger girls. I'm not trying to attack you at all, I just did not say that larger girls never get comments.

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  11. Why is this article on pinterest under the title "How to Lose 40lbs in two weeks"?

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    1. I have no clue! One of the images is all over pinterest and they keep linking this post in the photo! :) xxx

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