Every other Sunday morning is my morning to go out and splurge just a little by getting my nails done. Ya, fake acrylic nails, but that’s not the point of my story. Neither is the fact that I was an hour late courtesy of the time change I forgot about, or the fact that there were about 2 feet of un-shoveled snow in my driveway.
Those mornings, I sit and chat with the owner of the salon and catch up on my gossip magazines, you know, get the full stories instead of the tidbits I pick up online throughout the week. Today was no different: as I waited for my nails to dry, I picked up one of the newer issues of some rag tabloid to come across an article about Kristie Alley and her continuing battle with her weight.
I know gossip rags are not known for their intelligent or insightful articles, that’s not was I was expecting; but I was more then appalled to see just how blatantly rude and uncouth this particular article was. Littered with terms like “tipping the scales“, “heavy weight, “fat“, “uncontrollable eating“, “whopping” - the list goes on, I felt sick to my stomach as I read the numbers that they were using these terms to refer to as overweight.
190 pounds. A whopping 190lbs.
For someone who, personally, sat at that whopping 190lbs pre-pregnancy I was truly hurt, offended, and embarrassed to see those terms used to describe a moderately obese chubby person with a little meat on their bones. Those terms create the image of a seemingly grotesque obese person with no self awareness, no self control and even less self-love. The paint the image of someone that has lost all hope and has let themselves go. None of which I believe I am.
It’s hurtful for me just reading the article. Just imagine if it had been written about me?
Not only is the fashion industry geared towards skinny, tiny, boyish figures but the “entertainment” industry is also geared towards making the average woman feel so inadequate as a sexy female it’s almost heart wrenching. No wonder us ladies of average size succumb to baggy clothes that hide our features instead of accentuating them. No wonder so many of us are stuck in the over sized t-shirts and ill-fitted jeans trying to make it work - all to avoid the scornful and judgmental scowls and looks of others.
I for one feel as though if I try and dress up and try to look my best, I’m just judged as a fat person trying to fit in to clothes that aren’t made for my figure.
How can I not when I am confronted with shit like this at the checkout line, on the television and every. damn. day. we’re told - Hey! You’re Fat! You Fat SLOB!
When did we become so full of self hatred that this behaviour became acceptable? When did we lose all compassion for others feelings that this lack of judgment was deemed to be “the norm”?
It’s truly embarrassing to be a human being sometimes.
