Very recently a friend Tweeted an advertisement for H&M, specifically their plus size line. Now, coming from a girl that in high fashion standards would be considered plus but in most stores not, the H&M model that was advertising these clothes looked skinnier than me, in fact, she just looked like a healthy woman. Again, in a class last year I watched a video that showed what a plus size model looked like before and after Photoshop, and the changes were dramatic. These things also happen to models that fall below plus size standards. I think we've come a long way in terms of how advertisements portray people, especially women, but it's alarming to me that the issue is still quite as prevalent as it is.
Just an example of the models that they use...
Growing up I was never what you would call skinny. I've always been curvier and my weight has fluctuated. Very recently, I've gotten to a weight that I am not happy with, so in efforts to be healthier (not skinnier), I've jumped back on the losing weight wagon. The more I think about it, the more I realize that people's perceptions of themselves are so negatively affected by what they see. I have a girlfriend (two actually, now that I think about it) that are stick thin, and I've talked to both of them about the struggles of being that size and how they feel compared to other women. For the record, they are beautiful and I'm not just saying that because they are some of my very best friends. What I mean to say is that in this day in age, in my generation in particular, it's not okay to be any size. If you do not look like a Victoria Secret's Model, you will always struggle in terms of how the public will see you and how men assume you should be.
For example, very recently, a friend of mine tried to set me up with a distant friend (I hate being set up for the record). I reluctantly obliged and we began texting. A few days in he finally asked for my Facebook or Instagram and so I told him my username on Instagram. Within 5 minutes of requesting me, he had blocked me. I assume he didn't like what he saw and coming from a girl whose dealt with this her whole life, I assume it had something to do with the fact that I wasn't stick thin. I was angry, but motivated. It motivated me at the gym and it motivated me here. Why is it that so much of life is based on someone's looks? It was Martin Luther King Jr. that requested he be judged by the content of his character and he was on to something then and its still applicable now.
There's been a recent surge in posts about eating disorders coming from Thought Catalog. Generally I am a fan of their site and as a journalist, I am a fan of free speech, but I think in some cases they are bridging a very difficult gap. There was one post that detailed that positives of an eating disorder. I was appalled and while I understand that a woman is entitled to her opinion, I couldn't help but worry about the effect it could have on a young girl perusing the internet.
We have to start grooming the younger generations to become health-concerned not skinny-concerned. It's sad to see such a warped perception of bodies in advertisements because it is not the case. We don't look like models, we aren't perfectly airbrushed, but to young girls and increasingly, young men, we are and that's how they believe they to be. It's sad if you ask me and a lot of work has to be done.
Celebrating HEALTH at the top of a mountain
