The Truth About Being Skinny

I would never tell someone that they look ‘too fat,’ so why do people think it is acceptable to tell someone that they look ‘too skinny’? Either way, it is judging someone’s body, which is unacceptable. Unfortunately, we live in a world where it has become okay to comment on how skinny someone is, thinking it is a compliment. However, it would be outrageous to comment on the body image of an overweight person. Being thin is a desirable thing for women when it comes to public opinion, nevertheless most people do not understand or realize that being naturally thin is not as good as it seems. Similar to being overweight, it comes with unwanted issues, naturally thin individuals not only experience skinny stigma but also exclusion from typical mainstream products and difficulty in desired weight gaining.

You know those disapproving glances that overweight people get? Well believe it or not, skinny people get that as well, it is called skinny stigma. When people see a thin person, they immediately conclude that they are anorexic, unhealthy, and not well fed. However some do not keep their thoughts to themselves, they display them by giving looks of disgust and disapproval. Some even believe it is appropriate to approach thin strangers and tell them to eat more, to change their body. Many may believe that if you have a thigh gap, and a flat stomach, there’s nothing to be insecure about, they are mistaken. In 2012, Cameron Russel, an American Fashion Model, shared her experience as a model on TedTalks, a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas. Cameron talked about how even models are insecure, despite their ‘slender build’. “People ask me what it is like to be a model, and I think the answer that they are looking for is, if you are a little bit skinnier and you have shinier hair you will be so happy and fabulous.” she shares. “The thing that we never say on camera, that I have never said on camera is, I am insecure, and I am insecure because I have to think about what I look like, every day” (Looks aren't everything. Believe me, I'm a model.). Models are idols; they are considered perfection, and what women desire to look like. To hear from a model, that even the most beautiful and skinny people are insecure, it changes perspectives of many people. When she her reason of being insecure, it makes the audience feel connected, because majority of people are insecure for the same reason. Media has a powerful influence on what kind of body is an “ideal body image,” and what woman should strive for. This has caused several mental health problems, like “anorexia and bulimia” (Perfect Body Image). In 2004, Dove launched the ‘Real Beauty’ campaign, it featured woman of bigger sizes,” lacking tall thin variety of woman” (Blackett). Perceptibly, the campaign’s intentions were to help overweight woman feel accepted in society, to feel comfortable and confident. However, this campaign had negative effects as well that many people may not identify. Some people began to “accept the rejection of unnatural skinny body types as a welcome change”, which made naturally slim women feel hated and cause them to develop feelings of shame and insecurity (Blackett). There are many ads and magazines that focus on the fact that “curvy women are ‘real women’ and slim women are not.” Media’s attempt to promote a positive body image by putting a ‘curvy girl,’ and ‘real bodies’ into magazines adds pressure to both underweight and overweight women. Does one’s body really define whether they are a ‘real women’ and that their body is ‘real’? It is a shame that majority of people do not seem to comprehend that comments about one’s weight can be upsetting regardless of what body shape one has. This has affected me significantly, I often get stares when I am shopping, or just walking about in public. I get that my body is quite ‘extraordinary’, in the way that it is not what people see on a daily basis, however the looks of disgust and