Tuesday, April 24, 2012

THE SKINNY ON BEING SKINNY

I'm sure by now you will have read in some blog, news site or paper about the picture that brought Alexa Chung a twitter inferno over her weight...


THE INSTAGRAM PIC OF ALEXA CHUNG AND HER MOM
THAT CREATED A TWITTER STORM


The UK Mirror quotes one of her followers as saying "I'm going to be very honest. I look at this picture and think, 'This is a woman not eating.' Thus I worry for women everywhere."
In another report I read, a comment at the bottom of the page goes on about the whole fashion-celebrity-projecting-healthy image thing. What if it is not about an image? What if Alexa is just a naturally skinny girl who doesn't have to be skipping meals to stay skinny? It is no secret that I'm a fan of Alexa Chung's style- I have that on my twitter bio- and this is by no means a tirade by an angry fan. This is something that's been on my own mind for a very long time.
Being 'thinspo' myself I know how it feels to be accused of being anorexic. The other day, after I appeared on the VUZU show '10 over 10' some girl tweeted something along the lines of how I look like my CD-4 count is below negative. It doesn't bother me really (I've had to live with her types since primary school and at some point in my life I didn't even own a pair of shorts, convinced it would set me up to be the subject of thunderous laughter). 
What bothers me is that people with weight issues want to make their problems mine. Just because you can't eat an entire bucket of those oh-so-delicious KFC zingerwings because your love handles will start bulging out over your jeans does not mean the same is true for the rest of us. I chow those wings without batting an eyelid! Moral of the story; don't make your problems mine!
If Alexa Chung maintains that her weight is not a result of self-mutilation (which I think starving oneself is) then who are we to judge? Are you bothered by your own weight so much you must make others feel like they've done something wrong? Must she be apologetic for having a following and start taking fat-inducing nutri-shakes (or whatever you call it) to play 'healthy image' role model to the children you are failing to be a parent to? 
Let us not let our own insecurities be the burden of others. Deal with your own crap!

3 comments:

MeeA said...

Well said!

I have also always been slim. In my case, there was a period during my teens when I would binge and purge. And in early adulthood, there were times I just wouldn't eat. Not because I wanted to lose weight, but because I simply wasn't hungry.
Four kids later and in my 30's, I've started drinking protein shakes to supplement my diet because I can't afford not to feed my body but I'm still not really hungry. (Not to mention the whole parenting aspect of it all.)

I still fall just short of 50kg.

Anonymous said...

I donno what to call myself anymore! I think am fat, every1 else calls it thick! Wtf does it matter??? F* the world and its standards... Am healthy regardless of my size and I wear what I want! Let's stop this #team anything nonsense and let ppl live!

Unknown said...

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