Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Body image

Real and Curvy vs. Fake and Thin.
Curvy and Happy vs. Thin and Miserable.

I came upon these two headlines in two separate gossip mags recently.

Now, what I don't understand is why is THIN always associated with misery or fakeness?

Are we trying to promote some kind of war or conflict between those who are curvy and those who are thin?

Chances are, the intention is to shift the obsession to be thin promoted by the celebrity culture by associating thinness with negativity and to make curvy people more body-confident so that they don't succumb to the thin-obsession.

While curviness is being promoted and complimented and taken care of, is this fair to thin people?

It is not true that all thin people are so because they are fakery produced through surgery or plastic, or hours of misery in the gym, or torturous diets, or an obsession with being stick-thin.

Some people are naturally thin. They can eat a whole cow and still remain so.

Some people did not choose to be thin. They can be due to hormonal imbalance for example.

Some people chose to be slim. They eat in moderation and exercise regularly not to become thin, but to maintain their fitness.

The thing is: The people who associate thinness with misery or curviness with happiness or vice versa, are the ones who are having a body image problem.

The problem is: They are projecting this idea onto everybody.

What is the problem is being thin when being curvy is not?
What is the problem with having a condition which makes you thin when having a condition which makes you curvy is not?
What is the problem with choosing to be slim when choosing to be curvy is not?

We always see curvy people as being pressurized by the society to be thin, but try looking from another perspective: Thin people are pressurized to put on weight the same way.

I have seen naturally thin people being labelled as anorexics/bimbo-tic wanna-be models/etc.

I have friends who tried so hard to put on an extra kilogram due to stress all the while getting more stress from friends, family and doctors to "save her own life, or else no one will".

I have friends who simply want to be fit being called a gym-freak/pretentious/vain/etc.

How is this fair?
What we are seeking to achieve is for everyone to be "at peace with their own body image", isn't it?

While it is an issue when people regardless of body type go to extreme measures which could endanger their health to get the body they want, deliberately stating a line by categorizing and associating two different but equally beautiful body type with opposing elements is definitely no the way. I believe so.

It is alright to be curvy and happy as it is alright to be thin and happy.
This is because, you are happy when you are at peace with your very own body.
And that is all that matters.

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