P.S Sincerely, Adventure

feministblackboard:

OPEN FORUM FOR DISCUSSION

stupidityinmyhead wrote in saying the following:

”Women do not need to be SKINNY. But we DO need to be healthy. Articles, media etc. encouraging unhealthy people to stay overweight and unhealthy in order to “be comfortable with themselves” annoy me just as much as the media encouraging weight loss.

Eating healthy does NOT equal a diet where you have to starve yourselves and live on carrots and lettuce and work out for 8 hours a day. It means staying active, resting and eating what you want without completely living on McDonald’s.

Why is it that people only see the two extremes (skinny, ED’s vs fat, unhealthy etc.) and not the middle position of this argument? “

I personally will not comment on this one. The only reason being because I want to make this an open forum for you to voice your own opinion on what was said. If I say more I’ll muddle the begining opinion. Ready… GO!

The media makes NOT being skinny not only unhealthy but undesirable and unattractive. What are we if we aren’t attractive in this society? How will we eeeevvveeerrr get a suitable mate? (sarcasm). Its evident in the weightloss ads, depicting women who are heavier as being extremely unhappy seemingly depressed but once that weight drops away POOF! They’re all smiles and giggles frolicking around on the beach in their new bikinis. Also who wants to be friends with the big girl right? Psychology teaches us that we have a need to feel close to others, whether they be intimate partners or friends. The media shows us how larger people are treated. unfairly, cruelly, and just sad.

In my personal experience i’ve never desired to be skinny. skinny to me is not attractive. My community (i’m an african-american woman) puts emphasis on curves, and having a thicker body is desired by many black males. I can think back to as early as the 6th grade seeing the girls in videos and how they were “thick” and how i was just this average sized girl…needless to say when i picked up weight i was happy..i was getting compliments and getting noticed. Now as i grow older I still feel as though skinny would not be attractive on me, but I recognize the need to be healthy.

what the WORLD needs to recognize is that someone who is overweight can actually be healthy. genetics do play a factor in weight gain/loss. But i know its hard to feel beautiful in a world that values thinness which is probably why the extremes only exist in people’s eyes.