We all experience body shaming in some format. Whether it comes from various forms of media, what you think you should look like, or the mouths and glances of those around you, it has probably come to your attention at some point that your physical appearance is not as "good as it could be" in all of that unattainable standard's glory. All of us have been told in our formative years, directly or subliminally, that our bodies our souls reside in do not match The Standard that the world deems valuable. We have recognized that this is a toxic infection, and can only lead to overall dissatisfaction and unhealthy "fad diets" and everyone - men and women both included - are affected through this infection. Thankfully, in recent years there has been a shift of ideals. The idea of Body Positivity is being revered, and what is considered to be Body Shaming is, on the whole, publicly disapproved of. In recent years, we have seen awareness grow about what to do when you or your friend has an eating disorder, why you should be excited to be a size 6, and companies that are encouraging Healthy Bodies Campaigns, showing just how excited they are to be showing you self- love!
However, there's a surprisingly low amount of discussion on how to prevent body shaming for women and girls that are naturally under their allocated weight range. This lack of discussion is harmful. There is an idea with all this body positivity that larger, curvier women should be celebrated instead of the "anorexic" models seen everywhere. While it is true that companies should choose models that represent a wide range of diverse, healthy individuals to represent their products to demographics, there is a stereotype that grew out of this process that hinted that *naturally* skinny individuals looked anorexic. This creates a phenomenon of young girls trying to gain weight in order to not appear "anorexic", "shallow", "bony" or "unfeminine".
When I was younger, like many people that are starting to think about their appearance, I prayed to have my body change. I was naturally skinny, and short for my age, and I never viewed it as as large of a so-called "blessing" many people like to think it is. There seems to be a precise measurement of what a person should be- not too large, but not too skinny either. That was where I wanted to be. I was in the latter category. Many people that grew up skinny faced a similar name calling situation as those that are overweight, just reversed. I hated that people thought I looked younger and that all of my friends would make passive aggressive comments on how skinny I was. I found that there was nothing that I could do growing up to make myself larger, so I was stuck. I had a fast metabolism, and it didn't like to keep my energy in storage.
I know there are so many who want to bring about body positivity- and there should be. It is a great cause to want to make everyone feel comfortable in their own skin. If you want to normalize that "any body is a bikini body" don't make young girls feel bad for not having curves. Just because body positivity looks different on someone that is naturally skinny, that does not mean that it should be looked down upon in any form.
Also: Please, never, ever say anything along the lines of "Real men want curves, dogs want bones" or any ghastly variety thereof that insinuates that because a woman is skinny, they are sending the wrong message. All my life I've been told in subtle (and not so subtle ways) that I am too skinny. If you are trying to encourage one body type by belittling another, then you are no more empowering than any other bully one would find on a schoolground.
If you are naturally skinny, take pride in the fact that you are healthy! You have the same right to be Body Positive as everyone else. You get to own your vessel any way you want. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. You may not fit The Standard, but no one does anyway. Besides, it's always been more fun to break the rules.
