FAT Girl Vs. SKINNY Girl

I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about something that bothers me, a lot. Every once in awhile you see pictures pop on on Facebook or email with pictures of skinny or fat women followed by a judgement of some kind. We are criticized for being too skinny, and are equally criticized for being fat. I guess I understand somewhat the media's need to categorize and exploit the looks of celebrities in order to sell magazines, but I don't really understand the voracity of which we as women attack each other. How many times have you been out with a heavier girl (myself included) to hear her scoff at a skinny girl? 'She could use a sandwich.' or 'I bet she's going to go throw that burger up when she's done', or my personal favorite 'Skinny bitch!'. The opposite is also true, skinny girls will point and laugh at fat girls, etc. etc. etc.

The reason why this bothers me so much is that no one seems to care if anyone is HEALTHY. A girl that's a perfect BMI for her age and height might live an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle and have serious health issues, while a girl who is 20 pounds over weight might be incredibly healthy and live a clean, active lifestyle. My point is that you just don't know. The reverse is also true, a girl who is a few pounds under weight might be trying desperately to put on a few pounds and might actually be really healthy, she may in fact eat more than an over weight girl. I understand that we have a tendency to attack or insult when we feel insecure or jealous, but it doesn't make us feel good and it doesn't make it right. We all have a tendency to see in others what we don't like about ourselves, if you've been skinny your entire life it's easier to mock a curvy girl than it is to acknowledge your own insecurities.

Both ends of the spectrum think they have it the worst. Skinny girls get teased, fat girls get teased. Why do we let this unfortunate similarity drive us apart? Why not use it to bring us together? Instead of standing on one side of the line or the other with fingers pointed, why not get rid of the line? We shouldn't be teaching our children that 'fat' is bad and that 'skinny' is ok, we need to focus on getting them to understand what HEALTHY is, and that it can be different things for different people. Not one person has the same chemistry, genes, and body structure, we shouldn't be setting the same fitness goals for every person. It is so much more than calories in, calories out. When you do the research you come to realize that we actually know very little about metabolic processes and the sources of obesity. There are many factors to consider and there just isn't enough information to make judgments like we so often do.

The only thing that matters is that when YOU look in the mirror, you know that what you're looking at is your personal best. It doesn't matter if that's 105 pounds or 185. Do YOU know that you're getting adequate nutrition, exercise, and psychological stimulation? The next time you get out of the shower, take a few minutes to really look at yourself and ask that very question. If there's something about you that you'd like to improve, the next time you see someone without that issue COMPLIMENT them, ASK them how they achieved it. I bet you'll have more knowledge and feel more empowered than if you had slung an insult or let jealousy get the best of you.

I've gotten a little heat about the title of this blog (the 'fat asses' bit) and I would just like to say this. At the end of the day, the words 'fat' and 'skinny' really don't mean anything. It's about your perception of yourself and how you fit into the world around you. I can joke about the size of my rear end because I see it's flaws, accept the way it is, and now I'm doing something about it. Having a sense of humor about how you see yourself is a great way to stay positive and to break down barriers, whether you're a 'fat' girl or a 'skinny' girl. We need to support each other as women regardless of what weight we are and remember that you can always learn something from someone, whether they're a size 2 or 20.

-Meg
xoxo