I have something to tell you, and you are probably not going to like it. I am completely and totally against the ban on superskinny models because although they are undoubtedly protecting a small number of desperate souls, they are encouraging obesity and skewing reality. Why do I feel this way?
Funny story. Not really, but that just seems like a good way to get the ball rolling. I went to the mall today to exchange a pair of boots. (The complete details of this fiasco are at The College Girl’s Guide.) A woman I have never met before, who I had never seen before because I was quietly minding my own business, and whom I had obviously never spoken to before commented while I was inspecting the fit of a pair of boots that I might better fill out the calf if I ate a hamburger once in awhile.
Another funny story. Again, not really, but now I think I am going for some sort of symbolism or symmetry in my writing. I was standing next to a good friend at a small party when some guy we didn’t really know, and had never spoken to before walked by and said to her, “You should eat a cheeseburger.” Same friend, different night. We were standing in my house at a party for my boyfriend snacking on chips and salsa and casually drinking our pomegranite martinis when a different guy walked up, grabbed her elbow, and upon inspection declared that she should probably eat a hamburger.
Where do people get off assuming that just because the general population needs to lose a few pounds, those of us who most certainly do not are somehow unhealthy or disordered as well? And at what point did they unanimously decide that the cure was a hamburger? I can only speak for myself and my friend, but neither of us are actually below the suggested BMI. (Actually, truthfully, she might be, but I am positive I am not because I just checked.) And furthermore, both of us eat not only a lot of food, but we both truly love it. The running joke is that we are really fat kids trapped in tiny little bodies, but the reality is we know when to indulge and when to eat, and maybe more importantly when to stop eating and just walk away.
That is why I disagree with the weight restrictions on models. They are telling women who are my height and weight that they are not the right weight, either. Apparently, not only is fat bad, but now so is thing. The world seems to be declaring that every woman in the world needs to fall into a 10 pounds weight range, and I’m gonna guess that some fat, old balding man with a bulimic wife is assisting with the spewing of this crap. On behalf of women everywhere, screw this! Eat what you want, when you want. I don’t care if you’re fat or thin, I just want everyone to get over this more recent obsession in humanity, and stop obsessing over the perfect weight.
