For my entire life, I’ve been fat.
Hearing me say that invokes such a strong reaction, doesn’t it? We think “fat” is a terrible forbidden word because society conditioned us that way. You’d rather I call myself chubby or curvy or plus-sized or chunky or any other plethora of euphemisms.
But now, I don’t see it that way. It’s simply a word that describes my body and not my character, worth or even my health.
Since the magazine Cosmopolitan featured plus-sized model Tess Holliday on their UK cover for their October issue, many people would like to dispute my previous comment. People all over the internet are claiming having Holliday on the cover “glorifying obesity” and “being a bad influence on health.” Even celebrities like Piers Morgan shared this sentiment on his social media.
Even people on my facebook claim this!
Society isn’t glorifying obesity by putting a size 22 model on a magazine cover. The diet industry makes $66 billion dollars each year, because the majority of people don’t want to be seen as “fat.” Every clothing store, aside from those specifically for plus-sized customers, only makes clothes designed for people with narrow body types. Most celebrities we see have thin waists and slim legs. I could go on and on with how often the ideal of thinness is present and glorified in society. The fact is, nobody is out there saying to themselves, “Damn, I should really put on 70 pounds to become so much better looking and accepted by society!”
Women have their size scrutinized more than men. One blogger, Stephanie Yeboah, illustrates this double standard in her Tweet on Sept. 4.
There’s little to no outrage about magazine covers that featured men such as Kevin James, Rick Ross, or James Corden. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say “I’m worried about Jack Black‘s health and I don’t think he should be in movies and on television looking like he does. What would my kids think?” Of course, weight based stigma effects all genders. It just seems to be more prevalent towards women.
But you know what I have heard people say? People have told me I shouldn’t dance or perform on stage because of my weight. Perhaps I should try to wear more flattering clothes and make myself look smaller. If I had a good
personality and wore makeup, someone would look past the size I wear. I thought that way when I was younger and unaware of the Body Positivity Movement. It’s thanks to people like Holliday that I now feel encouraged to wear what I want and not be ashamed for taking up the space that I do.
My health, Tess Holliday’s health, and anyone else’s in none of your concern. Think about the last time you saw a thin person you didn’t know eating something fried or sugary. Were you going to say anything about their health? Then you shouldn’t say something like that to any person.
In an interview with Holliday in 2017, she stated that “visibility is important, it’s important to look at a magazine or go online and see somebody who looks like you, because that’s what literally saves lives.” She also mentions how she wishes to see more women of color and people who identify in different communities and abilities. Holliday’s appearance on the cover of Cosmo isn’t about glorifying obesity, it’s about glorifying the person you are and not conforming to what society thinks you should be.
