Thank God for Kate Moss. If she and her likeness weren't around, where would we all be? I'll tell you, living in an absolute mess of fat and unhappiness. A generation's self esteem flushed down the toilet without her and all that she represents. Let's all give a big round of applause for the Kate Mosses of the world! Can you imagine how miserable our lives would be if we didn't realize how unhappy we were being fat?
... hang on. Wait. For just... wait.
Here's the thing: just for laughs Google the following: 'pro ana' and 'thinspiration'. Perhaps you're already aware about the under current of support people with eating disorders give each other via the web. Perhaps you, like me, see the pictures of girls with protruding rib cages and think "... you know, I think I can snap that girl in half over my knee". At first glance, it seems as though these websites are support groups for those with eating disorder: You are not alone! Together we are strong and can "get through this"
However, if you look with a critical eye, notice the line that these girls draw between supporting others with eating disorders and then where they begin "feeding" into and supporting the actual sickness. Check out the "tips" for keeping your weight low and hiding your weight loss to your loved ones. I actually read that in one brave (and sadly misinformed) girl's blog. Their tips, while some seem healthy enough (drinking lots of water and getting lots of sleep), most are actually overwhelming unhealthy and detrimental to your body.
Before you continue on, check out this video. Note the sick messages mixed in with the skewed positive ones:
Inspired yet? Or feel like crying? I know how I felt after I watched it...
Now, you may be thinking that everyone has already heard and been made aware about eating disorders and social pressure to be thin. It's been thoroughly addressed by many sources everywhere. I thought that, too, and it's a fair enough belief to hold, because eating disorders and their extremities have been exposed to the public, its true. Nowadays, we know better and no one is going to try and brush off eating disorders as an unimportant issue. I certainly am not aiming to do that here, anorexia nervosa and bulimia are very real and can become absolutely lethal fast to sufferers.
However, the publicity of eating disorders has turned the whole issue into a cliche. It's old now, it's been held up to the light and addressed in every teen magazine forever. It's taught the lesson that dying to be thin is not the answer. Everyone knows better than to succumb to what society tells us is beautiful. Right?
So why are there people who still want themselves to look like walking skeletors? Who want to look like if a wind picked up, they'd be swept away? Who look like if you touched them, kissed them, fucked them, they would quite literally break?
Why do people (mainly females, but males, too) still subscribe to this illness of mind and body? Well, to start with, we can thank good ol' western society. I quote a sarcastic and brilliant lyric from Jim Morrison's (The Doors') song, "The End"- "The west is the best". We can focus on thanking the Best West for three things here:
1.) Letting supermodels have power and exposure to the masses by putting great value on their job. Thanks for letting the supermodels make more money than, say, nurses or teachers. Think about it. That's sick. That is backwards. If models went on strike tomorrow... who would really give a damn? Who would be directly effected? Teachers go on strike- we don't get our education. Nurses go on strike, people could die. And yet... who makes the money and who is tagged as the 'role model'?
2.) Thanks for letting this twisted, unhealthy 'thinsation' ideology ran rampant and become the dominating image in all advertising. Skinny models, men and women, are everywhere. But, think about this: are they really the only ones who look good in those jeans, or have we been conditioned to believe their body type is the kind that looks the best? Could a hockey playing girl, weighing in at 150 lbs, kicking ass and taking names, really look worse than that 100 lb model in a pair of stupid fucking jeans??
Anyway,
3.) And this is the real kicker: not only does all advertising and branding promote being thin thin thin, it actual devalues and sets of a tone of discrimination towards larger women and even gives off a legitimate sense of misogyny (ie, the hatred of women). Case in point:
This ad concisely says this: in order for that woman to be attractive, a person (man) needs to be completely smashed and severely judgment impaired. You see that fat woman? She is repulsive right now, so drink our beer until you can't see properly and then have sex with her.
Before I continue with my rant, I want to make clear that, contrastingly, obesity should not become more acceptable in society either. We should not simply eat whatever we want, whenever we want, and let the chips fall where they may. That's another unhealthy extreme: just as refusing to eat any more than two celery stalks a day is an unhealthy extreme.
The point is, that woman in that ad is stigmatized as completely worthless, lesser than that of a stick-thin model with artificial breasts. No one, anywhere, would find her attractive. They need a ton of booze in their body to even approach her. To be thin and dying is to be beautiful and desirable. To be any "more" than that is worthless.
By now, hopefully you're thinking, "Well I don't believe that. I think that there's more to a person than their weight and appearance". We all want to think that, right? We all want to be wise to the skinny propaganda and fight against it.
So why are these images still prevalent in the media? Why are the skinnies everywhere? Why aren't there healthy people? With realistic bodies that reconstruct our skewed view of beautiful? If so many people believe they are wise to the urge to purge and the thinsation, why is it still everywhere? Because we still consume it. It's promoted everywhere we turn, so how can we not absorb at least some of it? The people in power (what are called the 'power elites') are plugging it into every mass audience outlet and it is an uphill battle. I recognize that and I'm sure you do to.
BUT we can stop it. Homiez: don't let eating disorder exposure fatigue set in. Remember why all this skinny propaganda is backward, unhealthy, and conditionally homogenized into our lives. Keep fighting the fight and spreading awareness. Look critically at the ads, bitch to your friends when you notice sexism and ageism and freaking weight-ism, and look to people you know and love for inspiration in all aspects of your life, especially where your health is concerned.
Fuck the Kate Mosses of the world. Let's grab a chicken salad sandwich, a fruit smoothie, and go for a walk by the water and listen to our favourite band.
I end my rant with the video "Miss Amercvnt" by: Die Mannequin:
Fight the power, UH!! =]
Love, peace, and health to all y'all
xo.