Introduction
Nowadays, people are suffering from stereotypes about perfect bodies being projected on them. We have to be thin, with long legs and slim waists, while other body types should not be deemed beautiful and especially worthy of attention. Unfortunately, body shaming is a real issue in the modern world, and if everyone remains with such opinions on the matter, it is unlikely that people will start feeling comfortable in their bodies. Yet, for now, individuals who do not fit the imaginary body standard have to struggle with depression, countless insecurities, and intrusive thoughts.
Discussion
The struggles that children experience with accepting and getting to know their bodies should not be made more complicated by grown-ups. I agree with Aubrey Gordon that adults sometimes feel entitled to have an opinion on their appearance and what they do with their life (para 7). Naturally, countless remarks from people that are supposed to be wiser and with more experience make you more insecure with each piece of advice they deem reasonable. When thinking about the real problem here, fundamental questions arise: Why do people feel that their opinion matters, and why do people dare to judge you by how you look? It feels unfair and absurd that adults cannot understand what an adverse impact such comments made on the child’s perception of oneself and self-esteem. Yet another issue here is that people should not have the power to call some bodies beautiful and others ugly.
People used to and continue to think that having a body type that does not fit the stereotyped norms is a crime, shame, and disgrace. It is wrong to chase the perfect body standards for children when the only thing that matters is that they are healthy. I believe that Aubrey Gordon is right to suggest that those who think 90-60-90 is more important than being healthy in your own body are fatphobic (para 13). Running campaigns to encourage being skinny and raging an unannounced war on obesity is the real problem here and not the children’s complexions.
What is more, it is ridiculous to think that having a different body type from the popular models or so-called body norms is a problem or a disease. People should not be differentiated based on their body types since it is not what matters – their health is. In her article, Aubrey Gordon mentions the campaign with the slogan that aims at solving “the problem of obesity within a generation” (para 15). Yet it is wrong to name a body type that does not fit the stereotypes as a problem or something people should fear or avoid at all costs. People are forced to skip their meals and detox their bodies just to fit the image of the perfect complexion, which is the biggest crime of all.
Conclusion
To conclude, people got it wrong when they started thinking that being skinny was the goal of their lives. On the contrary, no one should be depressed because of the insecurities that are planted in people’s heads by those who blindly follow the stereotypes and are afraid to think differently. The words like skinny, thin, thick, or fat should not be used when describing someone’s body. It is of no relevance what body types people have as people should focus on being healthy and not harming their bodies.
Work Cited
Gordon, Aubrey. “Leave Fat Kids Alone.” The New York Times, Web.