Real Women Have Curves?

Discussing women's bodies is nothing new and the backlash against skinny women has been happening for quite awhile. Recently on Facebook, I had several male friends share a picture stating their love for curvy "real" women. These are good guys and I'm not trying to call them out, but I don't think that they really stopped to think about the negative aspects of the statement.

I cringe at the idea that only "real" women have curves. I cringe at the idea that a "real" woman fits into one particular body type. 

Personally, I see through this anti-skinny woman movement. It's not really about promoting all body types, it's about insecurity. It's about putting down one thing, to make yourself feel better. A secure person would leave body type out of it and celebrate the other attributes that a woman brings to the table. Instead, our society is catty towards what it is not. Insecure people mock those who are different to make themselves feel better. At the moment, it seems somewhat acceptable to put down thin women, because there is a fat acceptance movement going on.  I'm not saying that fat women are no longer picked on, only that there is a slight shift in what is acceptable.

Neither should be acceptable.  

I'm neither skinny nor fat. I am quite average. That being said I think this might be a case where talking about the issue is making it an issue. Women go nuts discussing and focusing on their bodies, it doesn't matter if they're fat or skinny. By pitting body types against each other, we are only amplifying the issue. 

I've observed one commonality, no matter what your body type is, only very insecure women are catty towards other women's bodies.   Actually, scratch that...only insecure PEOPLE are catty towards other PEOPLE'S bodies. Men can be catty too.

So what really bothered me about the Facebook posts were that they seemed well intended, but were ultimately damaging. It's 100% okay to prefer curvy women to skinny women. Everyone has a type that they are attracted to. It's okay. However, it's not okay to place a certain body type over another beyond personal preference, like one in inheriently superior. There is enough insecurity regarding body type, that it doesn't need to be reinforced.

The worst of it is people are born with their body types. Sure, you could lose or gain weight through your actions, however there is only so much that you can do to change your shape. I know that no amount of dieting will ever take away my curves. I have friends who have thin with relatively flat bodies and it's not because they are starving themselves.  

The focus should be on health and acceptance towards all shapes. Also, if a person happens to not be in the best health ( overeating/food disorders), then accept them too and be a positive voice, rather than a hateful one.  

I hope that we have a societal shift and that future generations realize "real" women (and men) come in all shapes and sizes.