I have always been naturally skinny. Most females reading that probably hate me. Well before you stop reading entirely, hear me out. Being naturally thin is not as great as it might sound.

For 19 years, I smiled, awkwardly laughed, and tried to pretend that any of the stereotypical comments about being thin were at all complimentary. Here are some of my favorites: “Do you eat?,” “We’ve got to put some meat on those bones!,” or the most awkward of all, “Where does it all go?” I obviously cannot speak for every thin woman out there, but I know that I do not find these comments complimentary or funny. Why is it that asking, “Do you eat?” is a funny joke whereas saying, “You sure eat,” is a no-no?

If you know me at all, you know that I eat…a lot. In fact, my appetite has always been a source of amusement for those close to me. One day in high school, I remember a girl asked me if I had an eating disorder. When I went home that day and told my mom, she burst into laughter and responded, “If only she knew what you ate!” While I felt relieved to laugh it off with my mom, the sting of that question stayed with me to this day. To ask someone if they have an eating disorder is not only suggesting that they look physically unhealthy, but that they suffer from a mental illness as well. I was stunned that someone who barely knew me said this to my face.

However, this girl was not intentionally putting me down. In her mind, the question was not offensive. I understand that our society glamorizes being stick thin. That does not mean that we need to shame women for supposedly conforming to some standard. Those types of comments are what contribute to females having self-esteem issues whether they are curvy, thin, or somewhere in-between.

I will be the first to tell you that being thin is not glamorous. For example, people practically verbally assault me if I ever dare say I need to work out. I know I’m not fat. I also know that I can’t run two blocks without feeling like I’m going to pass out. Skinniness is not a guarantee of healthiness.

Furthermore, I am excluded from the sisterhood of curvy women. I constantly hear the phrase, "real women have curves." WHAT does that mean? Am I not a real person? In the beautiful words of Nicki Minaj, “F**k those skinny bitches.” Thanks Nicki, I really appreciate that shout-out.

I want to appeal to all the girls whose only dream it is to be skinny. I am jealous of you, in a way,
just like you are jealous of me. It’s the nature of being a woman, or maybe just a human being. We never feel good enough because we always want what we can’t have. I simply ask that we take the same precautions and use the same courtesy when speaking to skinny women that we do when talking to or about curvy women. Because body shaming is body shaming no matter who it is about. Remember that.