It's no secret that I am a very skinny girl. I have been small my entire life and haven't been able to do anything about it. But in all reality, being skinny isn't always a blessing. A lot of people want to be skinny and look good in a bikini, but some days I wish I wasn't as skinny. Because of how small I am, it makes it hard to find clothes that fit me properly. For example, skinny jeans look baggy and T-shirts look huge on me. This is why I don't always enjoy clothes shopping. Every time I go shopping, I walk in the dressing room with a lot of cute clothes that I want to wear and come out almost empty handed. It makes me feel very frustrated and insecure.
If I had a dollar for every time someone made a comment on my size or how much I eat, I would be rich. Many people like to comment on how tiny I am and like to tell me to "put more meat on my bones." Trust me, I would if I could. I have never actually figured out why, but to put it simply, I just get full more easily than others, and I can't fit very much into my stomach. This is most likely why I am as small as I am. I can't fix it, and I can't just eat more food. My body doesn't work that way. But not everyone knows that about me. And even if they do, they still think it's OK to comment about how little I eat and how skinny I am. This also makes me feel insecure.
I believe body shaming goes both ways. People like to body shame those that are more on the heavy side and people body shame skinny people as well, but without knowing it. They don't know the reason that those people are skinny or not skinny. There could be a medical reason or something serious that they are going through that causes them to be the size they are. Body shaming skinny people can often go unnoticed because society wants us to believe that skinny is better. Skinny isn't always better. It can be just as difficult for someone to be skinny as it is for someone to be fat, but people don't always see that.
I have often wanted to tell people how their comments on my size really affect me, but the comments happen so often, and sometimes from people I don't know on a personal level, that it isn't worth it. There are a few people that know I don't like when they comment on my size, but even they sometimes add to the comments, so it is as if they forget how it makes me feel. I know that most of these comments are meant in a joking way and not meant to hurt my feelings, but sometimes they are hurtful and I take them very seriously.
I wanted to get my feelings out in hopes that people will understand that skinny people often feel insecure and ashamed of how they look, even if other people may not think so. If you are reading this and you know you are one of those people that has made comments to me before, I hope you know that this is not an attack on you. I know that you mean well. I am just writing to make people aware that they should think about what they are saying to people that are smaller before they actually say it. So next time you feel the need to say something to someone that is very skinny, think about how that would make you feel if you were in their position. It may surprise you.
