When thinking of Oprah’s magazine, one might expect topics of love, compassion, and above all, acceptance to fill its pages. But the most recent edition that hit the stands on July 8 had a statement that was far from what we all expect out of something with Oprah's name on it. Giving "fashion advice," the magazine proudly claimed that you can pull off a crop top "if (and only if)" you had a flat stomach.
What's shocking about this, despite the fact that people still think they have the right to tell other people what they should wear, is that Oprah has been a victim of body-shaming in her own life. Oprah has had fluctuations with her weight her whole life, and she has expressed
her own fight with self-confidence amidst all of the shaming that she constantly receives. She has fought to encourage women to be comfortable in their own skin in the midst of her own battles. So, why did her magazine print such a shameful comment? This narrow-minded way of thinking has prevailed in the fashion industry for as long as it has been around. But people today are not allowing magazines to tell them what they should look like anymore, and the hashtag created by this fiasco, #rockthecrop, is proving just that.
Quickly, fashion bloggers and people from all over the world started to combat this absurd statement. Writer Tamar Anitai turned to Instagram to discredit it, explaining that women should wear what makes them feel powerful, and urging the media to stop telling women what they can't wear.
Model Tess Holliday, known for creating the #effyourbeautystandards campaign joined in with a fierce crop top, and looking quite stunning in it. She crushes the sentiment that only those with flat stomachs can pull off crop tops.
Feminist and Purdue student, Abby Schneller, shares her experience upon seeing this statement. Schneller explains that she was surprised to see this statement coming from Oprah's magazine. She would expect it from a magazine like Cosmo, but not here. She describes that in order to combat this narrow-minded thinking, we all must fight to not only accept others, no matter what their size, but to truly accept ourselves. "We are constantly told by magazines what we should look like or what we should wear, and we must understand that that a lot of different types of bodies can look great in a lot of different styles."
In a world that always tells us that we are not good enough, or gives us rules that we are supposed to follow, the only rules that you should be following are your own. If you feel comfortable wearing a crop top and think you look great in it, then you do! We all must join together to accept all bodies, no matter their size or shape, to be truly happy. Next time you want advice on what you should be wearing, think of these words by Dr. Steve Maraboli: "There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection. To me, that is the true essence of beauty." To see more inspiring social media posts, look for the hashtag #rockthecrop.
