I know, I know, I hear it every day: "Your generation gets offended so easily," "You can't say anything anymore without stepping on someones toes," "It's all the damn social justice warriors, they think they're better than everyone else." These comments plague the individuals of my generation. I'm not going to lie, I don't know how I feel about these comments. On one hand, I'm ironically offended because these comments are communicated in a demeaning manner, leaving me feeling belittled and like I have less potential for success. On the other hand, I feel torn because I want to sympathize and understand this critical viewpoint on my generation in order to better myself. Regardless, it is a touchy subject and I am not quite sure if I stand in opposition or support of the idea that my generation is too "soft." However at the end of the day, I do know that people don't want to be called what they don't want to be called. For me, I'm sick of being called and hearing people be called "thick."

Let me paint a picture for you. It's 2 p.m., 70 degrees and sunny, and I am about to leave my dorm to go do homework outside with my friends. Because Milwaukee's four seasons are summer, pre-winter, winter and winter part 2, I decided to indulge in the sun while I could. I throw a pair of shorts on (which remarkably still fit after my tango with the Freshman 15), snag my keys, ID and bag, and I head out the door. The sun is shining, the breeze isn't as piercing as it usually is, I'm sporting a brand new shirt, I'm flashing smiles at people passing me and all in all, I'm feeling pretty damn good. Then, as if the world could sense I was too happy for too long, some man approaches me, grunts, and yells, "Your legs too damn big for shorts. You too damn thick."

I was initially taken aback, but, I refused to let this comment get the best of me, so I continued moseying my way down the street. When I got back to my dorm room that night, I did some reflecting. I thought about all of the different reasons why this man's comment irked me. For one, no one's legs are "too damn big for shorts." It shouldn't matter if your thighs are big or not, the code is simple: if you want to wear shorts, wear 'em. Don't get me wrong, I fall victim to myself so often. I look at my size 14 jeans and cringe sometimes, but we have all been there, no matter the size. We have to stop doing this to ourselves because your size doesn't say anything important about you. All my jeans say about me is that I have a big butt, but you know what? My brain's bigger. Second, the word "thick" makes me feel like a slab of meat. I mean technically, we're all meat, but hey, we're much, much more than that. We're meat with thoughts, emotions, feelings—smart meat. But alas, this dude negatively labelled me as "thick" because my thighs rub together when I walk. I sat in my bed that night wondering, what if he had praised me for being "thick." Would I feel any different? After much thought and consideration, I decided that I would feel the same way. If I were praised for my size and shape, I would feel sexualized and uncomfortable. Either way you look at it, the man would have made a weird, unnecessary and unwanted comment about my body. His comment truly reinforces that society views women as pieces of meat, and nothing more.

What makes me even more upset, is that women who do fit the newfound stereotype of "thick" are not protesting against it. Instead they are posting provocative pictures of themselves on media, highlighting their curves, with captions like "#thick" or "#teamthick." This ultimately tells men that it is A-OK to view them as sexual objects. I am 100 percent in support of loving the skin you're in, but ladies, please, we do not need the approval of men in order to love ourselves.

Don't let anyone, or yourself, ever try and tell you that your appearance is all that you amount to. I want all of you gals to realize that it doesn't matter if you have a thigh gap, double chin, tiny chest, big butt, tiny waist, long legs or not. My hope is that the label of "thick" and many other negative fads like it start to disappear soon. Your size doesn't define you, so neither should anyone else.