As I was scrolling Facebook a few days ago, I came across an article one of my sorority sisters shared called, "You Attack My Size 0, But I Can't Attack Your Size 16" by a person under the name "AbriAna". Curiously, I opened the link and began to read this piece. She starts out by asking the reader, "Why are you allowed to say I'm to skinny when I'll be publicly torn apart for saying you're to fat?"
Miss AbriAna, as a writer I applaud you for speaking your mind about something you feel strongly about.
But now it's my turn.
We live in a society where pictures of photoshopped versions of the Kardashians and Gigi Hadid cover almost every fashion advertisement. We all want to be this plasticized version of beautiful that we don't know what beautiful is anymore. But what ticks me off is when people that are both a size 0 and a size 16 play the victim game when to make themselves feel better and this article, amongst others, embodies just that.
Ladies, I know we're not perfect but putting someone down because of their size is wrong. We're acting like a bunch of Donald Trumps for crying out loud!
What breaks my heart is when people make fun of a girl who's "too skinny" or "too fat" because of a medical issue. According to the Mayo Clinic, rapid weight gain or weight loss is due to issues such as hyperthyroidism (for weight loss), hypothyroidism (for weight gain), Grave's Disease, and Celiac Disease, to name a few. Then, there are the mental issues, the ones you don't see on the outside. Weight gain and weight loss are both HUGE signs of stress and depression.
Take me, for example; I suffer from multiple food allergies that are ridiculously hard to avoid, like wheat and dairy. Some of my allergies, like shrimp and peanuts, are easier to steer clear of than others, like dairy and wheat (pizza = bae). I also tend to get easily stressed out. Before I quit my last job, I struggled balancing work, school, and extracurricular activities at the same time and it showed in my eating habits. I would be so tired that I would just mosey on over to Chipotle and buy myself a burrito bowl or order a pizza. I would even buy loads of frozen dinners and Blue Bell at the grocery store if I didn't want to order out. I definitely gained weight then.
I'll leave you with this, readers. You are beautiful. God, or whatever you believe in, made all of us differently and that's what makes living on Planet Earth beautiful. We're not just one color, one shape, or even one personality. Look at the United States: we're a rainbow of different cultures and ideologies. But hurting others based on their body size and playing the victim game, whether they're a size 0 or size 28, is mean and you're no better than the people who've called you out on your weight in the past.
