In today’s society, weight is everything. Your personality, talents, and your intelligence is all second to physical appearance.

You can’t be too skinny or too fat; you have to have the perfect body (i.e. the Victoria's Secret model body). The media and fashion magazines portray one type of girl that everyone wants to be. No matter how many inspirational campaigns you see, or how many times your mom tells you you’re beautiful just the way you are, the idea that you need to look like all the airbrushed women on the cover of the magazine is hard to get over. 

If you’re too skinny, you’ll never hear the end of how scrawny you are and how you should “eat a hamburger.” If you’re overweight, it’s the worst thing you could possibly be; it’s your fault, and no matter who you are, your weight will be your defining characteristic. No matter your body type, it’s not good enough, and the media isn't who's enforcing this ideal. Women are the worst culprits of spreading hate based on weight. 

When you post an Instagram or Snapchat a picture of you eating 3 slices of pizza and your caption is, “LOL I’m SO fat!!!” or when you’re a natural size 2, do you realize what you are insinuating? You are making anyone who sees that and is bigger than you wonder if there's something wrong with them.

It’s just a joke, I understand, but is being overweight a joke? Is it such a bad thing that it’s something to joke about? If you genuinely feel as if you need to lose weight, that’s fine, but if you know that you’re skinny and you really are comfortable with your weight, it is not funny to call yourself a “fatty." Stop perpetuating the idea that you can never be skinny enough and that being overweight is comical.   

The other side of the coin is the girls that are born naturally thin. They have a fast metabolism, and no matter how much they eat, they won’t gain weight. They’re accused of being anorexic and receive just as much stigma as girls who are overweight. 

It’s hard to believe that there’s such a thing as receiving hate for being too skinny, but recently the new thing is to say “real women have curves” and “men prefer women with curves.” This is meant to be empowering to women who are born curvy, but it instead shames the women who don’t have curves. Don’t tell people what makes a woman "real." Your weight is not a qualifier on whether or not you’re a woman.   

I know that this article is not going to instantly inspire a wave of self-love, but I hope that you’ll see the issue from a different perspective. If you have ever struggled with your weight or still are, be happy with your body as long as you’re healthy and happy; forget what everyone else has to say. 

Most important, don’t spread hate concerning anybody else’s weight no matter who they are or who you are. It doesn’t just hurt that one person, but it hurts society as a whole.