In his latest album, Kendrick Lamar succinctly summarised one of feminism’s biggest issues with the media in the line: “show me somethin’ natural like ass with some stretch marks”. Despite stretch marks being just one of the many ‘imperfections’ that the media neglect to represent across various platforms, the rap artist raises a good point.
Living in a social media-oriented society, we are all vulnerable to psychologically-damaging portrayals of what our bodies ‘should’ look like. Projections of an unattainable fantasy figure are everywhere: smeared across billboards, paraded around Hollywood and littered over every Instagram feed. The latter is particularly powerful in its body shaming abilities. When young women and men frequently use platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, they’re exposing themselves to scrutiny, waiting for a reaction – or a lack thereof. All the awkward poses, bad haircuts and leftover childhood chub that come with the adolescent territory are juxtaposed in newsfeeds by slim, styled celebs. Depression, anxiety, eating disorders and other mental health conditions have reached epidemic levels among young people growing up in social media’s fishbowl. With this in mind, it’s not hard to see why 21st century kids are struggling with their self perception.
Let’s rewind to the Renaissance, when some of history’s greatest painters like Raphael and Michelangelo portrayed their perception of female beauty. The women they painted, with very few exceptions, carried more than a little weight. A more rotund female form added texture and depth to the paintings, but was also, contextually, a sign of wealth. For both reasons, a curvy form was considered abundantly desirable. Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus (1486) depicts the artist’s idea of ultimate earthly beauty. However, today the goddess would be labelled ‘plus-sized’. The fact that ‘beautiful’ women in today’s media look so different to the majority of the population shatters the self-confidence of women who do not fit the mould. The women whose breasts, stomachs and thighs are too generously-proportioned to squeeze into the pair of Topshop skinny jeans they saw on their Instagram feed.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being slim. Looking like the people we commonly see on runways and billboards is neither wrong nor bad. What is wrong, however, is the implication attached to these adverts and images: that this is what we should all strive for. It’s a relatively small percentage of the population who look like models, therefore their representation in the media should be proportionate. Everybody’s different and no one should be made to feel ashamed of how they look. Inclusivity is, and always will be, the answer. Frankly, retail companies are missing a trick by representing such a select percentage of the population in their campaigns. If I see a model in a dress that I would have to lose weight to look good in, I don’t go looking for that dress.
When Meghan Trainor faced backlash for the lyrics of All About The Bass, it was because the well-intended message was relayed in a way that made slimmer women feel victimised. This misconstrued message only seemed to sink to the level of those who shot down Trainor’s body type to begin with, isolating and dividing women instead of uniting them. It’s fine to be slim, curvy or anything beyond those descriptions, but making people feel that they have to be different to look good will always be unacceptable.
Let’s promote a range of healthy women. Women who are prettily plump, sumptuously slim and everything in between. Women who have scars, birthmarks, acne, pubic hair and every other ‘imperfection’. Let’s make everyone feel included in media representation and show Kendrick a stretch-marked ass.