Everybody’s body is systematically the same inside; it’s made up of cartilage, tissue, ligaments, etc. (I’m a Mass Comm major, not a Biology one, okay). And while everyone matches (for the most part) internally, the pressure to be externally perfect continues to divide us. So this week, I will Hannah-LYZE how the “perfect” body has changed over time, current body image issues, and my personal opinions that align with National Plus Size Appreciation Day on October 6th.
For starters, the image of the “perfect figure” has fluctuated many times throughout history.
History
If we want to bring it way, way back, we can start with the Paleolithic Era. One of the very few relics of that time (24,000 B.C.E. – 22,000 B.C.E.) is a carving of the Venus of Willendorf. She is a bit on the heavier side, but that was the standard for women who needed to be strong to bear children and survive overall. Then, Ancient Greece wise-guy Plato founded the standard for all beauty to be subconsciously judged on which he called the “golden ratio”, while that guy from math class in the 10th grade, Pythagora, said beauty was all about symmetry. I don’t know about you, but I don’t need math equations in my head while I’m looking in my mirror.
The early Renaissance marked the first art period that allowed women’s breasts to be painted and featured sculptures without much emphasis on tight, toned tummies. Jumping further into time, the Victorian era encouraged women to be pale and frail. Not much for continuity, right?
Getting into the 1900s, there were many different reiterations of what made women so beautiful. The 1920s featured a relaxation on women’s apparel; flappers appeared with bright outfits and lots of leg (for the time). The Great Depression of the 30s and 40s let women become less concerned about outward beauty and more about how to fill their bellies. However, Marilyn Monroe popularized full-figured women and the “hourglass” shape in the 1950s. From the 1960s-90s, thin came back into popularity along with the emergence of leggy, big-bosomed supermodels in the 80s (2).
The point here is that the history of women’s self-image and the search for the most “perfect” bodies has been a constant challenge. Hm, maybe because there shouldn’t be one?
Contemporary Criticisms
While history has a way of repeating itself, there are already so many aspects of our modern world that inhibit women’s confidence and stems from how our current world focuses on female’s bodies.
Size Inclusivity
One of the biggest issues I can think of is the diminished ambition for inclusivity in clothing brands and sizing. While there are some stores that are notorious for running small and potentially “size shaming” plus-size shoppers, there is a bigger problem with inconsistency in the actual sizes, especially when using EU numbers vs the standard S, M, L and XL. It would be so much easier to create a feeling of acceptance to all body types if there wasn’t such a stigma around the size of the clothes; as long as they fit properly and the shopper feels confident in them, the number should not affect how someone feels. One of my favorite YouTubers who covers issues like this is Carrie Dayton. She classifies herself as a “mid-size girl” because she is too small to fit into most plus-size clothes but also too “big” to wear size 4-10 usually (1). She focuses a lot of her videos around reviewing different brands, like Old Navy, H&M, Target, and other big name corporations to show the sizing inconsistencies among similar-cut clothing.
She’s SO body positive and always reminds viewers not to put too much emphasis on the number on the scale or the tag.
And while there are definitely good plus size clothing options, like Dia and Co (which is a plus size clothing subscription box), Torrid, and Forever 21 +, it would be so much better if we lived in a world that would work harder to normalize carrying broader size ranges in order to include more people. GUYS, 68% of all American women are a size 14-16, which is the national AVERAGE. It should be mainstream by now, but it still feels like swimming upstream without a paddle. Step it UP. If you can’t cater to the national average, why bother?!
Less Supermodels, More Role Models
I can admit it to myself, there have been times where I’ve looked at super-thin, super beautiful women on the covers of magazines or on a catwalk and wondered to myself, “Man what would it be like to look like THAT?” In the article on the website The List, Amber Petty talks about Kate Moss and how her influence on modeling gave way the “famous ‘heroin chic’ look”. Petty goes on to say that the 90s brought about the thinnest ideal of feminine beauty to date (2). By continuing to perpetuate this idea of stick-thin women running the world and nothing else, there will continue to be girls that grow up thinking that the only way to be beautiful is to look like the magazine covers.
However, there have been plus-sized models that have graced covers, been featured in centerfolds, and even become brand ambassadors. One that immediately comes to mind is Iskra Lawrence who partners with American Eagle and more specifically, the bra, underwear and sleepwear line Aerie. Lawrence is an ambassador of their #AerieREAL campaign which highlights the fact that there is NO retouching in their photos and encourages shoppers to embrace their everyday glow.
There are also plus-size models like Ashley Graham, Tess Holliday, and Candice Huffine (3). Those are just a select few (they’re hardly household names, although they should be), but the fact that I can count some of the most notable plus-size models on one hand is NOT ENOUGH. Because there are plenty of bodies in the world, and there is not enough body diversity being spotlighted. Everybody deserves to grow up, see their figure on the front cover of their favorite magazine and think, “Who I am is beautiful, and who I am is enough. I deserve this.”
TV and Movies
Another place that lacks misrepresentation or just misses the mark is thoughtful, articulate portrayals of plus-size people on TV. One of the first examples that comes to mind is Biggest Loser. Although the show is focused around weight loss and self-betterment, the contestants are pitted against each other in a competition to pull the biggest records. The rate and intensity at which they are losing this weight is also not recommended by physicians and nutritionists who believe this style of weight loss is “at best, counterproductive, and at worst, dangerous,” says Stephanie Pappas (4). This show created many disillusioned ideas of body-shaming and unhealthy POVs of plus-sized people.
Another HUGELY relevant show right now in this topic of conversation is the controversial Netflix Original, Insatiable.
This show has so many issues, and overall, it is just a trite concept. Main character Patty, played by Debby Ryan, had been overweight for most of her life, but had to get her jaw wired shut for the summer after being punched in the face. She returns the next school year, hot and ready to exact revenge (5). This concept created quite a stir of remarks about body shaming. This idea of retaliation after revenge after gaining a “hot bod” is so incredibly unhealthy for young viewers of the show (and anyone who watches it, really). Maybe if fictional character Patty would have grown up with some more real-life, realistically-sized role models, she could have accepted her weight loss as a good outcome from an unfortunate event and understood that her size is suitable as long as she feels comfortable and confident in her skin.
In one of my favorite TV shows, Project Runway, Ashley Nell Tipton broke the mold as the Season 14 winner by starting her own plus-size fashion line! The show also showed its dedication to size inclusivity through the addition of models sized 0-20 to encourage designers to begin to cater to all sizes; fashion is for everyone! You can check out Ashley’s line on her website here.
Another one of my favorite depictions of plus-sized people would have to be on This is Us. Yes, Toby, played by Chris Sullivan, does wear a fat suit to play his character which you might think is counterintuitive to include in my argument. But, the thing I love most about the show is the relationship he has with Kate, played by Chrissy Metz. There are storylines that center around their weight, but it’s portrayed so well. At one point, Kate goes to a weight loss camp, but it’s not that intense, gimmicky Biggest Loser scenario. She does it on her own volition to feel better about herself. She and Toby attend a group therapy where they discuss their issues with self-image instead of hiding it away. They take efforts to lose weight, but to me, Chrissy Metz is SO beautiful at the size she is, from the inside out. I think she sets an incredible example for embracing outward appearances but not letting it define her. The photo below is of Metz in the middle with the other two actors (Hannah Zeile, left, and Mackenzie Hancsicsak, right) who portrayed Kate in her formative years throughout the show. That evolution is so powerful to see especially as someone who identified with many of Kate’s struggles throughout the show in my own adolescence.
To segue into movies, I am so tired of seemingly every movie star being picked apart and questioned about their size. Whether it be comments about weight fluctuations (for a role or just in their regular, everyday life) to questions about how playing super heavy-set or thin characters affects their view on their own bodies, it shouldn’t be the focal point of interviews. Stars in the sky are so many different sizes, so why can’t the ones on the silver screen be too?
On that same page, one of my favorite movies that features a body-positive protagonist on and off the screen is Amy Schumer in I Feel Pretty. In the movie, the main character, Renee, has been subjected to many examples of size-shaming throughout her life and she’s not happy with what she sees in the mirror. Renee then suffers an accident on a stationary bike where she hits her head pretty hard. When she wakes up, nothing has changed about her externally, but her confidence internally leads her to believe she is a super-babe. She embraces everything about herself that she once struggled to admit, but she has a sobering realization at the end of the movie. With her newfound confidence, she conquers her biggest goal of working at Lily LeClaire and also miraculously becomes the face of the makeup diffusion line. However, right before her big campaign pitch, she suffers another blow to the head and sees that her “magic” has vanished. When Renee goes to present the line, she realizes that her internal confidence was what had allowed her to project such confidence to the outside, but she was always the same, beautiful woman throughout the movie. This makes such a powerful statement about acceptance and how positive opinions about our own bodies can make a world of difference in expanding the spectrum of what people consider ideal. The ending speech brings me to tears when I hear it, and for that reason (among many others), I definitely recommend this movie!
Music
I would be here all day if I tried to look at every song that talked about size. Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” was a positive look at people who are plus-sized or just bigger in general, especially the line, “Yeah I ain’t no size 2 / But I can shake it, shake it like I’m supposed to do”. Although this line does jab a little bit at smaller sizes and suggest the idea that plus-sized girls should always be “shaking what their mama gave them,” it is a step in the right direction.
Another one that sticks out in my mind is Sir-Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” because it idealizes women who are “little in the middle, but they got much back.” Let’s face it, there’s no getting around the idea that in 2018, big hips and a bootylicious figure is what people find flattering. But hey, it’s okay that in the 26 years (yes, 26 YEARS) since he has released that song, there has been lots of change in the discussion of desired body types. Hell, it’s GREAT that these conversations are being had. Maybe in the next 26 years, he’ll write a sequel called “Baby Got Body Diversity and That’s Desirable”… not too catchy, but you get the idea.
I’d also like to take a minute to highlight some prominent singers that have faced comments about their bodies. A few that come to mind are Jordin Sparks, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, Adele, J-Lo, even Beyonce, okay? And much like the movie stars, I really would love to see the future of our body confidence evolve to a point where the talent of the singer is not dependent upon their size. The biggest thing we should notice about them should be the pipes they’re serenading us with instead of the number on the scale.
Personal Reflection
Much like Carrie Dayton that I mentioned earlier, I would classify myself as a “mid-size girl”. I am not able to wear sizes 6 or 8, but size 16 and above is too large for me which also means I am part of the national average size for US women. And somehow… most days, I feel below average in the beauty department.
Growing up, I wasn’t the skinniest of kids. But I didn’t really think it affected my self-esteem until about middle school. Physically, my body matured faster than most of my friends, but I also was gaining more weight than them. When I saw myself and my size, I knew there wasn’t anything wrong with it, but it also wasn’t the “right” size to be considered magazine-cover-worthy. And in my opinion, that negative POV starts far too early in young girl’s lives and shouldn’t be present at all. Overall, I had the standard awkward phases throughout, but I think my exterior discomfort with my size was only exacerbated through the unhealthy mental image of myself.
When I got into high school, my weight would fluctuate between my swim seasons and off seasons. I would bounce between rigorous weight and conditioning to then, admittedly, me slacking off in the off-season and putting those pounds back on. Even though swimming wasn’t something I did for weight loss, it did affect how I viewed my body throughout high school. For the times during high school that I wasn’t swimming, I would say that I had a pretty typical love-dislike relationship with my body. I tried to avoid different shaped clothing because I had been told they were unflattering to me, and certain colors were off-limits because they seemed to draw more attention to me, which I did NOT want. There were days that I would look in the mirror and think I looked pretty okay, but then there were the bad days. Those were the days where I was beating myself up for parts of my body that I have little control over, like “if my hips are so wideset, why can’t I also have the ideal hourglass shape in the middle?” They were the days that I didn’t want to be seen because I didn’t want to feel like people were judging me. I resented the fact that I tried so hard to be body positive for others around me but couldn’t do the same thing for myself. However, there were also days when I look back at them and see myself as so beautiful, like prom. My relationship with my body near the end of high school was something that I thought I had tackled, but it still wasn’t balanced. And then just like that, in the middle of what I thought was a body positivity breakthrough, it was time to ship off to college.
One of the things that every college freshman hears (incessantly, I might add) before they leave is, “Be wary of that Freshman 15!” and it’s not a joke. I definitely put on more weight dealing with homesickness, but I also just wanted to go out with friends and not be weighed down (literally) with the guilt of indulging in movie night snacks or ice cream in the cafe. I know the Freshman 15 isn’t a serious issue and it’s become embedded in the college culture, but I wasn’t really in search of another reason to be self-conscious about my body; I had enough of my own. With a larger chest and “hips that don’t lie,” I remained hyper-aware of what I was wearing and how I reflected to others. I also still had a tendency to compare myself to my friends (which is definitely not okay), because we all are so beautiful in our own ways… but you know what? At the beginning of this sophomore year, I am ready to see myself as my ideal type.
My struggles with self-confidence in my size had always primarily come from myself because I am my own harshest critic. The most important people in my life are always quick to remind me that I am beautiful, and I am slowly learning to believe it myself. Sure, I still go through days when everything I put on looks like a paper bag, but there are days when I step in front of the mirror and think, “Alright, my body is banging today.” And I’m also trying to find a middle ground too, because those massive highs and lows aren’t very healthy in the long run either. I am learning to take the good with the bad and to see each opinion of myself through a more body-positive perspective.
If this article teaches you anything, it should be that everybody’s body is beautiful, because cliche as it is, the most beautiful thing you can be is YOU.
I think too often we get focused on numbers on scales and sizes in clothing, and we forget to see that our “ideal” body types should be an individual representation of health and happiness, rather than a societally-dictated measure of perfection. We have made great strides in diverse size representation, but we have a ways to go before we normalize plus-size and make it routine to see ravishing women of all ratios. So while I Hannah-LYZED October 6th as National Plus Size Appreciation Day, I want everyone to seize every day as an opportunity to embrace the skin you’re living in and love yourself!
Sources
Photos