Weight Stereotypes
Going through the news today I came across this quote from "health expert" J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter Writer):
"I've got two daughters who will have to make their way in this skinny-obsessed world, and it worries me, because I don't want them to be empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones," she stated. Read full article here: http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/59603.html
I've always held fast that each person's body type is different. The height and weight chart in doctor's offices are wrong. I've always been 15 to 20 pounds under. I'm 5'9" and 110. I must be sick. I must have an eating disorder. Oh my, it took J.K. Rowling's words of wisdom for me to know that I'm an empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clone. Damn.
I agree that the fashion world provides unhealthy expectations for young women and make them want to be super thin. The thing is, not everyone is meant to be super thin. Different body types require different weights. What is healthy for some is unhealthy for others. I happen to be small boned. In that way I'm petite. But I'm also 5'9" which is pretty tall for a female. My frame also made me a good candidate for a model. Modeling did not make me ultra thin. I was able to model because I'm ultra thin naturally. See that difference. And simply because my body is that way does not mean I'm an idiot and it certainly doesn't mean I have an eating disorder. I do however work out and have been active in sports my whole life. And many models, Heidi Klum for example are really athletic and keep their frame because they are toned. Yes, some stick their fingers down their throat and I've met them too, but it's not a truth for every girl in the business, or any girl who is just happens to be thin.
Larger people get the same flack. Some have an inactive thyroid, or a slow metabolism, or like my old friend from school, had cancer and took experimental medicine that made her body naturally larger.
Yes, some really thin girls have anorexia, and some large people eat too much and don't exercise. And some have an eating disorder where you over eat. All exist. But not all thin people are sick and not all large are lazy. And it certainly has no reflection on how smart a person is.
I agree with not becoming obsessed with the images that surround us and placing expectations on ourselves that aren't healthy or realistic. But lets not demonize everyone who fits into a category.
posted by Ali @ 9:42 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
She wasn't talking about skinny people in general. She was just refering to the stereotype that nowadays is so common. I don't think she meant that all thin girls are stupid, but that she didn't want her daughters to grow in a world in which being thin is the only thing that matters. When you generalise like that, there's always people who get offended. I'm sure she didn't mean that.
If that's what she meant Sara, she should have said just that. I'm not going to add or remove from a quote to make it mean something more or less than what they are quoted as saying.
She said what she said and I think it was very derogatory and judgmental of those that are or have been a part of the modeling world.
The quote isn't about models, in fact that word isn't mentioned in the portion quoted, what it's about, to the extent that it is about models, is what models "sell" to the public. It does seem that, ethically speaking, models must take responsibility for the image as well as the products they are selling.
I first was speaking as a very thin person and not as a model. I think it's dangerous to talk about weight and intelligence together as one topic, which she did. As a former model I understand that certain images are sold but that has nothing to do with their intelligence or personality. If she wanted to talk about annoying starlets like paris hilton or some other bobble headed female role model, then she should have said so, instead of talking specifically about weight. I spoke about modeling because I think it's relevant but it wasn't what she was specifically talking about. Pink did a great job talking about intelligence over cup size in her song Stupid Girls. But to me, Rowling's quote demonized anyone thin as being self obsessed and sick. She chose 'thin' over lets say people who get plastic surgery, or some other image focused pop culture ritual we have today.
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