[BrifsGefel]

Why are people who are thin criticized and everyone thinks they must have an eating disorder, but if you are obese no one can say anything about the fact you might have some very unhealthy habits? People who are obese are heavily criticized. Fat-phobic discourse permeates all levels of popular culture, from humor to conventional assumptions about fat being automatically equivalent to poor health. Anyway, personally, I think people should just avoid criticizing others' bodies full stop. It's harmful and hurtful and really just not beneficial to anybody. Physical wellness and comfort in one's skin are highly personal.

[Adimos]

Zero support for skinny bodies. You learn something new every day.

[Woziwfaq]

Anecdote! As someone whose weight has swung wildly through her teen years.

When I was size 0 or less: 'eat a sandwich', 'let me take you out to dinner', 'you're so boney', 'little', 'you're making everyone jealous'

When I was size 8 or more: 'whale', 'blob', 'go kill yourself so I don't have to look at you', 'disgusting', 'get off the couch, fatty', 'repulsive', 'no one wants to see you', 'it's too bad you can't put a paper bag over your whole body', not to mention people grabbing my excess fat and yelling 'chubby' or throwing packets of butter at me

And I've heard worse horror stories from other friends who were overweight in their youth or are now. While super skinny people may get occasionally snarked at, it's nowhere near the same as the dehumanizing, heartless crap shoveled at fat people. Not even close.

Right the fuck on, Em.

[LClan439]

As a thin person, the idea that a thin person is more criticized is preposterous. I have been on the receiving end of snark. But I would never dare to assume that it is equal to what an overweight person is subject to. Being thin is glamorized. Its what is expected to be a woman these days. If you aren't Olive Oyl, well you aren't a desired woman. Period. There is a mild backlash against this. But when a size 6 woman is considered plus size, we still got a ways to go!

[Saqwnht]

There's absolutely zero support for skinny bodies. They are hated.

Huh? Skinny bodies are glamourized in every possible way. Television, movies, magazines, billboards, red carpet events, advertising displays in stores, on the catwalk, on mannequins, etc. Even in plus-size stores like Lane Bryant, clothes are displayed folded nearly in half so that they appear smaller. The criticism you do see of skinny body types, such as with Leann Rimes, is merely a symptom of the underlying problem - that uber-thin has become such a ridiculous ideal that women (celebrities and non-celebrities) have to go to ridiculous extremes in attempts to make it happen.

[MannoFr]

I'm totally sorry for me remarks. I feel really bad now. I totally understand that women are continually exposed to glamorized images of super thin people, no question.

I guess I was just speaking from personal experience, and it got the best of me. I'm naturally super skinny, and have had a lot of people pull me aside and say "You're WAY too thin," etc. I just don't think people realize that there's nothing I can do about. I eat like crazy and just have that body. Yet people always think there's something "wrong."

But yah, back to Madonna: I LOVE her big muscular arms. Breaking gender stereotypes one bicep at a time!

[jPNy2BP5]

Hmmmm I dunno. I recently had a friend make a snide remark saying that if I'm not careful I will appear to have an eating disorder, because I mentioned I went to the gym a couple of times a week. And this was coming from an overweight friend. I just laughed it off.

Back on topic, I don't think Madonna is too skinny, and she looks overall really healthy. I just wish she didn't have such muscular arms, because I don't think it looks very feminine.

[9TWSg835]

The criticism you do see of skinny body types, such as with Leann Rimes, is merely a symptom of the underlying problem - that uber-thin has become such a ridiculous ideal that women (celebrities and non-celebrities) have to go to ridiculous extremes in attempts to make it happen.

Exactly. Women are told 24/7 in various subtle and non-subtle ways that whatever size they are, smaller is better. People snark at celebs who ponce around telling all and sundry their frightening level of skinniness is 'natural' because a)mostly it's not and b)we're all sick to death of idiotic, unachievable and often dangerous ideals being held up to us as aspirational.

[Imampaictjg]

I don't think Madonna has an eating disorder, but she has made ridiculous, eye-roll-worthy comments about looking fat.

[9TWSg835]

I would almost argue that super skinny people are even more criticized. So much has been said about "embracing your curves" and "real women's bodies," which is fabulous, but no one would ever tell a skinny person to "embrace their bones." There's absolutely zero support for skinny bodies. They are hated.

LOLZ. No, they aren't. They're featured as status symbols and aspirational figures in every single piece of advertising and media out there with the sole exception of say, some plus-size clothing companies, and even most of those models skew small compared to the audience they're selling to. People half-kill themselves to try to be skinny, rather than the reverse. There is no absolutely no phenomenon of discrimination on any real level against thin people. The concept is entirely laughable. People tell larger people to embrace their figures etc precisely because skinny is seen as the ideal. Those remarks are supposed to be supportive and in some small way stem the tide of crap people who are larger exerience. You cannot equate the odd comment about 'eating a sandwich' with the actual phenomenon of fat discrimination that actually limits people's opportunities for employment, for example, in any realistic way.

Plus, how many gossip sites point out when a celebrity steps out looking "scary skinny." They would NEVER write an article about someone looking "scary fat." Yes, they would. They talk gleefully and often about celebs 'piling on the pounds' and looking 'bloated' and feature photos of them snapped looking as bad as possible in every single way. The reason there is a lot of talk about ultra-skinny people on gossip blogs is that celebrities these days skew to being thinner and scrawnier than ever before. There are simply a lot more visible female celebs who starve themselves compared to those who gain a lot of weight. You know why that is? It's because nobody discriminates against skinny actresses, where as they certainly do against not just fat ones, but ones who have a remotely normal weight for their height and build. You never see a female cast of an American TV show get fatter and fatter as time goes on and they achieve a higher media profile. They get thinner and thinner as time goes on, usually. How many A-list fat actresses are there? How many thin ones? Get the picture? Thinness is rewarded, fat shunned.

Besides, how many times can people make a comment like, "God, eat a sandwhich!" Or cry "eating disorder!" Lots of people are naturally very, very skinny. A few people are. I was when I was very young. I certainly never felt remotely criticised for it in any real way. Someone making an envious remark is not discrimination. I knew that even as a kid, the fats kids got it in the neck in the way skinny kids never did.

[Gymnarnemia]

Personally, I think people should just avoid criticizing others' bodies full stop. It's harmful and hurtful and really just not beneficial to anybody. Physical wellness and comfort in one's skin are highly personal.

Yes. Not to derail this thread any further but the truth is you can't shame someone into gaining or losing weight.

[bmwservis]

Anecdote! As someone whose weight has swung wildly through her teen years.

When I was size 0 or less: 'eat a sandwich', 'let me take you out to dinner', 'you're so boney', 'little', 'you're making everyone jealous'

When I was size 8 or more: 'whale', 'blob', 'go kill yourself so I don't have to look at you', 'disgusting', 'get off the couch, fatty', 'repulsive', 'no one wants to see you', 'it's too bad you can't put a paper bag over your whole body', not to mention people grabbing my excess fat and yelling 'chubby' or throwing packets of butter at me

And I've heard worse horror stories from other friends who were overweight in their youth or are now. While super skinny people may get occasionally snarked at, it's nowhere near the same as the dehumanizing, heartless crap shoveled at fat people. Not even close.

[Saqwnht]

MissP, I have a friend who's been "voluptuous" her whole life. She is by no means overweight or fat. She has a beautiful figure but isn't stick thin. When she was in her 20s, she was walking her dog in her apartment complex and a car full of guys drove by and mooed at her. Mooed! Like cattle! She's in her 40s now and she says it still bothers her to this day.

I can remember when I was in HS I met up with some online friends. Immediately after meeting me, one of them went to the chat room and proclaimed, "Yeah, she's kind of thick at the bottom." I weight 115 pounds!!! At 5'6"!!! And like my friend, to this day that comment weighs heavily when I'm fretting about my figure.

Blargh. People are fucking assholes.

[MannoFr]

People who are obese are heavily criticized. Fat-phobic discourse permeates all levels of popular culture, from humor to conventional assumptions about fat being automatically equivalent to poor health. Anyway, personally, I think people should just avoid criticizing others' bodies full stop. It's harmful and hurtful and really just not beneficial to anybody. Physical wellness and comfort in one's skin are highly personal.

I would almost argue that super skinny people are even more criticized. So much has been said about "embracing your curves" and "real women's bodies," which is fabulous, but no one would ever tell a skinny person to "embrace their bones." There's absolutely zero support for skinny bodies. They are hated.

Plus, how many gossip sites point out when a celebrity steps out looking "scary skinny." They would NEVER write an article about someone looking "scary fat." That would be unacceptable.

Besides, how many times can people make a comment like, "God, eat a sandwhich!" Or cry "eating disorder!" Lots of people are naturally very, very skinny.

[Injurnerona]

I would almost argue that super skinny people are even more criticized. So much has been said about "embracing your curves" and "real women's bodies," which is fabulous, but no one would ever tell a skinny person to "embrace their bones." There's absolutely zero support for skinny bodies. They are hated.

Plus, how many gossip sites point out when a celebrity steps out looking "scary skinny." They would NEVER write an article about someone looking "scary fat." That would be unacceptable.

Besides, how many times can people make a comment like, "God, eat a sandwhich!" Or cry "eating disorder!" Lots of people are naturally very, very skinny.

Criticized? Yes, for sure, and it's not talked about very often. But more criticized than overweight people? No way. I'm a naturally skinny girl and I've had my share of "eat a sandwich" comments, but I've certainly never felt hated or unsupported. The only thing that's ever made me feel truly bad is the whole "real women have curves" thing. And what little negativity I do get or feel is a harmless drop in the bucket next to what it's like on the other side of the fence. If I ever tried to claim it's harder for me than for an overweight person, I would expect to be laughed at in the face, and rightfully so. That would be ludicrous and borderline offensive.

[jPNy2BP5]

Yes, god forbid we don't look feminine enough! Seriously?

What's beautiful is subjective from one person to the next. No need to take this as a personal attack on all of humanity.

[BrifsGefel]

Back on topic, I don't think Madonna is too skinny, and she looks overall really healthy. I just wish she didn't have such muscular arms, because I don't think it looks very feminine. Yes, god forbid we don't look feminine enough! Seriously?

As has been pointed out, Madonna has the body of an athlete because she is extremely, extremely physically active. And while I don't personally know what her eating habits are, I'd imagine that she's very strong and in great physical shape. That, even at such a high level of physical fitness, we'd criticize her for not looking feminine enough, points out that 1) despite all arguments to the contrary, women are held to a standard of beauty that has nothing to do with health or wellness, but apparently, silence and submission, and 2) adherence to this standard is more important than women's actual strength or physical capacity.

Also, as to whether thin people are equally marginalized. You need look no further than our own pop culture texts to see that fat people are either turned into public grotesques (the shameless/insatiable fat woman)- usually when they are transgressive in their fatness and act in a manner not aligned with the public expectation of how a fat person should act, ie ashamed of themselves- or else, they are either 1) the sassy best friend, or 2) invisible/nonexistent. We may police people for being too skinny, but look at the images with which our pop culture visual economy is inundated.

Look, obviously I don't approve of policing anybody's body. Especially not the bodies of complete strangers. I also have a lot of ire for people who legitimize their own bodies by delegitimizing the identities of others. As a trans woman, I know what it's like to be told that I'm not a real woman because my body is different from the standard. But at the same time, let's not pretend that this "real women have curves" bunk is totally neutral, or that it didn't grow out of a context. It's a reaction against the cultural narrative, roughly contemporaneous with the emergence of 60s mod, that excess flesh is disgusting and shameful, evidence of lack of self-control. It's equally problematic, make no mistake. But the idea that fat people and thin people are equally scrutinized and marginalized for their bodies is incorrect. Who stars in the movies? Who smiles from the billboards? In this day and age, seeing a fat person who is unapologetic and unashamed is still pretty radical- and that's totally fucked up.

[medshop]

Of course, fat people are criticized on the Internet or in tabloid media, but when they are, there's always this big uproar about it. Criticizing someone for being overweight is now mostly seen as the same as criticizing someone for their race, gender and sexual orientation. Yes, it happens all the time, but when it does happen it's often meant with a hostile response. But when someone is criticized for being too thin, there's no uproar.

I find the criticism of her muscular arms offensive. Maybe her arms all that way naturally, but what if she likes them that way? Why can't women have muscular larger ams if that's their preference? I like muscles in my arms. I lift heavier weights at the gym because I want to have bigger more muscular arms. It's a personal prerference like hair color or fashion to me. I really hate it when certain so called fitness experts say women shouldn't have muscles. Some guys like to be thinner and more toned while others like the more pumped up muscular look. Why can't us women have the same option?

[Joesred]

I think the muscular arms are just attributed to the fact that she's had the body of a natural athlete for 30+ years. She's a dancer/performer at heart and it shows in her physique, and she seems to have good genes (and discipline) to maintain such low body fat.

Plus as she's aged she's lost alot of the fat, which can sometimes make you look too lean, almost gaunt in some lighting situations. She seems to have put on a few pounds of healthy weight since the Sticky & Sweet/Hard Candy era. I would have loved if she hadn't touched her face with something invasive, since it does highlight her insecurities. But now I'm use to the filler injections, which overall looks good, but it's just a different Madonna face.

As much as people tease her about the plastic surgery and body, the fact is she's still generally attractive and in much better shape than most people.

[Adimos]

MissP, I have a friend who's been "voluptuous" her whole life. She is by no means overweight or fat. She has a beautiful figure but isn't stick thin. When she was in her 20s, she was walking her dog in her apartment complex and a car full of guys drove by and mooed at her. Mooed! Like cattle! She's in her 40s now and she says it still bothers her to this day.
.

I was mooed at when I was 19 at a frat party. I was a size 10. I will never forget it.