Big can be beautiful too!

By: Kinza Khan

We live in a society that is obsessed with looks. All forms of media have some form of attractive women which brainwashes us into thinking that thin is the ideal American look.

As a society we seem to have a misconception of what a realistic weight is because of what is programmed into our minds through media.

We shouldn’t HAVE to be thin it should be a choice but it seems like we, women, are pressured into believing we are ugly and are required to lose weight is we are carrying a few extra pounds.

When I’m scrolling through instagram, I shouldn’t have to feel bad about my weight–but I do. Most ads are geared toward losing weight through various unhealthy measures. One of the biggest offenders on instagram is Fit Tea, a drink that is designed to make you lose weight in a short amount of time.

When several men and women were asked what their thoughts on overweight women are, most responded negatively. Saying women shouldn’t look like this, or that it’s unhealthy or gross. Why aren’t men subjected to this kind of scrutiny?

I think it’s because women are still being treated as objects, hence why there are high standards for looking good. Hence why, we go to extreme to look thin and beautiful.

According to livestrong.com, the average weight of an American women is 166 pounds, while the average weight of a model is only 107 pounds. Notice the difference in size? Granted muscle mass and height still have to be input, but that doesn’t change the fact that the constant social media we see portray the minority of women.

We’ve been taught that unless you are a small size, clothes will not look good on you. Most stores cater to styles that are programmed in our minds to only look good on thinner women.

According to a business insider, Abercrombie and Fitch refuses to make clothes for overweight women. The interview done with Robin Lewis, co-author of The New Rules of Retail stated that the CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch, Mike Jeffries, doesn’t want fat people to shop in his stores. He only wants thin and beautiful people.

The largest size the store has to offer is a size 10. The average young adult size for women according to today.com is a size 16, which for most stores such as H&M, is considered to the largest size.

Plus sized models aren’t really plus sized, but they get a bad reputation even though majority of women are not a skinny size two. There is nothing wrong with being skinny, but when it comes to social media or any platforms of media, why show the minority of America?
At the end of the day, skinny or fat, they’re our bodies and we shouldn’t have to feel bad about them