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[berneynator]

Is it wrong to be annoyed when people say, "real women have curves," or "uniform dresses are designed for twelve-year-old boys?" I mean, I approve of the way they're not saying you have to be super-skinny to be beautiful. But being below a size six does not mean you're not a "real woman." I know I'm probably being hypersensitive and everyone's

Comments

[gold_sneakers]

My dear, you are most certainly within your rights to be annoyed. It's true. It's basically "reverse discrimination." Beauty comes in all different forms and sizes. While I would like to see more women of different sizes in magazines, I also think it'd be sad to see all of the ones already there disappear too. They're real women. They eat, and laugh, and live just like everyone else.

[berneynator]

Yes! I agree. Although I must quibble with the term 'reverse discrimination' in that I feel the 'reverse' is unnecessary. I understand the meaning, but I feel discrimination means negatively treating a person because of some intrinsic characteristic, regardless of whether the person being discriminated against is in the majority. I guess it's the same issue I had with racism - I define the word as discriminating based on ethnicity, not as discriminating against a member of a minority ethnicity based on that ethnicity. But perhaps I am too pedantic.

[gold_sneakers]

I suppose. It's just that the phrase, "reverse discrimination," conveys the main idea most are trying to make without having to add extra words. (ie. people are now discriminating those who previously discriminated them) As far as I know, there is no other mainstream term that expresses that sentiment.

[berneynator]

You are of course correct. Side question on usage: is discriminate in this context the whole verb, or must you discriminate against some group or individual member of a group? Not criticizing, I'm really curious. As I understand it, the verb discriminate can also just mean choose - as in, I discriminate amongst my suitors very carefully. A discriminating person is perhaps picky, or simply insists on the best. It can even be an expression that this person has good taste. But I could be incorrect.