Skinny girls, shut the fuck up.

[tamago23]

First, let me say that I'm 5'7" and 112 lbs. I fit the North American cultural standard of beauty - I am thin and tall. I know what I'm talking about when I discuss skinny women getting harassed for being skinny, because I've BTDT and am still there. Now let me get onto the rest of the post

Comments

[torileaf]

Nicely said.

[tamago23]

It's funny, I'd intended to write a post on cultural ideals and body hair, but then I got hijacked by this one. ;) I'd been needing to write it for awhile though; I'm so tired of seeing discussions between big women about the struggles they face for being big, and then the Skinny Brigade shows up and is all OMG WE'RE OPPRESSED TOO, PEOPLE ARE SO MEAN TO US and derails the discussion with their butthurt. They honestly don't see the privilege they have, and I'm just so sick of it because for fuck's sake, take a look around! Take a look at any magazine cover! Take a look at any mainstream movie or show! We skinny people are the North American cultural ideal, so don't start playing the goddamn oppression card!

[blueashke]

Well hullo there, didn't realize you were on her journal as well!

Fab post babe, as one of those who got yelled at recently, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Here, have some boobs: ( . ) ( . ) (hey, I'm uneven).

[tamago23]

I'm uneven too! <3

Thanks. :) This post had been simmering for awhile.

[jackierhoffman]

My love for you has grown even deeper :)

[tamago23]

Hee, thanks! :)

[miss_colombina]

This.

That's like racism against white people.

[tamago23]

Yep. Although it depends which definition you use - if you go with the basic, "racism is treating someone differently based on their skin color/ethnicity," then racism against Caucasians is possible. If you go with the more educated "racism is racial prejudice combined with systematic power," then it's not possible to be racist against Caucasians (because Caucasians hold the systematic power in almost every culture) with the very limited exceptions of a few countries (such as Japan).

(I know you know this already, but I wanted to clarify it because there's a lot of people who don't, and I don't feel like having people start the whole "WAAAAAAAAAH REVERSE RACISM EXISTS, WOE IS ME FOR I AM WHITE" argument.)

[50_ft_queenie]

"racism is treating someone differently based on their skin color/ethnicity,"

That's the definition of racism that I use when engaging in conversations about racism. Otherwise we get into murky territory where this definition,

"racism is racial prejudice combined with systematic power," then it's not possible to be racist against Caucasians

makes it sound as though two wrongs make a right. It also sounds as though it's not OK to be racist in context A but perfectly OK to be racist in context B. Call me an idealist, but I'd like to see a society in which racism is taboo regardless of who it's directed against.

[tamago23]

Well, then you're getting into the whole definition of racial prejudice as versus racism. When discussing it in a more complex context it makes sense to have the two terms divided (that racial prejudice is feeling differently about someone based on their skin color, and racism is racial prejudice + systematic backing) because otherwise you'd have to constantly be stopping to define what you mean by racism - am I talking about the generic anyone-skin-color racism or systematic racism backed up by government, media, etc?

So yeah, I get that colloquial use is that racism is just an across-the-board term, but when having more complex discussions, it makes a lot of sense to draw a distinction between racial prejudice and racism.

[50_ft_queenie]

Well said. I used to be the Skinny Chick, and yes, I got some astoundly stupid and hurtful comments directed at me, like the ex-bf who told that if I gained 10 pounds them I might look normal. I objected to them then and I still do now. It also never occurred to me, then or now, to compare myself to a fat woman who's being discriminated against. It's like comparing apples and oranges.

Making a person feel like crap because of their body type is unacceptable, full stop. That's where the comparisons end.

[tamago23]

Exactly. :)

[pink_siamese]

You're awesome. But you know that. <3

[tamago23]

Thank you, sweets. :D