This in an open letter to The Daily Fail and similar publications. It is also aimed at anyone wishing to comment on other people's weight.
Dear all of the above,
I’m a woman, half Brit, half Spanish. Brunette, dark eyes, fair skin. In terms of size, I would be classed as thin. Sometimes I’m bony. Sometimes I have a cute pot belly. Generally, I’m slim: 1.65m high, weigh approximately 53 kilos, depending on the time of the year. I wear a UK size 6-8 (US 2, EU 34-36). I also have huge feet, but that’s beside the point.
I’m thin and I didn’t choose it. That's just how "the factory made me". I don't starve myself, in fact at times - who am I kidding, most of the time! - I eat like a pig. I actually feel jealous of my boyfriend’s servings (he’s quite taller than me and he is a runner, hence his bigger dinner plates) and want to eat his food too. I stay thin due to my body's natural inclinations and the fact that I walk my dog twice every day and continue to walk almost everywhere as I don't own a car.
The point of this ramble is that I am a tad bored of reading newspaper articles, tasteless gossip magazine headlines, or editorials by so-called fashion columnists, accusing certain girls of promoting an unhealthy lifestyle and using the term “skinny” left, right and centre. It's not only the media: some family members use it, certain "friends" use it. And let me tell you one thing, just this once: it’s not nice.
The term "skinny" is offensive. It's as simple as that. I can assure you that hardly anyone is happy to be labelled in such a manner. Just like bigger girls may dislike being described as fat, big-boned, "piling on the pounds" or whatever label they are given. Because talking about other people’s looks is impolite. It lacks class.
I have no intention to gain weight so certain ladies can be happy. I’m healthy, I feel good and I will not go up a dress size to please the crowd. I'm not a bad example, nor is any woman my size, a size bigger or a size smaller. We are not on this planet to serve as an example to others. There is no such thing as a "normal" sized female. We come in all dimensions and shapes, just like there are other skin colours.
I’m thin. She's thin, oh and look, another thin woman just went by. Get over it, get on with your life, move on and quit the b*tching. The world is made of people of all sizes. That is basic general knowledge, but I guess some "journalists" were never taught that at school.
*UPDATE: I’d like to thank everyone that has commented on this post. I wrote this because I felt hurt every time I heard someone jokingly telling me to "eat more", every time somebody looked at me with pity and said I was "weedy". I know there are a lot of people that struggle to lose weight, others that want to gain it. Some are lucky and have bodies they adore completely, others have physiques they wish they could improve. I also know there are girls that would kill to have my dress size. I hope this post doesn't make me come across as a moaning cow. I just wanted to say "stop". Enough with the offensive labels. We all have feelings. It can hurt. Yes, we are all different and that is... simply great.
Pictures: Fashion Limbo