I follow a couple different feminist pages on FB as well as a feminist group on Ravelry, and one thing that always comes up is the issue of weight and body types. And recently there was a Kickstarter making the rounds on the internet where a young woman was hoping to publish a book of thin, "healthy" women because she feels that thin, healthy women are being persecuted in favor of slobby fat women. (I'm serious! "if it just makes it into the hands of ONE little girl who feels like she has to be overweight to fit in with the current 70% of the overweight population of America, and it gives her the strength to know that being healthy isnt a bad thing." Gurrrl, I don't know what world YOU live in where overweight women are the ideal, but it's definitely not MY world.)
She's right about one thing (ONE thing!): women who are thin should not be shamed for their bodies. But that's the extent to which I agree with her. Thin women should not be shamed. Fat women should not be shamed. All body types in between should not be shamed. No more of this "REAL women are ____" crap. ALL women are real women.
"But liek omgz. Aren't u saying it's okay to be unhealthy and fat?"
Yeah, I am saying it's okay to be fat. I am saying nothing about health, however, because being fat does not necessarily equal being unhealthy. And even if you ARE unhealthy (whatever that means), it does not mean that you deserve love or respect or happiness any less than anyone else.
Is it hypocritical of me to say all this considering the amount of time I've spent waxing philosophical on Paleo, running, and CrossFit? Honestly, no. I don't think it's hypocritical at all. Those are things that I took up in the name of health and recreation, not weight loss and certainly NOT "beauty." Sure, I lost a lot of weight on Paleo - but I didn't go on Paleo to lose weight. Sure, I'm happy I lost weight, but mainly because it's (slightly) easier for me to find clothes that fit and I can be a more efficient athlete carrying less weight on my frame.
Also, what I wish for myself is not what I wish for other people - because I wouldn't dare wish for someone else. It's not my call what someone else's body should be like. It's not someone else's call what MY body should be like.
Can we please just mind our own business and our own bodies and stop telling other people what to do with theirs?