"You are far too skinny...You need to eat more!"

Image taken from: http://www.incitingariot.com/

Okay, so this is going under the 'life' section of my blog as this is a topic that I have a strong opinion on and bugs the hell out of me. A somewhat controversial subject I agree, but also one that needs addressing.

Social media platforms are a powerful tool, one of which can be used in a negative way and not for the greater good. And recently I have been seeing a lot of posts on Facebook similar to the image I have posted in this blog. I cannot stand to see them plastered all over my wall and I end up having to comment on that said post because it infuriates me so much. I for one am an open minded person, I understand people have their own opinions on certain topics and it's fine for people to have their beliefs. But I am sorry when it comes to people's weight and shape who is anyone to judge?! The post I saw today pop up on my feed read something like "Skinny is gross" and I ended up posting a very long comment which ended up getting quite a few 'likes' and I am pretty much going to say it on this post. 

I am 5ft 6 and a bit and I weigh around 8.5 stone, which I consider a good weight for my height, others however decide that this isn't the case. Now I have ALWAYS been naturally slim and so are my family and when I was at school and even college people would question me about my weight. They would actually come up to me and ask...

"Are you anorexic?"

I would literally stand there in shock and would try to contemplate an answer that wouldn't be as offensive as the question I was just asked. The answer to that is NO. No I am not anorexic, I am just a bony person where my hips naturally stick out, I have a defined collar bone and I have tiny little wrists. I have always had a small frame and I am not massively tall and I developed late in life. I wasn't like all the other girls in primary school/high school who had boobs and a bum. I was straight up and down and had to stuff my bra (come on, we have all done it at some point in life). It wasn't until I was like 16 I started to gain a womanly shape and even now, I haven't got the biggest boobs on the planet. I am still small. It just worked out that I have pretty good genes and a fast metabolism. I don't starve myself, I eat what I want, when I want and my diet mainly consists of junk. I am not the healthiest of people, granted, actually I am pretty unfit. Ha ha. I think I would actually die if I had to run a mile somewhere. So not cool. 

Last year I decided that I wanted to tone up...Yes tone up, not lose weight,just get in shape. I started to do exercise routines in my room, I have never been to the gym. It's never appealed to me and I am quite lazy and get bored easily and I wasn't taking it all too seriously. Anyway I changed my Facebook cover photo to a picture I took after exercising as I was proud of my efforts and jeez it caused a bloody outbreak in insensitive comments. I think I was a little naive to think this wouldn't materialise. People I thought were my friends were saying some really offensive things. I had comments like this.

"You are so skinny, you need to eat more."

"That picture is promoting anorexia, I cannot let my daughter be subjected to this. I am deleting you." 

"That's wrong."

I was actually flabbergasted that these things were being written. I promptly took the image down and it actually upset me. Anyone that knows me, knows I am not god damn anorexic and it is really shocking that people are so forthright in coming out with these words without thinking about the damage it can cause. Being called 'skinny' is just as offensive as calling someone 'fat' yet it isn't as frowned upon as the latter. 

Why? 

If I had turned around to someone and said " you are too fat, you need to eat less" I would of been condemned as a bully, rude and offensive. Well isn't that what these people are doing by saying things like this to 'slim' people, me? 

No one is perfect in this world and it would be pretty boring if we were, and who are we to define what is beautiful or not. We are what we are. FACT. I am pretty thick skinned but those comments did really get to me and people need to stop and think about the effects it can have on someone's self esteem. It has now become the 'norm' to put each other down and I for one am a happy person.

 Come on people lets pipe down with the negative!!

 I sometimes wake up and say to my mum "woah, I have put some weight on my thighs" or "gosh you can really see my cellulite" and compare myself to people in magazines. This is what social media platforms, the media and ourselves have done. Made us insecure, making us conform to a society that is unrealistic. There is no denying it, we all have our flaws and that's what makes us unique, not 'wrong' or 'gross'. 

I will not apologise for the way I look, the things I eat and how I chose to live my life, and neither should you. These posts on the internet are what is wrong with this world and it can actually encourage anorexia or even obesity without you even realising it. Maybe it is to get a reaction? 

What do you think, do you agree? Have your say! :)

All in all there is a moral to this story and that is...

"If you can't say nothing nice, then don't say anything at all." 

In reality, this isn't the case. People will always voice their opinion on anything and everything. Which is fine, but please for the sake of others around you try to say something nice about someone and not pin point their weight. 

Live life to the full and don't let others bring you down. WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL!! 

 ♥