What’s fat about that?

As a group of female writers, who love pop culture, fashion and beauty, it’s inevitable that at one time or another, snarky comments tend to be made about the celebrity of the moment. Whether we dislike someone’s dress on the red carpet or are shocked by the amount of botox that a young actress appears to have gotten, we know that we’re not innocent in passing judgment on public figures. It’s the name of the celebrity game; opening oneself up to the criticism of society. What we don’t encourage or engage in, is the mindless bashing of body figures.

We often speak to the topic of leading a healthy lifestyle on this blog. Whether it be healthy recipes, to our favourite songs to exercise to, we’re definitely on board with trying to live as healthy and well-rounded a lifestyle as possible. In the past, I’ve highlighted issues involving women’s body image, from the American Apparel Plus-Size Campaign to unrealistic standards of beauty as outlined by the beauty industry. Today, there is a news story floating around the web that I couldn’t help but shed some light on.

A blog, ‘skinny-gossip’, otherwise known as a forum where skinny women can come together to discuss a life of thin-ness and share starvation tips, have now taken it upon themselves to mock celebrities who they deem fat. On their target list: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, Kate Upton.

The author posted un-flattering pictures of 19 year old Upton, discussing things from her, “hugh thighs, no waist and big fat floppy boobs.” Calling her a ‘piggy’, the anonymous author asks, “Have we really gotten so fat in this country that Kate is the best we can aim for? Sorry but: eww!” While the blog has since issued a statement that asserts the site is pro-skinny & healthy, not pro-anorexic, it’s safe to say that this type of negative forum where even SUPERMODELS are trashed, isn’t doing any favours to encourage a healthy body image for women of ANY size, whether they’re a 2 or a 20.

While rocking bodacious curves, Kate Upton may not fit the mold of an average runway model, but not many women in North America do. And what, may I ask you, is so wrong with that? Runway models start as young as 13, so why should adult women be aspiring to look pubescent? This issue has come to the forefront of women’s health and fitness, with slogans such as “Healthy is the new Skinny’ being promoted by athletes and women’s publications. But, as this latest on-line forum indicates, there are still a lot of women out there who could care less about being healthy, so long as they’re wafer thin.

So, let them have their opinions, black coffee and celery sticks; I’ll take a balanced diet and workout regime over that, any day. And personally, if I looked like Kate Upton in a bikini, I’d probably never wear anything else…in a nutshell.