Dear Meghan,
You have manipulated thousands of adolescent teenagers into a twisted ideology of positive body image, and what’s worse is that I don’t think you even know you in are in the wrong. I do believe that you have a good, kind heart- I really do. However, I believe you are grossly misinformed and confused about your own image, and because of that, you should not be a symbol of positive self-image for women of any age.
Your fame is based off of your promotion of the idea that every female is beautiful in her own way- a belief that I have as well. The difference is that I don’t promote the idea that being curvy is necessarily better than being thin. You have degraded petite females to get further on your path to fame, and further skewed the concept of “positive body image.”
Any revenue you have collected from your song “All About That Bass” is dirty money, and you should be embarrassed as to how you “earned” that money.
At first listen, your song is about self-confidence and self-acceptance. Both of these concepts desperately need promotion in young America, as over 75% of women between the ages of 15 and 17 admit to participating in self-destructive behavior as a result of having low self-esteem.
Unfortunately, by the second listen of your song, it is clear you are going about body positivity the wrong way. You say “boys they like a little more booty to hold at night,” which tells your young and confused female listeners that a man’s acknowledgment is important, and the reason they should obtain a certain build. What’s worse is you shame petite frames, and many women have petite frames that they have acquired naturally or through a healthy lifestyle. When you refer to these women as “stick-figure, silicone Barbie doll[s],” you are belittling their lifestyle choices and their own self-image. As if “Barbie” isn’t degrading enough, you went on to call the same category of women “skinny bitches.” Body positivity is not exclusively available to curvy women, and whatever your definition of “bitch”- it is not exclusive to petite women.
Now I will not tell you that every petite woman in the world has obtained that weight naturally. Eating disorders are a serious issue in America, affecting 10 million women and 1 million men nationwide. Unfortunately, you have even managed to degrade those 11 million individuals by making light of their struggle in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. You told interviewers “you were never strong enough to have an eating disorder.” Here is where I would like to stop you, and explain what somehow you have not grasped: you are now glorifying eating disorders, while also shaming petite frames and promoting a curvy frame.
You are a walking contradiction, and I do not respect you or your ideologies.
I am sorry for the young women who will hear your misinformed and offensive view on self-acceptance, and I am sorry especially for the young curvy women who will now seek inappropriate affirmation and attention from their male peers. I am sorry for the young petite women who now believe they are not attractive. Lastly, I am sorry for the individuals that struggle with eating disorders, because society was just starting to grasp the seriousness of such illnesses, and you have now stopped that progression with your thoughtlessness.
You owe the young women in this nation an apology, and I am ashamed that you have become an icon for body positivity in America. You have done nothing but manipulate young minds to further your career.
For a while this song made me feel better about myself because I didn’t look into the lyrics but looking more into it now I see how degrading the song is for the other side of the spectrum. I would say that I am an average sized girl weighing at 120, but many consider me to be overweight and needing to go on a diet which took a real blow to my self esteem. These comments usually coming from those who weighed less than I. But on the other hand I got many jealous remarks of how skinny I was and lucky to be so skinny from girls with a heavier frame than I. Its comments like these that leave girls like me confused on what is the perfect weight. Am I too fat or am I too thin? Why can I not be just, average? Women of all weights look beautiful so I dont see why media today puts the label ‘beautiful’ or ‘perfect’ on specific types of women when they could put this label on all women.
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How tall are you?? Nobody who is 120lbs is over weight unless they are under 5’3.
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Let me make this clear… No matter your height 120lbs is not over weight… Only perhaps certain circumstances like a “little person” and even then… You have no idea how many people, who were probably happy with their size, you just called over weight.
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Thats not even over weight for people under 5’3????????
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Brigitte, you can’t just go around saying that if you’re “this” tall and over “this” weight, you are considered “overweight.” Definitely not true for everyone! My friend is 5’3″ and 130 lbs. She works out a lot and thus has extra muscle mass. She is definitely NOT overweight. Saying such a statement as “nobody who is 120 lbs is overweight unless they are under 5’3″ ” is quite ludicrous, in fact. Height and mass are not the only factors that should go into our views on weight. ☺
Lesley, if you think your weight is good for you and -you- feel beautiful and perfect, then you should take others remarks with a grain of salt. Especially when you say women of all weight are beautiful (which I agree!), then you should look for the same beauty in yourself. ☺
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seriously? i’m 5’1″ and 124lbs and my BMI is still average. please check yourself. you’re the reason why things like this awful song were created
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I am 5′ exactly and can say that at 124 I was overweight, especially according to my bmi. I also wasn’t eating healthy. At 10 lbs lighter now, I’m beginning to see a difference. I’m also trying to gain muscle in place of fat, so I know that will affect lbs too.
This is not me saying anyone who weighs more than that is overweight. But for me, it was. My body. Just mine.
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Michelle,
She didn’t insult herself (let alone anyone else) for weighing 120. She explained OTHER people’s perception regarding her body which she THEN went on to say she disagreed with.
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Uh, I agree that you can be under 5’3″ and still fit but thats with ridiculous working out and muscle, a lot of petites don’t have that much muscle. I’m 5’0″ and with a decent amout of muscle from biking and sports but if I was 120 it would be fat not muscle and I’d be overweight. It depends on the person. So 120 can mean your overweight if you’re under 5’3″, it depends again on height, build, body type and the fact that many petites arent working out enough for muscle so if they are 120, they’re probably carrying it in fat.
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I am 116 and am 5’2 (with a very small frame) and I am not overweight at a size 4 so I think you would have to be under 4’10 for that to even be close to being overweight
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Excuse me but when I weighed 120 and at 5’2. That was a perfect weight for me so u obviously don’t no was yr talking about how about u check out a bmi chart
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Can i just say that i am 5 2 and weight 120, and most def am not over weight?
But uh, way to pull a megan and stereotype
Hahaha.
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Not true just because you are under 5’3 and are 120 pounds does not mean you are “over weight”. Just saying. (before I was pregnant) I weighed around 130 pounds and I am only 5.5ft tall. And I was in no way shape or form fat much less “over weight”. I wasn’t super skinny either no. But I was about average. Defiantly not over weight though.
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Excuse me but I am 5’2″ and 125lbs and am NOT overweight. 120 is still very healthy.
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She could be talking kgs. She didn’t specify.
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I agree with much of the article; it was very well written. I do have a problem with the title, though. While you may not agree with Miss Trainor, that does not meant you shouldn’t respect her. Simply because you don’t have the same ideas or beliefs as her is no ground to disrespect (or never respect, in your words) Meghan. Every person is worthy of respect and ought to be treated so. I think this is important to keep in mind. Thank you for your time writing the article. God bless.
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Being overweight or underweight is determind by bmi and fat percentages. Not by your friends twisted views on body health. 120 pounds can be anywhere from extremely underweight to overweight it just depends on the factors listed above.
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Beauty isn’t restricted by weight but it’s proven that a we are generally more attracted to people who are healthy because we are still animalistic in that way when choosing a “mate” so really it depends if you are in your BMI so if you want to find out then just google BMI calculator an it asks for your height and weight ect
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I disagree. 200+ years ago (ok im guestimating) it was considered very unattractive to be very thin or even mildy thin because it was a sign that you were poor and malnourished…that was the status quo for thousands of years for our ancestors who didn’t have food readily available to them (and is still considered accurate in many Inuit tribes and other people who live a simpler lifestyle)…so the western world’s view on weight has nothing to do with our animalistic tendencies…This is not in any way meant to be a bash to those women who are petite (size 4)…I think our view of what is considered beautiful is directly reflected on what society views as “beautiful”…its ingrained in us at a young age unfortunately…
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If you really think 120 jobs is “overweight” you are up in the night.
What people consider 120 lbs overweight. I mean realistically. This is just ridiculous. I’m 5’5 and 175 lbs, now honey, THAT is over weight.
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Im 5’7 1/2 i weigh 120 i wear a size 4 i used to wear a 00 – 2 just last year. 120 is not over weight i have fat on me now and i still weigh 120. I get told im under weight and i need to gain this song made me feel like i was to skinny and that i needed to gain weight. But that was all in my mind i have people that are skinnier then me telling me they wanna be my size. I get told my body is perfect. But then i have others that say im fat and that i need to lose weight. And then there’s those ones that say im too skinny and need to gain weight. Everyone has their own opinions on whats the perfect size. I feel like i need to go to the gym not to lose nor gain but to tone it all up.
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I am a larger woman, I am 19. I was 10 years old when my grandma, my hero, died of cancer, I was stick thin at that point, by the time I reached 12 years of age I was 200 lbs, by 14 I was 250, since then I have been diagnosed with something that does not allow me to lose weight as easily as others my size, I went to college to become a nurse and began daily workouts, heavier than was done in highschool (we had to run 2.5km’s in 20 minutes) I began different diets while exersizing daily, 30 minutes on a cross trainer, 175 sit ups, 40 burpees, 25 jumping jacks, and 30 push-ups within an hour and a half. I lost 5 pounds in 3 days, after that? nothing. I doubled my routine, and lost a couple pounds, yes I was gaining muscle, however my stomach stayed the same size.
anyways, my point is, not everyone can lose weight as easily as some commenters on here indicate. There are a lot of “fat hating songs” and industries as well. And I have honestly NEVER met a woman without any insecurities about their body “I’m too skinny, I’m too fat, I hate my nose, I hate my cheekbones, My feet are disfigured” etc..
People need to stop body shaming others period so people can accept themselves for who they are. It is not okay to say “you are too skinny, LOL JAY KAY” or “you are too fat LOL JAY KAY”, because even though you may be “joking” the person on the opposite side of the “joke” probably doesn’t see it that way. Have a good night all
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Hi, I’m no health expert but I do know 90% of losing weight is diet. Small portions and healthy eating choices. The other 10% is working out. You can workout a shit ton and never lose weight if you eat a lot of junk. Infact you will gain muscle and still maintain fat which would make you weigh more. Eating healthy instills a positive feedback to your mind and stengthening your metabolism allowing your body to be on the right track to losing fat. Anyone can do this, there is no diagnosis saying you will not lose fat due to eating healthy. You will lose fat. Good day.
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dude have you ever heard of polycystic ovarian syndrome? it causes hormone imbalances that make it VERY difficult to lose weight but very easy to gain it, regardless of diet? so yeah actually there are medical conditions that prevent that, secondly you cant really presume anothers metabolism, and genetics actually do play a factor in your distribution of fat, and how your body stores and burns it.
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99 percent of the people in the world can do this, to be more accurate. Morbidly obese peoples bodies do not react the same way. Not being argumentative just keeping it exact.
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May I say, ” I know you lie, your lips are movin’ “
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Reblogged this on the world is madness.
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Well then I hope ALL of the worlds media apologizes to women for every ad in every magazine -and for movie starlets and 99.99% of all actresses and models! And I hope they apologize for all the photoshopping too! Puhleez!
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To be honest i think a lot of comments I have read hAve it wrong. The media has a lot to do with influencing young girls. Young girls are struggling to find what is “appropriate”, “acceptable” “lovable” in today’s society, and a lot of young women feel that people who have made it “big” are what other people appreciate, so they try and follow. I wouldn’t say that this is a choice they have made, they are trying to gather the knowledge people are putting out there for them to learn from.
I believe the world has spent a lot of time on eating disorders and has not taken a lot of time to acknowledge obesity. But that doesn’t mean to acknowledge it, we need to undo all the work that has been done for people who suffer anorexia, bulimia, etc. it is not right to call someone a Barbie doll and say I’m just kidding, or to call someone fat and say just kidding. Maybe the girl who is extremely thin suffers from being abused and is waring thin, maybe over time she learnt to be proud of who she is, doesn’t give you a right to judge. Maybe the obese girl who is over weight just had a kid, and gained the weight and had a fiancé who dumped her and her way to cope was eating, again no right for you to judge. I think more people should spend time on appreciating what God has given you, and work at keeping yourself the best you can be. And I think media should spend more time promoting that.
I will never forget the day in high school where we went around to all the bathrooms and blocked all the mirrors, no one was allowed to wear makeup, and we had to wear a shirt saying “I am beautiful” maybe more people should try that!
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Reblogged this on nascence.
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While the author has a point about demeaning the skinnier women, there’s also the fact that almost every commercial you see has skinny women and models featured… it goes both ways i don’t believe she said the things she did to hurt anyone it’s just sorta like a reflex for bigger women.
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i highly doubt people with eating disorders give a fuck what this woman’s lyrics are. anyone who is influenced by this woman in the slightest is an absolute tool and deserve their condition unless their condition gives them brain disadvantages and thus ignorantly allow themselves to be influenced by lyrics no one actually listens to
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Deserve their condition?
That is unbelievably ignorant.
It is because these people are particularly easily influenced by the opinions of others due to low self esteem issues that they have these conditions in the first place. So to insult any one of them that is influenced is to insult them all for the very cause of their illness. If wr had a culture where women (and men) didnt feel such pressure to look a certain way then these type of conditions would drop dramatically. Even within the comments of this article people are discussing what constitutes ‘overweight’ in terms of bmi and such, truth is you’re only overweight if A) you feel it, which can be solved by a continuance to cease and challenge body shaming and ignorance like yours, or B) you are endangering your health.
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Why do women care so much? Men don’t, a lot of guys are overweight, they don’t care, and if they do, they work their ass’ off at the gym, and start eating healthy. Your statement about “Men’s acknowledgment” baffles my mind” subconsciously a man is attracted to a women for her body due to likeliness of carrying a healthy child, a women is attracted subconsciously to a man for his ability to protect the family. If we look at it this way, a mans acknowledgment does matter, otherwise you can settle for a life of loneliness or a man who is incapable of “protecting” the family.
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Just want to say thick girls are beautiful we are so tired of main stream America saying u have to be skinny to be beautiful cmon girls get out and eat some real food every girl shouldn’t be 80 lbs that is not healthy lifestyle like the main stream media will have u believe healthy is being happy with ur body and comfortable so go on have some mashed taters and gravy who cares by pass the nasty kale chips and crap and remember it’s all about that bass
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When she says “silicone stick figure Barbie doll”
first -Barbie dolls are a contorted, unrealistic toy that young girls look up to which is horrid
If you are a stick figure then u r probably much below a heathy…
Silicon- telling girls that plastic surgery is bad… Getting SILICONE pumped into your body so u can look a certain way is insane !!!
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“I am sorry for the young petite women who now believe they are not attractive.”
I’m not sure that’s a realistic concern. Does any American really think they’re unattractive because they’re too skinny? In this day and age?
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YES, for example myself. I am naturally curves and skinny and I was so self conscious for the longest time.
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Actually, recently I’ve been having trouble with my image even though I am 5’2″ and 105 lbs. Fat shaming is not okay, but neither is skinny shaming. I’ve always been naturally thin, and have had the luxury of not worrying about my weight. However, (especially recently, since songs and the media have begun preaching “curvy” and how “real men love meat on bones”) at a barbeque and out of the blue on other occasions people have given me rude comments. Quoted directly, one was when I had a plate of food in front of me and someone said ” that’s seriously sick, I can’t even look at you and how you’re just going to throw all that up in the bathroom afterwards” and “honestly, you would look so much better if you could fill that dress out more”. Now I look in the mirror and feel as if I’m not adequate because I’m not as curvy as everyone around me, maybe a man won’t want me because he won’t have anything to hold onto. I completely understand how it feels to be victimized or not good enough because of your weight, but getting “revenge” or having “justice” towards the other side of the extreme isn’t going to help anyone.
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I whole heartedly agree with you.. Except in two cases
1. The “Barbie doll”
She is refering to the stereotypical, media idolized look of models.
2. The aforementioned models
These respective models mainly have eating disorders. Even if they don’t, this ideology of women being stick thin, promotes and incomes eating disorders in young women all by itself.
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Meghan Trainor will disappear into the one-hit wonder file in short order and, with her, her lousy songwriting and delivery.
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Meghan Trainor is not the only one setting a bad example in their lyrics. So many other artists belittle women and make young girls feel pressured into how they should look or act. Almost every song on the radio is inappropriate and provides unrealistic ideas about what women should do or be. Sexualizing us. Meghan’s song could be considered mild compared to some other songs that come on. She shouldn’t be given so much grief and if she is then so she almost every other artist out there. The radio isn’t fit for young people to be listening to in my opinion. And Meghan’s song isn’t even the half if it.
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I get all points of veiw but at the end of the day this is just a song with a catchy beat that skinny and curvy people can get stuck in there head, it is just entertainment. I really wish the world could stop over analyzing and putting labels on everything, even making up words for no reason. Cant we just have a song and not a huge message and debate. I fear for our future i truly do.
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The woman writing this obviously has no idea what it’s like to be fat. Me being extremely overweight can relate to calling thin girls skinny bitches because it’s what we wish we were. When you’re fat you feel like that’s what every man wants is a “stick figure silicone Barbie doll.” I feel like the song is trying to tell the message that it’s ok to be whatever you are, whatever shape you are, especially if your a thick girl. I personally love Megan💗
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I am 5′ 5″ and almost 50 and until I was in my 40s I never weighed more then 110lbs except when I was pregnant. I hated being skinny and hated when I was in my teens and twenties being accused of having anorexia. People would constantly tell me I’m too skinny and to eat more. It used to make me feel self conscious and feel there was a double standard. I wouldn’t tell someone to don’t eat so much and lose weight. It took me til my 30s to appreciate that I was who I was and to love the body you have no matter what the size. As long as you are healthy everyone is different, thats what makes you unique.
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OBVIOUSLY, you have never been turned down by someone that you really like or have been dating because you were “too big” for them. I can tell by your “about the author” that you are the funny pretty girl that most guys throw themselves at(not hating on it, because you are in fact very pretty). I am not that kind of girl. Super tall, athletic built (played alot of sports over the years) and oh yes….overweight. In high school, I gained 15 pounds and got dumped for skinnier version of myself. Same thing happened in college all the time. I would get close to a guy and he would say I’m not going to dating you because you’re not my type. (later finding out he was making fun of my weight behind my back). I love this song, words and meaning, and I love the fact that Meghan accepts her voluptuous butt and curvy rack. I suffered an eating disorder in high school and really fight hard to love myself today. When I heard this song, I loved it! sang it in the shower all the time. So please do all of us curvy girls a favor, and get over yourself. She wrote a song about having some junk in the trunk and how men should like girls with curves, not twigs. ITS THE TRUTH. Are you gonna write a horrible review about JLo because her huge ass became a sex icon and she sings about it?? Or how about “my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard”?? Once you point the finger at one, many more start falling in front of it.
Im sorry if this was a really harsh response but most people who aren’t overweight don’t understand the struggle. I workout every day by swimming, jogging or lifting weights but yet have a big midsection, along with some DDD (on a small day) breasts. When i was in my friends wedding, i had to sit down with her and have a real talk because she didn’t understand why some of her comments were making me upset while we were looking at bridesmaids dresses. Because she chose a designer dress, the biggest size they had in store to try on was an 11….clearly only going to fit my thigh. She didn’t understand that I just cant walk into a store and find something that is going to fit my shoulders, chest and waist in about 15 mins. This has been my whole life. My friends cant buy bathing suits in pairs because the top never matches the bottom (big butts and nooooo chest). Im the opposite. Yes, they aren’t overweight by any means but they understand me. They aren’t off the rack size 6. So next time you go bashing some singer or actress, or for that matter, ANYONE about they saying that girls should have figures, just put your foot in your mouth.
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Aww, poor skinny girls. How dare one song promote a body type that isn’t yours! This must be really hard for you. It’s an outrage, and definitely deserves to be picked apart endlessly.
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I disagree with this post, because I’ve always struggled with the feeling that being curvy is bad, fat and people hate it. This song showed me that it’s ok to be curvy, I understand how people view itb as “shaming skinny people”, but I have NEVER seen people being shamed for being too skinny, whereas I’ve grown up my entire life thinking being bigger was bad. I remember being in grade one and telling people I was on a diet because I needed to loose weight. I remember in grade 3 not ever wanting to show my legs because I was always told it wasn’t okay to have some fat on them. With all these memories I have none of hearing people say “it’s not ok to be skinny”. Maybe, just maybe, this song is there to help curvy people accept that’s it’s OK to be bigger. Just let us have our moment of feeling that some people actually like curves, instead of bringing us right back down again and saying it’s bad to be in any shape.
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There’s plenty of girls that had a problem growing up being told they’re too skinny and asked if they ever eat anything or told to have a cheeseburger. But it was never acceptable for skinny girls to complain that they were picked on because it supposedly “wasn’t as bad” as being picked on for being heavier. In reality, it went both ways. I spent my grade school years ashamed of how I looked because I was always told I was too skinny. Don’t jump to conclusions so quickly. The media having skinny girls everywhere doesn’t help the fact that people would pick on skinny girls too. Seeing something on a magazine didn’t change how I felt about what people said to me. Magazines don’t dictate how a person feels, how they’re treated does. I’m in no way saying heavier girls aren’t treated poorly because I know they are, but there are skinny girls treated poorly as well. The song could have made heavier people feel good about themselves without making skinnier girls feel bad about themselves. Body positivity is supposed to be about EVERYONE feeling good about themselves for who they are, not feeling good about themselves by putting others down.
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Reblogged this on Everything With Ease.
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How about:the song sucks!
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I agree and disagree with this post. I’m 95 pounds and I’m stuck at this weight. I just have a super speedy metabolism. I’m a size 00 short in pants and xs in shirts, and it’s really hard to find things that actually fit me, especially pants. It seems like no one ever carries a size 00. It’s really annoying that I can almost never go shopping with friends and I constantly deal with my pants sagging. Not to mention, the only dresses I can wear are bodycon and then I just get called a slut. Xs dresses just do not have enough boob space for me! I’m 19 and it’s a pain in the neck.
It’s especially a pain in the neck because, whenever I even mention my size problem, people immediately snap at me and tell me that I “don’t deserve to complain” because I should be happy that I’m so skinny. My heavier friends are constantly comparing their bodies to mine and saying things like, “ugh, I wish I could have your body.” No! If you knew how annoying it was, you wouldn’t be saying things like that! People constantly ask me if I have an eating disorder, ask me what diet I’m on, and constantly tease me about my height. And it really bothers me that people are constantly comparing themselves to me, because it makes me feel guilty when I shouldn’t have to. It’s not my fault that I’m so tiny, so why should I feel bad for the times when people degrade themselves when comparing our bodies? I never asked anyone to compare my body to theirs.
I know what you’re thinking, another stupid skinny white bitch that doesn’t know what she’s got. I understand, I understand. I’m SOO lucky to be skinny and I don’t deserve to complain one bit, ever. But people heavier than me have all the right to constantly complain about their size just because I have what they want? That doesn’t make sense.
I like this song, and I get that it’s just for entertainment and it’s all out of good fun (I sang along to this song when it was super popular), but I don’t feel like either body type should be scrutinized. I’ve been called a “barbie” and a “stick figure” and it sucks and makes me feel uncomfortable. I don’t have “a little more booty to hold at night.” I have no booty at all! I would really like some curves so I don’t just look like a 9 year-old with boobs pasted on my chest. But I have to keep my mouth shut about everything or I get a lecture about how disrespectful I am to curvy women.
I get that it’s annoying for most skinny girls to complain about this song, but I do believe that there are some exceptions. For girls like me who can’t do anything about their weight, this song is a little bit annoying and just reminds me of how sucky my flat ass is.
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Well, I also reacted to the lyrics when I wrote about the song on my blog
https://sadnesstheory.wordpress.com/2015/01/18/meghan-trainor-all-about-that-bass/
even though I like the song musically I am not liking the lyrics turning against skinny girls instead.
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So does the person who wrote this article complain and write other articles on how being thin is idolized?
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I really understand where you are coming from I do. the song was implying all of the things you mentioned but… it IS just a song. I believe you are just taking this to seriously.
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