The Plus Sized Campaign and Why we need to Stop

The plus-sized campaign…. and why we need to

Before you judge what I am about to say before even reading what I am going to write.. Stop. It may or may not be what you think it is, the title may be misleading… so don’t judge until you have completed reading it. Okay, now to the point of this post. I’m sick and tired of the ‘plus-size campaign’. What you say? Don’t pretend you don’t know.

For a while now, I’ve been seeing campaigns fighting for plus-sized everything from barbie dolls, actresses, and models to Disney princesses. As if that will cure a girl’s body image issues…

Anger stirs within when Sports Illustrated, Victoria’s secret, Cosmo, Seventeen (do teens even read that anymore),  Vanity Fair, and other magazines only use stick thin models that aren’t just stick thin but they are photo shopped to look even more thin than they already are.The truth might make some mad but all these companies have every right to use whoever and whatever they want to sell their products (not saying I agree with all the Photoshopping etc. but they do have their rights). It is their company and they are just giving us what we asked for.

We blame the entertainment industry for being shallow and vain at the same time we criticize others walking down the street for their nose, ears, or butt that look funny to us. We blame the toy companies for creating unrealistic dolls, the retail chains for not carrying larger sizes, the magazines for creating flawless bodies, the movie companies for hiring lean or thin actresses, and the Victoria’s secret models for looking like models, We blame them for creating body image issues in the women of today. We blame everyone but ourselves. We go to everything but to the root of the problem. “We” a collective “us” are the reason some girl’s (along with anyone else) have a terrible body image.

The change starts in us.

That’s right, I said it. Placing the blame somewhere else won’t solve the problem. We must fix it in ourselves first. How do I mean? You may ask.

First, if you have body-image issues yourself  you need to fix it. If you think you are too fat or too thin,etc., love yourself as you are now. No matter what your ‘flaws’ may be accept that it is who you are right now and that whether you are overweight or underweight in this point in time you have to accept yourself in order to become a better you in the future. Accept doesn’t mean be complacent. Accept also doesn’t mean embrace. Accept means just that: accept. Accept who you are even if you are unhealthy. Strive to be a healthier you. In time… Love the new you. Love the old you. Embrace the new you. Remember how far you came from the old you’s body.

Accept. Embrace. Accept. Embrace. Accept. Embrace. Accept.

The plus-sized campaign get’s these two words confused which is one of my other reasons I hate the plus-size campaign. I am all for different body types but the plus-sized campaign almost tries to do the same thing to ideal weight or thin girls that the media has been claimed to do to a wide range of girls. It says size 2 is unrealistic. Real women have curves. Models that are thin are unhealthy or ridiculous. I hate the campaign because it takes a jab at the thin girl even the ones who are naturally thin and healthy. It seems to take a jab at thin girls instead of just taking on the campaign of being healthy and having a positive body image of one’s self.

Here’s the thing. People come in all sizes. Some girls are super thin and they can’t help it…they could eat for days and they won’t gain a pound. Some thin girls do have eating disorders that need to be addressed. Some slightly overweight girls may in fact be very healthy just when they eat one skittle their stomach grows while other overweight girls may be very unhealthy having a lifestyle  of potato chips and cake. Some girls are big-boned and athletic and are just heavier but their bodies are amazing, some girls are obese or morbidly obese and sorry but obesity is always a health problem but it doesn’t mean those who are obese are not beautiful because they to are beautiful. My problem is that  the plus size campaign tends to cut down thin people when not all of them are unhealthy or fake, etc.

To the basic point: saying the media is the cause of body image issues in many young women, girls, just females (and males too.. sorry this article was aimed more at females accidentally) is like saying the reason that there is so much violence is because of violent video games, or the reason kids eat junk food is because cookie monster does so he should eat vegetables, unintelligent adults are a direct result of mothers that didn’t breastfeed their child.etc. On and on the list goes.

No, I am not saying the media doesn’t contribute to people’s body image issues at all. I didn’t say that. I am sure it does.I know it does. The problem is that is not the root of the problem and the media would not affect us if the idea that we didn’t look good enough wasn’t planted in our head already by either ourselves or others around us.

We want plus size models and then we thin out Mr. Potato head because he appears unhealthy. Does this really make any sense?

Love yourself. Love others. Accept yourself for the person you are today and accept others as the person they are today. Tell someone they are beautiful. Compliment someone. The media shows what ‘we’ want to see. If we stopped paying attention they would stop.

Believe yourself as beautiful. Believe others as beautiful. Always try to be a better you by loving you. Sounds cheesy but true.