Saturday, December 8, 2007

Does This Culture Make Me Look Fat?

I say yes. This is nothing new to America. We thrive on compiling lists of beautiful people that become more specific and impossible every year. We think that being thin and tan without regard to how you got either way is good. Skin cancer and eating disorders happen to other people. With men, this has never been such a huge deal, but American women love to pit themselves against each other. This in turn has given us all body issues. Now, I'll admit that I'm pretty svelte with all the right curves. However, it's pretty disturbing the way that some people think I've "gotten" this way or who I am as a result of it. Skinny people have to deal with this too. But that's not what I brought you here to talk about.

Nigella Lawson, the famous cooking show chef that the world has been raving about, is now coming under fire for being fat. The infamous fat. The ubiquitous fat. The damning, hyper-critical insult that I thought would die out once you moved on from elementary school. Has anyone seen Nigella lately? Does this look fat to you?



The woman is gorgeous. Like this article says, it's not enough to be pretty and talented and smart. Without the Skinny, you might as well be nothing. Of course, I laughed when I read this because I was simultaneously surfing the web and dunking chunks of bread into an open vat of butter. Still, this is disturbing when you think about it, and trust me, I've thought about it a lot over the years. Most women have.

In light of this, I would like to stand up and speak for my faction of Skinny's: Nigella, you're beautiful, baby. Don't change a thing.

2 comments:

Mariana said...

Hear Hear. She's a geogeous woman and quite frankly, I can't see an ounce on her when I watch her shows. We must remember that "they" that set the standard have fat little minds and are probably all seeing shrinks because of "their fat complex"!! You ARE what you think. Nigella has a good confident self image. We women- all of us as you say- can use more of that attitude.

Mary said...

I think she's beautiful and talented and "normal" sized. We are so skewed as a society.