Real Women

Privileging one body type over the other — no matter which it is — perpetuates this concept that all women must conform to one figure and that, depending on the decade or culture, the alternative is “gross,” “unattractive,” or in this case, “not real.”  

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I know we are all sick to death of the 'real women' debate. That whole crazy thing where some people started declaring that curvy women are real women and skinny women are somehow not as real. Obviously that is ridiculous and we are all real women it doesn't matter what your size or shape is. This says it all a lot better than I ever could.

More and more women are reclaiming their curves and I feel like every day I am reading or hearing about some woman and her spectacular rounded breasts, hips, thighs or bums. We all wants curves like Kate Winslet or an arse like Kim Kardashian or breasts like Salma Hayek because apparently this makes you more womanly and sexy. Of course skinny women are saying that this isn't fair and they are beautiful and womanly too.

The thing about this debate that has really irritated me from the start is that it completely ignores those of us who are bigger, but aren't curvy. It goes without saying that society says that thin women like Jennifer Aniston, Charlize Theron and Reese Witherspoon are beautiful (and I agree). Then everyone jumps up and down and says what about the curvaceous women like Adele, Christina Hendricks and Nigella Lawson, so then we all agree that they are also beautiful. So what happens when you are neither skinny or curvaceous? You are left feeling bad that you have failed at being thin and failed at being curvy.

I have grown up my whole life being so envious of my friends who complain about their hips because I just wanted to know what it would be like to have hips, waist or breasts that are defined in anyway. The only part of my body that is rounded or defined is my stomach because it sticks out further than any other part of my body.

When I was at my biggest I couldn't fit into most plus size clothes because they allowed for hips, thighs, bum and breasts that I did not have and looked ridiculous on me. Now that I have lost weight and should fit into 'normal' sized clothes, I still can't because I don't have a waist and my stomach pops out further than my breasts. So clothes shopping ends up being just one more avenue for me to feel less than womanly because of my shape.

Can we all just please agree that beauty has nothing to do with size or shape?

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