By Aastha Anupriya and Richa Sharma
Aastha’s View
We have had enough of size zero and skinny models who are forced to survive eating tissue paper. But are some of us using the ‘plus size’ as an excuse for obesity?
I usually call myself fat (with a BMI of 22, maybe I’m not). I constantly remind myself to eat no rice or only one roti, but almost never am I able to resist that occasional dessert. I’m pretty much your usual lazy college student with a dormant quest for complete fitness but zero will to get off the bed.
So now one can safely assume I’d be overjoyed to see plus size models doing great work and the plus size actually making its way into the mainstream? Yes, I’m completely, totally, maddeningly happy about it. I feel normal and accepted when I see those pictures of the likes of Amy Schumer, and I felt infinitely offended when Parineeti Chopra came out with her “inspiring story of weight loss” (I thought this was nothing heroic and that she was perfectly fine before).
But, somewhere, aren’t we making convenient excuses for obesity in the name of social inclusion?
No, please don’t get me wrong, I have explained my stance above, also, plus size and obesity aren’t two words always used for the same people.
I am truly against body shaming, but obesity is, of all things, plain unhealthy. And the more we have the obese represent the ‘plus size’, more are we discouraging people to achieve fitness.
While it is perfectly fine to have a waist of 36 inches or weigh 80 kilograms, there is a rather blurred line where a healthy body ends and obese begins.
Well, weight and fitness do have a lot in common. Fitness comes in somewhere between thin and overweight.
Obesity is a full-fledged health disorder and it isn’t just about the appearance. Nobody needs to be anorexic, but the motivation to be in a good, healthy shape must never be lost.
The media needs to stop the propaganda of what is wrongly perceived as “plus size”. Period.
Richa’s Counter-view
“Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.” This canonical way of looking at beauty is being challenged by the thought that “beauty lies within us”. It’s how we perceive ourselves that make us beautiful.
Traditionally, the beauty of models is defined by colour and size. A model must have a fair complexion and size zero goes without saying.
ALERT! Size-zero models, you’ve Plus-size models as competitors.
The society has assumed that stereotyping is their birthright especially, for plus-size women.
Plus-size women cannot exercise.
There’s no reason to say that plus-size women “can’t” do something – there’s nothing they’re not capable of achieving. Erika Schenk has been an avid runner for nearly a decade. This 18-year-old isn’t just gorgeous and fit — she’s also a plus-size model, whose body type is different than those typically featured in fitness magazines.
Weight and physical fitness have little to do with each other.
Thinness and fitness aren’t always synonymous. A fat person may not always be healthy just like a skinny person. Larger-bodied people while practicing yoga are valuable tools to other people, they teach you — what to do with your stomach, what to do with your breasts.
Slut shaming is out, and fat praising is in.
Elle India has featured a photo shoot with Plus Sized women showing beauty and personality are not related to body shape, size or weight. Broadening and redefining beauty norms these plus-sized models are an inspiration to women who face “slut-shaming”, “body-shaming”.
Bollywood’s new mantra: “Don’t judge talent by the body size”.
Fashion, film and television have become interdependent. Breaking the stereotypes Bhumi Pednekar, became the lead actress in “Dum Laga Ke Haisha”. She did not have a size zero but her skills have been appreciated through awards such as, “Guild Award for Best Female Debut” (2016), “Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut” (2016), and “Stardust Award for Best Acting Debut (Female)” (2015). Hence proved, body size does not define talent.
Trendsetters are breaking trends if this isn’t a sign what else could be?
The latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition features Ashley Graham as the first size 16 model to grace its magazine’s cover. “Now young girls have a celebrity, somebody they can look up to, somebody who is talking about their imperfections, their cellulite, their back fat. And you know what: There’s nothing wrong with it,” she said.
Kudos to all these people who’re brave enough to break the stereotypes and present themselves as they are in real. Models are the supposed to be the standard we look up to, now there will be more people relating to them. Not everybody is a size zero! These contemporary plus-sized models are not only redefining modelling standards but also beauty norms.
Moral of their story would be, “It’s not the size of the dreamer, it’s the size of the dream [that matters]”.
Image Sources: Google Images
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