COMMENT: Why do people still feel the need to body SHAME in 2017?
In the past 24 hours, I've seen three celebrities being body-shamed online… and I just don't get it.
Why is this still happening? Why do people still feel the need to comment on a woman's weight?
Honestly, I don't have the answers.
In a recent article on Cosmo, alleged emails from Dr. Luke were leaked where he was complaining about Kesha's weight, and said he'd be better off if she was a machine and he could do whatever he wanted with her.
He wrote: "We were having a discussion on how she can be more disciplined with her diet. There have been many times we have all witnessed her breaking her diet plan. This particular time – it happened to be diet coke and turkey while on an all juice fast."
Kesha's manager, Monica Corina, replied that the singer is "a human not a machine," to which Dr. Luke responded, "if she were a machine that would be way cool and we could do whatever we want."
I get that Kesha is in an industry where a lot of emphasis is put on how she looks but, give her a break. If she wants to eat turkey, let her eat fecking turkey.
In case Dr. Luke hadn't noticed, the world is fighting against the idea of 'perfection' – women come in all shapes and sizes, and they're all beautiful.
Look at Ashley Graham, who just walked for Michael Kors at New York Fashion Week.
Being the first plus-size model to grace the designer's runway; she was celebrated and applauded for staying true to herself and not succumbing to what people like Dr. Luke think is 'the perfect size'. And fair play to her – it's the way we should celebrate every woman.
However, on the flipside, former model, Tara Reid, was blasted online for looking "too skinny" yesterday.
The model shared an innocent photo on Instagram of her holding her dog, who sadly passed away, but instead of people offering support, they focused on Tara's weight.
"No one is naturally that skinny, it doesn't look great and it's very ageing," wrote one user, while another quipped, "if she was my friend, I'd insist on her getting help."
Why do people, who don't even know this woman, feel the need to comment on her weight?
Are they doctors? Nutritionists? NO. They're not even her friends.
We need to realise that some people are skinny and some people carry a few extra inches – and that's all OK.
Another celebrity to be caught up in an online body-shaming torrent was controversially, Khloe Kardashian.
She was recently made an ambassador for Protein World, and her ad campaign suffered backlash, as people said it made women have "low self-esteem."
But, why? It seems like no matter what your body shape, people have a problem with it. Yes, it's air brushed (as all campaigns are) but, Khloe has curves, and she celebrates them. Yet, people say it's unrealistic.
Maybe it is, but if you exercise and eat well – is your goal not to be toned up? Just like it was Khloe's goal three years ago? She achieved it, and people are still condemning her for it.
She's been extremely vocal about being healthy, but maintaining her shape, so why are people so offended?
Whether you're big, small, short, or tall – everyone has a different body type. EVERYONE.
Why can't we get our heads around that? Why is commenting on people's weight still a thing? Why was it ever a thing? And, really, why can't we just get past it?
We all need to build a body-shaming bridge and get over it.
