plus suze

 

I’ve been umming and erring about writing this post as the last thing that I want to do is upset or offend anyone. That being said, I think that talking about our health and weight is important and isn’t something that we should tip toe around. So here goes…

 

A few days ago, one of my younger cousins shared the below image along with the slogan ‘Men like curves, dogs like bones’. I must admit I don’t like the slogan at all, but that is a topic for another day. What I’m more upset about is the fact that young girls are under the impression that being like Tess Holliday, an American plus-size model, is any healthier than being like the anorexic girl on the left. Some plus-size models are healthy, don’t get me wrong, but women that are obese aren’t.

 

bones and curves

 

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with plus-size models because there’s not, what I am saying is that there’s curvy and healthy and then there’s obese, and sadly, Tess Holliday is obese. I see status after status saying what an inspiration this ‘curvy’ model is, but being overweight is not healthy. Some girls are curvier than others and there’s nothing wrong with that but this is something wrong with being overweight. I myself am a curvy gal, I weigh just over 10 stone and wear a size 10/12. I have hips and I’m a little tubby in certain places but I’m healthy and that’s what matters.

 

Because of her size, Tess will be at risk of diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and a range of cancers. She is no more healthy or inspirational than a woman who is all skin and bone. I’m sorry but neither of these extremes are inspirational, aspire to be healthy not underweight or overweight. There’s a big body positivity movement out there that believes that women like Tess Holliday promote a positive image to young girls, but the truth is being that size isn’t healthy and there’s no point pretending that it is. That’s not to say you can’t be a larger lady and be healthy because you can. However, being obese is never healthy and that’s all there is to it.

 

plus size model

 

The lady pictured above is a size 12/14, she’s a plus-size model and she’s a healthy size. Tess may have plenty of body confidence, which is a good thing as we should all love ourselves for who we are. However, her body isn’t a healthy one and it’s important that young, impressionable girls realise that.

 
I really hope I haven’t offended or upset anyone, I am a big believer in body confidence boosting for young girls. However, just like I believe promoting girls that are size zero as role models is harmful, I also think that positioning obese women as being inspirational is wrong.