Cranky appearance morning

[mrissa]

Okay, people. I, too, am concerned with Hollywood's focus on emaciated actresses. I, too, find it alarming that unhealthy body types are being held up as ideal and as the only ideal. (The idea of anything being the only ideal is alarming regardless of what that only ideal would be.) But can we please stop it with the force-feeding comments? If you came upon people admiring extremely large women and someone said to them, "That woman ought to be chained and starved for three weeks for her own good," would you not have an issue with that? If not, you should. Some people do need medical treatment for eating and weight-related problems, but last I heard, "hold her down and force-feed her a sandwich" was not really an accepted treatment for anorexia, bulimia, or any other eating disorder I have ever heard of.

(Why is it always a sandwich? Because lasagna is too messy and you're not sure you can get good naan for force-feeding bites of curry in that neighborhood? Because ice cream melts and you're not sure you'll be able to make it backstage in time? Why sandwiches?)

I am disturbed by people who cannot distinguish between thinness and anorexia.

I am also disturbed by people who assume that everyone really, truly, deep-down appreciates the dominant social notions of beauty and only endures involvement with mortals of different shape, style, and hue because of resignation to one's fate or some kind of noble high-mindedness. Sure, I prefer geeks for conversation and non-sexual interaction, but I am also allowed to enjoy the geekotypes we commonly see around us on an aesthetic basis! It's not charity, dammit! I do not put up with the scruffy beard in order to get at the book collection! I'm allowed to like both! ("Scruffy beard" is a stand-in for all sorts of traits and geekotypes, some of which are beardless. Still.)

Comments

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Yes.

Also, I think people deserve a good deal more credit for dressing the body they have in a flattering way than for the body itself, in most cases. Judi Dench, for example, is not peddling gorgeous ass, but she generally seems to pick clothing that is flattering to her size/shape/coloration. Some people say, "so-and-so would look great if she wore a brown paper bag," but things like Hollywood awards nights prove how false that statement is!

One of the hallmarks of the unhappy body is the unhappy boobs. If you are too skinny for your natural weight's set point -- and trust me, I know this experimentally -- the boobs just start getting weird. Women's breasts vary a good deal, but you can see the difference on yourself between "normal breasts for me at age X" and "funny-shaped glandish things without enough weight per unit gland at age X," if you're honest with yourself. Having experienced this myself after I was sick, I've spotted it on a couple of starlets, and there was really very little their dresses could do to hide it. It was sad. Tits are supposed to be a good thing at whatever size/shape you naturally get them!