Picking up on a few of the comments from yesterday’s post.
“You look good for a size 20”
– This is not a compliment. It’s like saying that an older woman looks good “for her age”. Who says size 20 women can’t look good? Who says older women can’t look good? It’s ALSO an insult to all my other size 20 babes. When you say I look good for a size 20, it usually means I look skinnier than a size 20 which still sends the message: thin = good, fat = bad.
“You are lying, you aren’t a size 20”
– I am a U.K. Size 20. It is a fact that changes depending on which store but the majority of my clothes are size 20. That is a fact. This assumption that I’m lying is contingent on your perception of what a size 20 looks like. This perpetuates the idea that fat equals ugly or unattractive which is most definitely DOES NOT!
“You distorted camera angles + edited it to look skinnier”
– It was not a preprepared photo that I planned from 5 years ago so yes different angles but it’s the only photo I had in the dress. The photo from 2012 had a filter because another person took that photo. The one from 2017 is not edited/filtered in anyway. These assumptions are based on the fact I have something to hide. NOT HIDING. Right here telling you my dress size.
“You aren’t even fat. You should stop invalidating the struggles of actual fat women and taking away from the movement”
– I don’t know what you deem as “actual fat” but both my weight + my dress size indicates I am. I use the word fat because it’s not an insult. When you tell me I’m not allowed to use a word that describes me, when I experience the marginalisation of anyone in my size, that invalidates MY experience of being fat-bodied. In terms of taking away from the movement, you’ll be hard pushed to find another mixed-race, not able-bodied, fat scarred woman talking about chronic illness and chronic pain and THAT representation matters.
In summary, if people tell you they are a certain size, believe them. They are the ones picking out their clothes! You can be the same dress size + look bigger/smaller as shown in the two photos above! Whatever your size, you look good for your size ? #scarrednotscared
#onetakebeauty